“I originally wrote ‘Screaming Into the Void’ about the frustration of trying to make a splash in this over-saturated, digital age of music, though sometimes songs develop deeper meaning over time and it’s become almost an anthem for me to keep pushing for my dreams no matter what,” she shares. “The video was filmed over a perfect golden hour one sunny evening (harder to come by than you might think in SF coast side summers) and we got super lucky with lighting and pelicans flying overhead. This is also the second music video of mine that I’ve fully edited and really enjoyed the process ❤” Preview “Screaming Into The Void” now: EllaHarp, the moniker of Ella Dawn Jenkins, is also a multi-instrumentalist who brings new life to the harp and banjo. “When I was 8, my mother found a harp teacher and drove my sister and I 100 miles, each way, every week,” recalls Ella. “Banjo-wise, I started playing after college and I’m fully winging it, but it’s so much fun. I figure if you write your own music no one can really say you’re wrong.” Being a true-to-the-core DIY artist who not only built and lived in in a 120 square foot tiny house, and designs/makes her clothing, Ella built her own unique harp and banjo. It was based on the demand of touring that led her to design everything to fit in an airplane’s overhead compartment. Truly one-of-a-kind instruments, the harp and banjo are heard in enchanting performances throughout the new album’s nine tracks. “I desperately conceptualized an overhead bin-sized harp to tour with and found nothing on the market meeting my somewhat specific vision,” shares Ella. “I started drawing on cardboard cutouts and convinced a friend in metal fabrication that an aluminum harp was a good idea, despite neither of us having any experience on the matter and no example of one having been built.” Ella—though she never met them—comes from a line of accomplished musicians. Both of her grandfathers carry heavy accolades; to name a few: Her paternal grandfather, the composer, conductor and arranger Gordon Jenkins has many credits to his name including the fact that he penned the song “Crescent City Blues” (Decca Records) which Johnny Cash shamelessly ripped off for his well-known song “Folsom Prison Blues.” Her mother’s father, Bill Ulyate, was a saxophonist, studio musician and band leader at Disneyland (Carnation Plaza). The new album offers a unique blending of folk and Americana with pop sensibilities, highlighting dark, thoughtful lyrics with memorable hooks. Next, do people who are tone-deaf hear music differently?
