With over 10,000 likes on Facebook, Idaho native and international musician, Eilen Jewell, has been climbing into the spotlight of the music industry with her variety of taste in music from Americana/ Folk to rock n’ roll. It is like listening to Billy Holiday meets Norah Jones meets  with a little bit of blues and some 50s rock n’ roll. 

Jewell has been heard on radio stations such as NPR, BBC, and SiriusX FM.  Her music has also been played on shows such as Sons of Anarchy, True Blood, Ellen, and T-Mobile commercials.  She has been recognized by celebrities such as Tom Hanks and Prime Minister David Cameron. It all started when she was 7 years old playing classical music on the piano, but she did not take music very seriously until she went to college in Santa Fe, NM. 

“For many years, I never really thought of myself of becoming a professional musician because I really hated performing in front of people and it wasn’t until I was in college that I decided to give it a try,” said Jewell.

Inspired by her hometown and by artists such as Zoe Muth and Bob Dylan, Jewell gives her audience a little bit of everything from her foot-tapping melancholy songs to slow melodic sad tunes. Her first album, Boundary County, was self-released in 2006 and consists of a sweet-sultry sound mixed with a little folk. The following year she released, Letters From Sinners & Strangers (Signature Sounds), which gives a timeless country/folk feel to it. In 2009, she came out with Sea of Tears which illustrates her rock n’ roll side especially in songs like “I'm gonna dress in black” and “Shakin' All Over”

Her next album, Queen of the Minor Key, was released in 2012 which is a mix of a 50s Sun Records influence with a dash of jazz. Jewell determines the genre of the song based on the lyrics and how she wants the meaning of the song to be interpreted. 

“I actually let the song be the boss and I encourage other people to experiment with other types of music,” said Jewell. 

She moved back to Idaho after living for 5 years in New Mexico and 10 years in Boston, MA to discover a more personal side to her like expecting her first child with her drummer, Jason Beek, which she said, “is a big part of my life.” After spending the month of January in the studio with her grade A band, Jewell just finished laying down the main tracks with her band on her yet to be titled fifth studio album.  The album is different than her other albums in a sense that a “lot of the songs are very autobiographical,” said Jewell. Jewell and her band will introduce some of her new songs along with playing some old ones in a high energy show on Saturday. 

The show is at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, February 8 at the Southgate House Revival. Sanctuary Room. Tickets are $15 on ticketweb.com and $18 the day of the show