Wolverhampton shop backs singer's debut album
A singer/songwriter has is hoping her music will strike a chord after releasing her debut album in collaboration with a city music shop.
Fall Girl, real name Michelle Sciarotta, has launched her debut album Arcana at Vinyl & Vintage in Cleveland Street, Wolverhampton.
A launch event on November 5 saw the artist deliver an acoustic performance of tracks from the original album in front of a live audience, followed by a meet and greet.
Arcana takes the form of a diary, written over the course of 2015-16 and revisits themes of reflection and everyday inner thoughts. Pulling on a range of influences from classical to 60s, pop to electronic, the erratic nature of contrasting styles plays out the journal.
Fall Girl began working with Claire Howell, owner of the shop, in early 2016 when the venue was host to the Blaze Bayley Infinite Entanglement album launch, of which Sciarrotta was a co-writer and guest musician.
Fall Girl, 30, from Coventry, said: "I've worked with Blaze Bayley as a guitarist and writer for a while now and worked on his latest album this year.
"I met up with Claire from Vinyl and Vintage and we decided to work together. The store has sponsored me to get my CD on the shelves. It's funded a first run and we'll see how that goes before any more are ordered in.
"We held the launch party there last weekend which was a really good event. Because it was such an intimate gig it meant I could talk to people and tell them more about the songs and the meaning behind them.
"It is being sold exclusively at Vinyl and Vintage, so hopefully it will be popular."
She added: "I chose the name Fall Girl because my real name is un-Google-able! It's a hard one to spell so I decided I needed a stage name. It's a bit tongue-in-cheek really, I suppose I'm the one who always takes the blame for things!"
"I have a lot of different influences so I wouldn't class myself as a specific genre. There are songs on the album with a 60s sound, electric dance, Spanish and classical so it's a pretty eclectic set of tracks.
"It's been an interesting path to get where I am. I'm trained in classical guitar, that's where I started off. Then I moved into teaching, not really knowing where to go. I did a bit of session work, nothing too high profile though, just something to keep my hand in. Then three or four years ago I started working with Blaze. Last year was when I decided that I wanted to try and do my solo stuff."
Claire Howell, from Vinyl & Vintage, said: "We were delighted that so many people came to the event and that we welcomed new listeners as well as those who were already fans.
"We can't wait to do it all again for the second Fall Girl album."
The limited edition CD of Arcana is available to buy in store from Vinyl & Vintage, or to order from www.fallgirl.net/shop.
