Rachael Yamagata

Rachael Yamagata is a young singer, songwriter and pianist who began her career as a vocalist for the Chicago punk/fusion band Bumpus. Her self-titled debut EP was released in 2002, followed by her first full-length album "Happenstance" in 2004, produced by John Almagia. A number of her songs have been featured in popular television shows and movies, such as "One Tree Hill" and "Elizabethtown". Her follow up LP "Elephants...Teeth Sinking Into Heart," was released on October 7th, 2008 as a two-part record that explores the complicated timeline of relationships. The nine tracks on Elephants are darker and more vulnerable than the five gritty, defiant rock songs on Teeth Sinking Into Heart, and taken together, the two halves present a complete story of relationships and the accompanying fallout when they end. "Elephants is much more intimate," Yamagata says. "It's about being willing to take a risk even if it's not going to end up well. Teeth is like rediscovering your backbone after you've gone through the loss."