MIRANDA LEE RICHARDS KCRW’S “MORNING BECOMES ECLECTIC” IN-STUDIO PERFORMANCE AND INTERVIEW CONFIRMED FOR THURSDAY, 3/12

“For an artist mentored by Metallica's Kirk Hammett who has also worked with the Brian Jonestown Massacre, Miranda Lee Richards is one mellow musician. The follow-up to her 2001 debut evokes her Cali dream-pop heroes Mazzy Star, although Richards' music is airier and poppier — think of it as freak folk with just a schmear of freak. ‘Life Boat’ is a big, warm hug with dub effects, pedal steel and hash-den tambourine; ‘Mirror at the End’ sports a chorus big enough for Sheryl Crow. Delivered in a pure, unblemished voice, even the sad songs are comforting…”

–Will Hermes, ROLLING STONE, February 19, 2009

Having just released her new album LIGHT OF X (Nettwerk) and wrapping a month-long Tuesday night residency at Spaceland in Los Angeles, singer/songwriter/musician MIRANDA LEE RICHARDS will be the featured guest on KCRW’s “MORNING BECOMES ECLECTIC” tomorrow, Thursday, March 12. The radio show airs daily (M-F) in Los Angeles on KCRW 89.9 FM and can also be heard online at: http://www.kcrw.com/music/programs/mb.  MIRANDA and her band–KIRK HELLIE (bass), RICK PARKER (guitars) and KEVIN STEVENS (drums)–will perform and be interviewed LIVE at 11:15am PST tomorrow.

In touring news, MIRANDA is heading to Austin, TX this month for the SXSW Music Festival. She will perform in various showcases throughout the week (see her full schedule and complete list of shows and set times below). 

MIRANDA continues to receive strong praise for her music. Check out what critics are saying about LIGHT OF X:

“…when some darkness descends, as on ‘Pictures of You,’ her perky nature adds a bittersweet twist to the added emotional weight.”

–Andy Fyfe, Q, March 2009

"The soft but assured vocals of Miranda Lee Richards cast a glow upon the delicate, 60's inspired folk-pop on her new CD, LIGHT OF X (Nettwerk). The chiming guitars, strings and piano shine with a melancholy dreaminess, and so do Richards's lyrics. (‘Finally, there's something/I can hold onto that isn't broken’)."

   –Scott Frampton, O (THE OPRAH MAGAZINE), February 2009

“In 2001, Richards made a dreamy little pop record that hardly anyone heard, but it'll be hard to ignore her when her sophomore release, LIGHT OF X (Nettwerk), arrives Feb. 10. The boho-chic California native really honed her sound in the interim, even if she rarely stays in one spot for long on the new album. One minute she sounds like a sun-kissed pop chanteuse, the next she's channeling a dusky torch singer reminiscent of Cat Power. Miranda wrote all the songs on X, but her supporting cast brings a wealth of obvious influences: drummer Keith Mitchell (Mazzy Star), bassist Eva Gardner (Mars Volta), and guitarist Josh Schwartz (Beachwood Sparks).”

–James Reed, BOSTON GLOBE, “Nine to Watch in 2009,” Sunday, January 11, 2009

 “Her long-awaited follow-up album, the new LIGHT OF X (Nettwerk), produced by Rick Parker, charms with delicate, carefully rendered balladry and gently laid-back pop tunes. There’s a hint of country music and wide-open spaces with Ben Peeler’s pedal-steel adornments on ‘Savorin’ Your Smile’ and ‘Olive Tree,’ and Richards’ radiant voice lights up the dusky guitar riffs of ‘Early November.’ She gives good jangle on the power-pop reverie ‘Pictures of You,’ while Parker frames her solemn piano chords with shimmering guitar plucking on the ballad ‘Here by the Window,’ which builds a haunting momentum with bluesy grandeur.”

–Falling James, LA WEEKLY, November 14-21 2008