Biography
The melodies are sweet and singable and the lyrics are pages falling out of a tattered, well traveled diary. Clair Reilly-Roe writes story songs, funny songs, love songs- songs about changing and letting go, about beginnings, endings, but above all else, the triumph of love.
As the child of real-deal hippies, folk music formed the foundation of Reilly-Roe’s inspiration- from Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Carol King, and the Beatles- the music was always turned up loud. However, it was a career as a pro snowboarder that ultimately led her to a commitment to music. A knee injury forced Reilly-Roe off the mountain and she ended up trading her Burton for a Gibson to follow big dreams of “making it” in the big apple.
Arriving from Canada with only a single contact, Reilly-Roe “was very green,” she admits. “I only knew one person, producer Tony Black , who has worked with a number of other Canadian artists. Luckily he was a good person to know and we have done some great work over the years together.” Their most recent collaboration is Clair Reilly-Roe’s debut album— “Island in the City” — a laid back, pop/reggae record, consisting of 5 originals and 6 covers, ranging from U2, the Police, to Daniel Lanois.
Reilly-Roe also cultivated connections from her early New York day jobs, turning a stint in the restaurant business into a long-time collaboration. “I met one of my writing partners, Kobie Powell (former member of US3) while I was a waitress in a uptown club.” That early meeting with Powell led to a project writing hip hop for young kids with award winning composer, sound engineer and mixer, Brian Rund. The team, KBC Kids, have placed songs in TV commercials and various film and TV projects (Lemonade Mouth/Disney, Running Russell Simmons, Kraft, ABC Family, Crickets) as well as creating their own animated TV show, currently in development with 9Story Entertainment (Max & Ruby/Harriet the Spy).
These days, Reilly-Roe jumps between the studio and stage; playing live with her band- Todd Caldwell on organ (Crosby Stills & Nash/Burlap to Cashmere) and Tanner Jacobson on drums (Michelle Branch & The Wreckers/Marc O’Conner/Jypsi) — or working on tunes for commercials/TV and film with KBC Kids. (www.kbckids.com)
Clair Reilly-Roe is still chasing big dreams, but is also living them.
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