With a handle like Deau Eyes, you might expect singer-songwriter Ali Thibodeau to be all soft and gentle and pastoral. You’d be wrong. The Virginia-born indie-rocker packs a solidly scrappy punch and plenty of sizzling, edgy guitar work into her nine-song debut Let It Leave. Even so, she wisely keeps enough melody, mood, style, sophisticated and smart in the equation to keep from sounding like some sort of one-trick pony. Keep her in your sights.
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Deau Eyes is Ali Thibodeau: Richmond, Virginia born and raised singer, songwriter, actress, choreographer, nanny, truck driver, waitress, construction worker, tour manager, baker, bartender, painter, Harry Potter World witch, tap dancing elf, camp counselor, journalist, Soul Cycle receptionist, puppeteer, open mic host, saleswoman, team building expert, free sample distributor, box office attendant, personal assistant, Zumba instructor, and dog walker. Ever since Thibodeau left high school early in her junior year, she has been working to support herself, her art, and her healthy appetite for adventure. Lifelong dreams of a career in performance brought her to live in New York, Florida, Idaho, and all over Virginia, to work in theaters, theme parks, studios, classrooms, festivals, and cruise ships. For most of her life, Thibodeau has been part of the ensemble — dancing, speaking, and singing from a script. It has only been in recent years that she has listened to herself, to her original inner voice, and began to translate her wide range of experiences into her own music. Her debut album Let It Leave was recorded in January of 2018 at Trace Horse Studios in Nashville, TN. The recording was funded by an overwhelmingly supported Kickstarter, meaningful proof to Thibodeau that people believe in her, and in turn, fueling her belief in herself. She called upon her longtime friends and co-producers Jacob Blizard and Collin Pastore, whose creative efforts show up on records by Lucy Dacus (hi, that’s me) and illuminati hotties, among others. The songs celebrate the joys and complications of a liminal life — balancing between freedom and stability, falling into and out of love, and trusting yourself through the noise of other people’s expectations.”
