Petra Haden

Petra Haden (born New York City, October 11, 1971) is an American violinist and singer. She is or has been a member of several bands, including that dog., The Rentals and The Decemberists; has contributed to recordings by Beck, Mike Watt, Luscious Jackson, Green Day, Victoria Williams and Yuka Honda; and has recorded as a duo with guitarist Bill Frisell. She is the daughter of the jazz bassist Charlie Haden; the triplet sister of bassist Rachel Haden (her bandmate in that dog.) and cellist Tanya Haden, with whom she has performed as The Haden Triplets; and the sister of bassist-singer Josh Haden, formerly leader of the group Spain.

Related Topics:
New York City - October 11 - 1971 - Violinist - Singer - That dog. - The Rentals - The Decemberists - Beck - Mike Watt - Luscious Jackson - Green Day - Victoria Williams - Yuka Honda - Bill Frisell - Charlie Haden - Rachel Haden - Tanya Haden - Josh Haden - Spain

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In 2000, Petra was struck by a car while crossing a street in Los Angeles; the resulting injuries forced her out of performance for several months.

Related Topics:
2000 - Los Angeles

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In 1999 she released her first album, Imaginaryland, consisting mostly of a capella covers. In 2005 she released the home-recorded album Petra Haden Sings The Who Sell Out (Bar/None), a complete acapella rendition of The Who Sell Out. The project was suggested to Haden by longtime friend Mike Watt, who also gave her the eight-channel multi-track cassette recorder she used to make it.

Related Topics:
1999 - A capella - 2005 - Acapella - The Who Sell Out - Mike Watt

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In an interview, The Who frontman Pete Townshend had this to say about Haden's version of the record:

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:I was a little embarrassed to realize I was enjoying my own music so much, for in a way it was like hearing it for the first time. What Petra does with her voice, which is not so easy to do, is challenge the entire rock framework: the traditions, the processes, the decor, the accessories, the entirety of the established dynamics of traditional pop-rock. 'I Can See For Miles' is powerful not for the restrained electric guitars and suppressed and distant thundering drums of Keith Moon but for the torturously sustained vocal harmonies that John Entwistle added over my fairly conventional four-part. Petra is the first analyst who heard the vocal harmonies as they were written and reproduced them properly. When she does depart from the original music she does it purely to bring a little piece of herself -- and when she appears she is so very welcome. I felt like I'd received something better than a Grammy.

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