Dandelioness: It's Really Possible

Have a question or comment for Rhonda? Send us a text!Chloe & Rhonda talk about letting go of the push for 'success', the healing powers of animals, liminal phases of a creative life, riding the wave, and so much more.  Please take a moment to share Past the Blue Mailbox with your friends, and be sure to follow on your favorite streaming service to be notified of new episodes!Albuquerque-based solo artist Dandelioness is known for her radioactive falsetto and visceral, hypnotizing stage presence.Though she was raised on americana and mentored by folk greats Carrie Newcomer and Krista Detor, Dandelioness spent the first half of her life in India. In her writing, the echoes of droning ragas from her years in New Delhi well up under simple folk structures, resulting in an anomalous, otherworldly fusion of disparate cultural lilts and progressions. The sound is further mutated with infectious pop riffs, drips of her mother’s hand-me-down southern drawl, glittering with autotuned vocoder and underscored by spiraling patterns of fingerstyle guitar.Growling, crooning, generally in an outrageous getup, Dandelioness gives a vulnerable and playful show that tilts in the direction of burlesque- in her words, 'reading pages of my diary up here in front of everyone'- and often, inviting the audience to join in. The result is turning dive bars into listening rooms across the country.Her debut album, titled “Scorpio Ballads” out via Three of Swords Records, charts the tumultuous journey of a first love torn in half by long distance. Recorded in London, England, each track on the album contributes to the overall emotional landscape. Whether it’s the mascara-stained visions of the underworld or the apocalyptic American West, Dandelioness invites listeners to explore these dark, whimsical landscapes.A musical vagabond, Dandelioness is a bohemian goth who has at various times called New Delhi, India, London, England, Taos, New Mexico, and now Albuquerque home.Since landing in New Mexico several years back, she has shared the stage or the bill with Concepto Tambor and Desert Records artist Betty Benedeadly (Sheverb), among others.Photo Credit: Kirk Stauffer