Agnes Poetry
- a name chosen as a tribute to their mother, this sibling
trio was originally formed under the name Yavannah in
1989 by singer/songwriter Rannoch Purcell and keyboardist/programmer
Randon Purcell. Originally a duo, the band experimented
with drummers and guitarists, but couldn't catch the
sound they wanted with the other musicians. In 1991
the two brothers dispensed with the guitars and drums,
purchased a drum machine, several synthesizers, and
a midi sequencing workstation. It was then that they
recruited their sister Ranita Purcell to sing backing
vocals and began writing under the name Agnes Poetry.
The new combination
was exactly what they were looking for. In 1993 the
trio moved to Provo, Utah to begin playing live shows.
Their first hit, Leaving
found it's way to X-96 radio's "Local's Only"
show. Leaving
quickly earned the spot of "most requested song"
on the program, and built the band a large local following.
In January of 1994 Agnes Poetry started in the studio
on their first album project.
Unrest,
Agnes Poetry's debut album, was released in April of
1994, and was an immediate success in the Utah locals
scene. In May of 1994, X-96 began giving Agnes Poetry
prime time rotation, and the singles Unrest
and My
Reward climbed to the top of the station's charts.
Several months of touring coupled with heavy radio air
play made Agnes Poetry a huge success in Salt Lake City,
and brought them widespread recognition as one of Utah's
most prominent bands.
Only one year later,
Agnes Poetry released the Once
Upon the Weather CD-Single, followed three months
later by their second album, Forgotten.
Again, heavy touring and radio play helped maintain
their status in the local scene, and made Forgotten
another hit among their fans.
During the next two
years Agnes Poetry began incorporating distortions,
heavy sampling, and guitar into their music. In the
fall of 1997, Agnes Poetry returned to the studio and
put their new sound down to tape. In November of the
same year, they released the CD-Single Drown.
The enthusiastic response to the "new" Agnes
Poetry drove the band back to the studio in the spring
of 1998 for a full album project.
Recording the new
songs proved more of a challenge than past projects.
Live strings, bass, and piano were recorded for several
tracks, something which had never been done in the past,
and new production techniques were constantly being
experimented with to achieve the vision the band had
for each song. Five months later, the album was finished.
In September of 1998
Agnes Poetry released Leave
the Light On, their third full-length album. The
title track was aired on X-96's new music program where
it was voted "best new song" for several weeks
straight. Leave
the Light On became an immediate success, acknowledged
by the band and their listeners alike as Agnes Poetry
at their best.
In 1999 the band released
the limited edition single I'd
Hide Away. The release was limited to 75 numbered
copies as an Amazon.com exclusive. The amount of orders
were overwhelming as Amazon.com did not set the 75 limit
in their database. Over 500 were ordered by fans the
first day. I'd
Hide Away acheived the #1 sales ranking in the Popular
Music catagory of their website for that day. Once Amazon.com
was aware of the problem they cancelled all the orders
placed for the Limited Edition CD. A few days later
Amazon.com again released the Limited Edition CD, this
time with the correct amount in their database and the
CD's were shipped off to the lucky fans who had to re-place
their orders with the online retailer.
In 2000 Agnes Poetry
re-located to Burbank California with hopes of building
a wider fan base and to be in a location to catch the
eye of a record label. That same year the band released
Unforgotten,
a 2 CD anthology containing all material released on
Agnes Poetry's first 2 albums and singles, as well as
Upside
Down [Right Side Up Mix] from the I'd
Hide Away LCD-Single.
Ranita announced her
plans to leave the band in 2001 to pursue an art career
and to spend more time with her children. Rannoch and
Randon continue writing music together under their new
band ADOM9.
As a musical force,
Agnes Poetry are strongly renowned for the magic and
emotion conveyed in their music. Fans from all over
the world repeatedly comment that Agnes Poetry's music
"gets you hooked right from the start". This
fact is more evident considering that during the years
1994-2001 the band had independently sold over 18,000
albums and 7,000 singles worldwide, without any support
from a record label.
This success was also
attributed to Agnes Poetry's live performance. Onstage
the band's energy and emotion are driven home to the
hearts of their fans, leaving hundreds of listeners
entranced after each performance.
Listen to their music
and message, and discover what thousands of others around
the world have come to love and enjoy.
"Here there's
music, and it's magic.
Where the night sounds harmonize.
Here the druid sleep has lost us
Where the enchanted world lies."
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