Press

Electronic Press Kit

Press Contact:
eli@eliconley.com

Music

Strong and Tender was released April 26, 2017.

To receive a CD by mail for radio or review, please contact us.

Bio

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Recent Press

Out Singer-Songwriter Eli Conley Relishes Roots Music, Trans Themes
Washington Blade, April 2019

Oberlin Alumnus Shares Trans Experience Through Country Music
Prizm, April 2019

Weekly Must-Listens
Wide Open Country, September 2018

Queer Country West Coast
Bay Area Reporter, May 2018

Bay Area Beats: Eli Conley
Crosscurrents, KALW December 2017

Eli Conley at the Back Room
East Bay Express, June 2017

Critic's Picks
Pittsburgh City Paper, May 2017

Eli Conley, Sharing His Life Through Song
Philadelphia Gay News, April 2017

In a Queer Country
Bay Area Reporter, February 2016

Folk Songs for Misfits
The Commons, April 2015

Interview: Music Opens Space to Connect Queer, Trans Community
Huffington Post, March 2015

Folk Singer Returns Home to Perform for First Time in Ashland
Richmond Times-Dispatch, April 2014

Review: At The Seams
Minor 7th, December 2013

Interview: Local Spin
Spinning Platters, September 2013

Interview: Eli Conley Sings "Folk With a Queer Bite"
Out in the Bay, KALW, September 2013

Press Quotes

"Oh what gorgeous, soulful music! It knocked off my easy chair. Eli Conley has a beautiful way of expressing himself. His writing and singing are exquisite."
Laura Love

"Singer-songwriter Eli Conley’s tender storytelling voice and intimate fireside acoustic songwriting brings to mind the kind of bare bones honest music that proliferated in the early ‘70s when the term 'singer-songwriter' emerged. Originally from a small rural town in Virginia, Conley soaked up American roots music, as well as ‘40s and ‘50s Broadway hits. His music emanates with this beautiful juxtaposition, much in the same way that his small-town roots have come to enhance his current urban sensibilities."
Aaron Carnes, East Bay Express

"Eli Conley spoke with me a few months ago about his involvement in the queer country scene. It was also on the eve of his wedding. As a listener, it felt a like a good time to catch him — about to embark on an important chapter and reflecting on all of his accomplishments so far. On his latest album, Strong and Tender, Conley’s truly mastered his craft. The songs here examine our most important relationships: romantic ones, of course, and the ambiguity they can contain; our gender identities, and our relationships with ourselves and our mortality. On 'Strong and Tender,' Conley dives into the aftermath of a painful conflict and the ways those separations can reverberate many years later." Rachel Cholst, Wide Open Country

"Classically trained as a singer, Conley has a wide vocal range. He sings with a twang, filling out long notes with soul and belting out smooth melodies. Conley's father’s family was from Appalachia and... he grew up listening to folk, country, old-time and bluegrass."
Cindy Huang, Richmond Times-Dispatch

"Eli Conley's music connects the gap between city- and country-boy -- think early Elton John, especially Tumbleweed Connection -- by merging progressive and traditional themes with roots-based instrumentation."
Wendy Levy, The Commons

"Eli is the kind of guy who gives more than he receives, who listens more than he talks... and then, when you least expect it, creates beautiful music with meaning and care. Every time I hear Eli play live, I’m struck by not only his musicianship, but the power of his narrative... By the time Eli finishes his last song, those listening will never be the same. And they won’t just have learned, and opened, and maybe felt home for the first time. They’ll never go back to where they were."
Joshua Klipp, Original Plumbing

Praise for Strong and Tender (2017)

"Vocal teacher and prominent voice in LGBTQ country-folk [makes] sweet, deeply sincere folk music. If you’re unfamiliar, start with 'How Do We Know,' from this year’s Strong and Tender full-length. It’s flat-out beautiful." Alex Gordon, Pittsburgh City Paper

"The California-based Conley [refers] to classic folk-rockers like Joni Mitchell and James Taylor, to whom his gentle-yet-powerful sound draws comparisons... In tunes like the haunting 'All That Ends,' he wonders how long he will live and how his end will come." David-Elijah Nahmod, Philadelphia Gay News

"Eli Conley's recent sophomore record, Strong and Tender, is an earnest effort that hones in on life’s tiny details, while still addressing the bigger issues like death, aging and love." Aaron Carnes, East Bay Express

Praise for At The Seams (2013)

"That voice! You'll recognize it everywhere. Eli Conley possesses the rare gift of a distinctive vocal timbre that separates him from scores of singer-songwriters in the modern folk ilk." Tom Semioli, Minor 7th

"I'm impressed by the quality and variety on At the Seams, from touching love songs to political ballads, beautifully written, sung and played. Eli displays diversity in his songwriting and in his being." Eric Jansen, KALW

"Akin [to] the classic era of the singer songwriter genre – think Jackson Browne, early Elton John, Stephen Stills, and the more recent work of Melissa Etheridge – Conley's cinematic lyrics and strong sense of melody along with Michael Connolly's spare, supportive arrangements serve artist and the listener well. Unforgettable songs of love, yearning, and spirituality abound." Tom Semioli, Minor 7th

"Every track is a winner... Conley's percussive guitar rhythms and vocal phrases divinely intertwine. This is the stuff that long, successful careers are made of." Tom Semioli, Minor 7th