Elyse Haren Rocks, Raises Funds to Fight Cancer

If there were an award issued to the hardest working indie artist in West Hollywood, the winner would be Elyse Haren. Between booking frequent shows at the and , landing spots on a bill with well-known acts such as Berlin, and tracking down top-notch producers, Haren goes full force.

To help pay for her latest EP, Haren’s band, Elyse And The Aftermath, is running a fundraising campaign through a partnership with Pledge Music. People who donate will not only be helping out a great local artist, but they will also raising money to fight cancer. 

Patch talked with the New York-born, L.A.-raised singer/songwriter about performing in Weho, her fundraising endeavors and how her parents inspired her. 

West Hollywood Patch: What have been your greatest influences as a singer/songwriter?

Elyse Haren: My parents are big Broadway and pop music fans. My earliest memories are around the piano at my parents' house. We'd sing anything from Cats to Simon and Garfunkel to the Beatles to Barry Manilow. I'm pretty sure it was Kermit the Frog, though, who made me want to sing and play an instrument after watching the opening scene in The Muppet Movie. 

Patch: When did you decide to venture into the music industry?

Haren: In college I studied theater and it was there, after being asked to sing "Someday My Prince Will Come," that my journey turned to songwriting. At a Fleetwood Mac concert a few months later, my fate as a singer/songwriter was sealed.

Patch: What has been the most exciting show you have played? 

Haren: Definitely opening for Berlin on New Year's Eve. Getting the chance to ring in the New Year on stage has been one of the highlights of my life thus far.

Patch: What is your favorite part about playing shows in West Hollywood? 

Haren: The people. They are warm, eclectic and friendly and of course you can't deny the rock history here. I was overjoyed when we first got the opportunity to play on The Roxy stage, since I met my first real boyfriend there when I was 16. 

Patch: Your first album was mixed by Mark Needham (The Killers, Fleetwood Mac, Green Day). How did you hook up with such an accomplished producer?

Haren: The honest truth? I guessed his email after being completely inspired by his legacy working with Fleetwood Mac. I emailed him late on a Friday night, telling him the way he placed a snare drum under a female vocal was like no one else I'd ever heard. The next morning, he'd already listened to the music, and three days later, I was sitting in his studio and we were already mixing.

Patch: You have done quite a bunch of shows with Berlin. How has that experience been? 

Haren: There are no words to express the gratitude of having someone gladly share their audience with you. For an up-and-coming artist like myself, there is nothing better. It's because of Terri Nunn that I met Dave Schulz (Berlin, Goo Goo Dolls), who played keys and synth on the first album and it was one of her longtime fans who became our tour driver on our first regional tour.

Patch: Your new EP is in the works and you're currently running a fundraiser through a partnership with Pledge Music. Can you tell us more about that?

Haren: Pledge Music is truly an amazing website which puts the power in the hands of the artist and the fans. We've been really fortunate to have some great companies donate to the campaign. The most unique item to pledge is a plaster breast mold with the new EP artwork on it—one of the Keep a Breast signature auction items. It's really been an incredible experience so far, and we have still have 45 days to go!

Patch: And you will be donating proceeds of sales from the new EP to the Keep a Breast Foundation and The Non Toxic Revolution?

Haren: My grandmother died of cancer and I have relatives and friends who have battled or are battling breast cancer now, so being a part of the voice of the Keep a Breast foundation is something I will continue to be a part of long after this campaign ends. 

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