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Artist Bio

Eli Conley is a Bay Area-based singer-songwriter with a voice that shifts deftly from country choirboy to soulful croon at the turn of a phrase. Steeped in Americana music and the singer-songwriter tradition, he crafts modern day folk songs for misfits from the raw material of his life as a queer man with Virginia roots. "Oh what gorgeous, soulful music!" raves roots music innovator Laura Love, "Eli Conley's writing and singing are exquisite."

Eli's debut album At The Seams was released September 28th, 2013. He'll be kicking off a Pacific Northwest CD Release Tour in late October, followed by tours throughout the US in 2014. He raised all the funds to record the album through a highly successful fundraising campaign.

At The Seams was produced by multi-instrumentalist Michael Connolly at Empty Sea Studios in Seattle. Michael is a member of the sultry roots trio Coyote Grace, and he has also produced albums for Tylan (of Girlyman) and The Blackberry Bushes, and toured as a side musician with the Indigo Girls.

You can download the album or order a signed CD through Bandcamp, CD Baby, iTunes, and many other online music stores.

Eli Conley's music has drawn comparisons to songwriting greats Steve Earle, Patty Griffin, Rufus Wainwright and Ryan Adams. His muse ranges across the roots music map, drawing in particular from folk, country, soul, R&B and jazz. Eli's songs are deeply melodic, with an eye for poetic detail -- the longing of a mythological Greek siren to "drink whiskey, wear a red dress and paint my face," the skeptical words of a man newly in love: "You've got me smelling roses / you've got me cleaning up my house / you knew just what I wanted / you filled me up, don't let me down."
Eli has a classically trained voice that spans three octaves, and he makes frequent use of his falsetto. His voice is stunning in its agility and ability to get deep inside an emotion. It's also notable for another reason: As a transgender man, Eli spent several years re-training himself how to sing after losing his formerly soprano voice to the changes brought about by taking testosterone. Many transgender men find it challenging to continue to sing through the vocal changes this hormone causes. Today, Eli works as a voice teacher, teaching singing to people ranging from complete beginners to accomplished performers. He particularly enjoys coaching transgender students through the vocal changes he himself once negotiated, and has written a popular piece giving advice for trans male singers.