Tempest - The Tempest EP - Singer/songwriter Gabrielle Wortman transformed herself into Tempest, and the result has been stunning. With an electronic sound that complements her lyrical style, Tempest has brought forth a masterpiece. Kudos also to her uniquely recycled packaging (using old books), making each and every EP unique.

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I caught Temp3st in one of the least popular venues in LA (Lot 1, Silverlake Lounge and a couple others vie for the venue Razzy). King King's sound guy gave a lackluster performance, taking over 20 minutes to finally get the band's mix out into the venue, minus the synth/keys i.e. the band’s primary instrument.

A 4-piece Santa-themed burlesque show warmed up the crowd before Temp3st began their set. Not sure if this planned, or a cover up for the sound difficulties.

Against King King's aural mutiny was a young 3-piece band deftly determining their sound. They fall under the electro umbrella, but Gabby Wortman abandons the sugar tart vocals of Melody's Echo Chamber or Chromatics for the swagger of Chaka Khan and the mournful R&B bravado of Adele.

Her backing band made interesting choices, whether employing a drum pad programmed to sound like a heartbeat in their single "Ghost," or the bassist using a slide and what might have been two delay pedals to create lustrous, futuristic swells like lost Mark Snow FX tracks circa X-Files.

The set was good, though stunted in its emotional effect partly because of the venue and what I assume is the band’s lack of experience dealing with sound slumlords.

Gabby Wortman directed "Ghost" [below] with its understated beginning resolves somewhere dark and evocative. Plus there's nothing sexier than long hair falling backwards, as seen in the "Vanessa" video by Grimes.

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It's about time that we get to feature another amazing singer-songwriter here at Indie Update. We're kinda late because she's been rocking music since 2009 but it's great to know that this artist has come to shake the music industry with her extraordinaire music and her "fearlessness to break musical norms" one more time. Many have known her as the audacious and mysterious Gabrielle Wortman, but from now on we'll get to love her more by the name Tempest. Tempest is Gabrielle Wortman - reborn.

In the past three years, she has stormed the music scene with mind-altering tracks such as, "Don't Let Me Lose Control" and "Voodoo Love", which bred her a huge fan-base of urban contemporary and alternative rock lovers. Her two successful EPs: Home is Where the Heart Is (Debuted in 2009) and The Voodoo EP (2011) received outstanding recognition from the independent music industry. With a debut album nominated for AAA Album of the Year by the Los Angeles Music Awards and her being tagged by the Sundance Film Festival as the "Next Big Thing", our expectations are high for Tempest and her latest self-titled EP.

Tempest EP is a new chapter and a new beginning for Gabrielle Wortman as a ground-breaking urban-soul-alternative artist and a radical music tempest. Her unique ability to fuse together distinct genres from classical to rock, instruments, and techniques in a soulful melody with lyrics that are strikingly relatable allows listeners to reflect emotions on a deeper level sending you to rather dark, mystic state of mind. The Tempest EP which released June 10th features four alternative pop/rock tracks: Thirsty Crows, Say When, Ghost, and Machine. I liked every bit of this album. Say When, Ghost and Machine all feature the soulful and powerful vocals of Gabrielle, overpowering melodies, and definitely the mystifying words. Thirsty Crows has a more pop and upbeat vibe with crazy riffs and electrifying screams. You can listen to Tempest tracks for free at SoundCloud. Better yet check out the I Am Tempest website and her Official Facebook Page or follow her on Twitter to get the latest news and updates about Tempest a.k.a. Gabrielle Wortman. You can also watch her amazing music videos on YouTube. Check out Voodoo Love Official video below.

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Tempest is a storm. Born amidst electronic drums, classical piano, soul vocals, and in between that which is real and that which we want to be. Tempest is the fury in which music overwhelms the senses and impels the masses. Tempest is a songwriter. Tempest is a Gabrielle Wortman. Who is Tempest?

IF: You have recently emerged as Tempest, although previously you were known by the name Gabrielle Wortman. What prompted this change of identity? Who exactly is Tempest, and why is she different from Gabrielle? What do you hope the future will bring for Tempest?

T: In the past year, my band and I have really found our sonic identity. We've experienced a recent coming-of-age, if you will. Tempest was born out of the realization that the music has become bigger than any one person's identity can contain. We're an entity, not an ego, and it seems only fitting that the title reflect that. The name itself is the result of a particular comment I've continued to hear about our music for the past two years. The songs and performances seem to always be described as a "storm of emotion" or a "musical storm". I guess I've always had a particular affinity for any metaphor equating my music to a devastatingly beautiful act-of-God. Not that we think our music can level your house, but more that life seems to be a fury of emotional chaos and we want to take good ol' Auntie M's house for a ride up the tornado. Moreover, the past year has given me the strength and foresight to reject the industry limitations so commonly inflicted upon musical artists. My band refers to this as the "curse of the radio friendly". In a way, I simply said, "to hell with it", and decided I will solely create art for art's sake. Tempest is my glorious Mr. Hyde rebirth into this pursuit. Perhaps Gabrielle was a little more chained to the notion of the big labels and the shiny stages. Tempest, on the other hand, gives them a nice "F-You" and goes the DIY route. The highest goal I have for Tempest is that we reconfigure the "standard" way of doing things in rock music. For example, for our first Tempest release (the 4 song EP "I am tempest.") we decided to sell hard copies in the form of hollowed out recycled books. They are on sale on our website and on iTunes. The funny thing is that we sell more books at shows than digital downloads. And we didn't use any plastic making them.

IF: You are a classically trained pianist, yet your music has been classed under the alternative-pop genre. Has your musical training helped you throughout your career? How did you get from a classical background to the musical position you are in now? T: My musical training was the most crucial step in the development of my electronic/alternative pop sound. I am forever grateful that I had the amazing opportunity to learn the technicality behind the art at such a young age (I started piano lessons at around 5 years old). It opened the door to singing, songwriting, guitar, drums and now production. I produced every track off the new "I am tempest." EP and in my opinion, this decision kept the songs unfiltered, raw and undiluted. I chose to make rock instead of adhering to my classical background because rock music resonates with me the same way it resonates with so many others. Tchaikovsky didn't have me singing into a hairbrush in the 7th grade. Fleetwood Mac, on the other hand, did. All my life, I've watched rock music force people to experience something bigger than themselves and all my life I've wanted to be a facilitator for it.

IF: You've been nominated for several awards along your musical career. How does it feel knowing that although you may not be considered a "mainstream" artist as of yet, you are still making a huge impact on the whole industry?

T: Hm. I guess I live by the "never be satisfied" mentality. I am never happier than when our music is being well-received, however, my perspective is a little clouded by that which can be improved. While you can't expect me to ever really pat myself on the back, you CAN expect for the art to only get better with time. Call it OCD, perfectionism, or ambition, but it keeps me humble and motivated.

IF: You say you are no stranger to a fear of the "un-radio-friendly", creating a unique sound that breaks the norms of commercial music. How would you describe your music, and what reaction do you hope to get from it?

T: Sonically, Tempest music is the sum of my classical piano background, gospel vocal training and the ferocity of our drummer, Christopher Roberts', heavy electronic beats. Add these elements together and we have Tempest: our beautiful misfit of musical influences. My songwriting stems mostly from the darker sides of life (sorry, girls, I never wore pink). The thing I like best about the Tempest sound is most definitely that it is unique and our own. While we have been influenced by other artists, we have not borrowed. We prefer to create, not recycle. I hope that audiences everywhere will see and appreciate this, but most importantly, I hope to inspire others to reject the pre-determined notions of art being ruled by conglomerates. We're breeding an army of conscious music-consumers who say no to the bobble-headed, auto-tuned bullshit they've been handed by the media and reach for a more honest musical experience.

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Singer-songwriter Gabrielle Wortman's last two releases of earnest, polished pop earned her a modicum of attention - especially for the squishy anthem "Don't Let Me Lose Control." The New York-born, UCLA-educated songstress wasn't even 21 when her 2009 album was released, and her 2011 "Voodoo EP" was adrift in production. Fresh off being named the Sundance Film Festival's "Next Big Thing," Wortman is now reinventing herself as Tempest, beaming her new music to Planet Electronica. Computer beats and feather-like textures suit well the 23-year-old's new single "Ghost" it's a nice piano pop song, after all, airbrushed just so for the digital age.

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by TAYLOR on FEBRUARY 21, 2012

thought the only love that i had was, mine

Who: That's tricky, pretty sure it's Gabrielle Wortman
What: Alternative rock, like Florence and the Machine.
Where: Los Angeles + Facebook / Soundcloud / Amazon
When: The Voodoo EP is out now
Why: The piano. The minimalistic synths. The sparse drum track. Oh, and the voice: It's powerful. It's haunting. It's passionate. It's astonishing. Simply put there is nothing I can't tout to the highest of touts with this song. So while I sit here and tout to the utmost of my ability, press play. Written by: Taylor on February 21, 2012.

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Gabrielle Wortman is a singer / songwriter from the USA. Originally raised in Connecticut, subsequently moving to New York and now residing in Los Angeles. The classically trained pianist, who is also a dab hand on guitar - ploughs a line I think can best be summed up as - alternative-pop.

Gabrielle Wortman is already developing a strong fan-base and her career seems to be on the pick-up, but it is good to catch what is still an emerging artist, who has the potential to break in to a far larger space. I just hope it doesn't come at the cost of the material becoming packaged in lip-gloss.

I am writing this on the day that the death of Whitney Houston is breaking across the world and I am immediately drawn to a comparison in the strength of vocal. What is far more impressive is the structure of the sound, which has real depth, as she has crafted the out-put on the disparity of environs in which she has lived, with melody utilising significant sharps and flats, to add emotional context to the out-put. The cross-over between urban angst with the wider spaces is allowed to develop, due to the sheer musical ability of Gabrielle. I use the label alternative-pop, as a positive indicator, the music has the mainstream sound, which is more than off-set by heart-felt and relevant musical composition.

I do always struggle with "solo" performers who require a full band to make the sound make sense as it can appear more of an ego trip than a genuine love of music, but there are composers who can get away with this and I think Gabrielle is one of those artists.

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Next up was Tempest. This three piece band exhibited soulful vocals layered over electronic drums and piano riffs. It was music that was bubbly, yet captivating by not being too pop induced. It was like in-taking a sweet nectar on a golden afternoon.

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"We're loving all things Gabrielle Wortman at the moment and we can't get enough of her track "Ghost" right now. Not to mention the awesome Voodoo Love EP and the video too!!! This might be a little bit different to some of the types of tracks we usually post but we always said we are quite eclectic!!! Check out her quality tracks below and the video for her track Voodoo Love!!! If you want to know all things Gabrielle Wortman, get yourself on her official site here and her facebook here."

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I keep thinking that I don't like pop rock but singers like Gabrielle Wortman keep reminding me that I do get incredibly caught up when a singer can really sing. The fact that she has been booked through SonicBids over 50 times is not a testament to a lack of indie artists & it showcases the fact that she really deserves the attention she attracts! I'll be the first to admit that a hot chick wearing only a bra may turn heads, but for me it's the first indication of someone trying to be something he or she is not. Capitalizing on looks is exactly the kind of thing that makes me think I hate "pop rock" and love bands who use stunning artwork on album covers and hide their faces from promos to highlight the music. Well, this top-ranked ReverbNation artist has exactly what the major labels are looking for and that isn't to say she can't teach indie artists a thing or two. She writes that she is, "still an emerging artist, who has the potential to break in to a far larger space. I just hope it doesn't come at the cost of the material becoming packaged in lip-gloss. I am writing this on the day that the death of Whitney Houston is breaking across the world and I am immediately drawn to a comparison in the strength of vocal. What is far more impressive is the structure of the sound, which has real depth, as she has crafted the out-put on the disparity of environs in which she has lived, with melody utilizing significant sharps and flats, to add emotional context to the out-put. She deserves to be heard: http://www.gabriellewortman.com

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An ominous thumping that sounds disturbingly like only half of a heartbeat emerges from the emptiness and anchors the haunting twirl of a piano caught in an endless loop of unease.The breathy whisper of sensual vocals enter, cautioning, revealing a darkness.It’s an addiction, something outside of reason and beyond control. There is a disquieting angst and a rippling of fearthat pirouettes across the flesh. This unsettling wash of emotions, bothunpredictable and foreboding, is love. “Everyone always writes about thebutterflies and bubbles,” GabrielleWortman began, “but I think there is atotally different side of falling in love.It’s angst ridden and, when it’sunrequited, there’s anxiety, there’spain, and there’s confusion. When youfall in love you are losing control.” “Don’t Let Me Lose Control” is theopening track on Gabrielle’s ... read the article here

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Look out for Gabrielle Wortman! This rising star is a classically trained pianist, guitarist, and vocalist & and Celebuzz is proud to present her brand-new video right here. Gabrielle turns it out in her video for "Don't Let Me Lose Control." The moody, dark and soulful song has been married with striking, yet simple visuals that deliver a stimulating experience. Plus, the song sounds really good and she's pretty. What more do you want?!? Gabrielle says: "My music is an aural representation of the emotions I've frelt, the places I've been and the moments I've experienced. I just happen to have a deep fascination with the juxtaposition of urban-city life and the deep, swampy south. My fingers take the city approach and my voice has a hint of the humidity, I'd say. Her latest EP Voodoo is out now on iTunes. Watch the video for "Don't Let Me Lose Control” and tell us what you think on our Twitter or join the conversation on Facebook!

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Gabrielle Wortman is trying out her own brand of urban/contemporary chic. Her fresh musical style has garnered the attention of fans throughout the country with it's distinct urban vibe and southern soul elements. She has combined two different genres to create a sound all her own, and people are listening. This 22 year-old storyteller with a lonesome dove appeal remains an independent artist who is utilizing the Internet to win friends and influence people, including the critics. Her first album titled "Home Is Where The Art Is," was nominated for AAA Album of the Year by the Los Angeles Music Awards and sold over 10,000 copies. Her fans around the world are now awaiting her second album which is currently in the works.

In the meantime, Gabrielle has released an EP titled The Voodoo, which includes her latest single "Don't Let Me Lose Control." We recently had the chance to speak with Gabrielle (aka "Gabby") about her upcoming album, along with the EP which was released on iTunes on April 13th. Fiercely loyal to her own creative convictions, this classically trained singer, songwriter and musician discusses with us her reasons for remaining independent and the "ever evolving" process of self marketing. Although she mockingly refers to herself as a "control freak" Gabrielle graciously takes a moment to let it all go and talks about the darker side of love, the lighter side of life, and the album that changed her world.

Here's what she had to say.

Let's talk about the new EP titled The Voodoo. What can you tell us about it?

It's two songs that I've been working on. I'm getting ready to put together and finalize my next album, and I really like the way artists are starting to take a marketing approach where they're giving more to their audiences instead of making them wait three years for a new album. The two songs that I am most in love with at the moment I wanted to release in an EP before they came out on the main album. The two songs are "Don't Let Me Lose Control" and "Voodoo Love" and they definitely are showcasing the maturity in my sound and my songwriting ability. I'm really excited for people to hear that differentiation from my first album.

The video for the first single "Don't Let Me Lose Control" depicts urban decay amongst a pure backdrop of nature. Give us some of your thoughts on that song, along with the video concept.

The song is supposed to be about that feeling of yearning. "Don't Let Me Lose Control" is basically about when you feel yourself start to fall for somebody that you know is preliminarily unattainable. In this case I wrote it about when the person you're falling in love with is leaving you eventually. It's like trying to stop the avalanche of falling in love, but not being able to. Falling in love feels like sort of losing your mind sometimes, because you lose control. That's the whole point. It's darker too, because the thing about love, is that it's not always bright flowers and happy, bubbly things. Love is passionate and angst-ridden if you can't have what you want. I really wanted to capture that feeling, because I feel like a lot of people capture the happy, blissful sides of love, but I really wanted to show that side of tension and angst, and also the feeling that maybe you are losing your mind as you fall in love - that you're losing control.

I had this opportunity to work with this wonderful director, Michael Bromberg. He's a UCLA student with me and he's doing incredible stuff with musicians lately. I told him I didn't want (the video) to be bright. I didn't want it to be happy. I wanted it to be almost creepy and haunting. We scoped out a lot of places in L.A. to achieve that effect and we came across this scary dairy that is outside of the Channel Islands. It's this abandoned dairy farm that's been completely decorated with this graffiti and it's been decaying for a couple of years. When we stepped foot on it, there was something so haunting about it. Not only is it in the middle of nature which you can kind of see in the video, it's in the middle of fields - beautiful fields. There's just this vision of urban decay, like you said, and there's something so haunting about it because it seems so out of place.

The darker scenes were actually filmed inside of an abandoned mental asylum, which really embodied that feeling of losing control and losing your mind. We figured the song is very musically epic. It has a lot of bravado and has almost a heroic feeling to it, so we wanted to "go big" or "go home".

Your first album "Home Is Where The Art Is" was released in 2009. How has your creative vantage point evolved from then to now with The Voodoo EP and your upcoming album?

As with any artists' debut album, "Home Is Where The Art Is," is really a chronicle of the development of me as a musician. I was 20 when we released it, but some of the songs on the album I wrote when I was sixteen. We wrote them and released them and it was a collection of my greatest songs as an artist up to that point. That's why I titled it "Home is Where The Art Is," because I moved from New York to Connecticut to L.A., and you kind of lose a sense of home, but the music brings me back to the places that I wrote it in. I've grown as an artist so much since then. I'm 22 years old right now and this is the time in any 22 year-old's life where they learn who they are, and I"m starting to embrace the darker part of me through my music. My voice has carried as a constant on both albums. I think I've embraced the darker sides of me a little bit more, and I've been influenced by Southern swamp rock and blues and New Orleans music. In the past few years, I've taken trips down south and it's really influenced the way I write. Home Is Where The Art Is was when I was really a girl, now when my next album comes out, you can hear that I am becoming a woman.

Your music seems to combine an urban vibe with a contempo-casual style sound. That's a rather unique approach to songwriting.

Yes. My music is so influenced by the places I've been and places that I love, and growing up outside of New York City, I'm an urban child {laughs}. I don't think I'd survive if I wasn't near a city. So I'm very influenced by urban vibes, but at the same time, I am very influenced by Southern, breezy music - that contemporary vibe. I try to combine the two of them and I haven't heard anybody do that. I like that it's original, and I'm embracing it because I don't want to be a copycat. I want to take a southern influence and take an urban influence, then make it my own so I can influence people.

I don't like to ask anyone to break down the creative process too much, but what typically comes first in your mind when writing a song - the music or the lyrics?

Probably the music. The truth is, my best songs are born in, like, five minutes. I'll hear them in my mind before I sit down to a piano or guitar and write them. For example, with Don't Let Me Lose Control, I already knew that I wanted to write about a love that was unattainable. A love that was wrong and that you shouldn't fall in love. Because I have been fortunate enough to have a background in classical piano, I know how to mimic my emotions through music, so usually it all comes together at the same time.

So many artists are using the Internet and independent resources to get their music out there nowadays. Do you think that there's an advantage in that it puts the artist more in touch with their audience?

It does, but I've also started to struggle with the over-saturation of the industry as a result. I think it's completely empowering to see independent artists utilize pools that are now democratized and that were usually exclusively available to people in the record industry, and to people who had deals with record labels and agents. So it's a wonderful revolution, but as an independent artist, we are acutely aware of the over-saturation in the field. I work harder than a lot of other students I see at UCLA and people who are starting off in their business careers. They can turn off after their work day. I never turn off. I work all day long, I play all night at gigs and we work so hard, but there's no way for it to translate into financial gain because of the same thing that empowered us to be artists. So you have to think of really creative, innovative ways to make money. It's an ever-evolving process.

As an artist, I wanted to stay independent for as long as possible because I'm a control freak {laughs}, I want my music to be born from my fingers, from my songs. I don't want it to be diluted by other creative processes because I want it to be inherently my own. As a result it's allowed me to be independent for longer than maybe other people would have chosen to be.

How do you define success?

It's so funny that you would ask me that. I was just having this conversation with my best friend. For some people it's monetary, for some people it's fame. I think inadvertently mine is fame, but it's not because of the popularity. I want to stand on a stage in front of a sold-out stadium and sing to people who know the words to my songs. That is success to me. When I was a little girl, I was obsessed with the Tori Amos "Little Earthquakes" album. I listened to that album over and over, and I took my hair brush, stood in front of my mirror, and I sang those songs pretending that I was Tori Amos. It really did change me and mold who I am as a person, along with who I became and what I loved. I'm so indebted to that album for waking up my eyes to songwriting and the beauty of music to empower people, that I want to move people the way that album moved me. So the way I would define success is if I moved people the way that album moved me.

And I love performing, and I want to make a life out of performing. That would be incredible. That, to me, is success.

What specifically do you hope to achieve in the next year or two?

Right now, there are two different things that I am focusing on. I really do want to get the opportunity to get around the country and start performing, and I would love to open for someone that is possibly my style. I would love to open for someone like The Black Keys or someone along those lines. My band and I have been playing together for three years now and it's like our heart and soul. We'd love to get around to other parts of the country. The cool thing about Facebook now, is that I can see where all my fans are from and they're all over the country {laughs}. So I want to get out of L.A. and play for them. Play in places where they can come and see me. So my first goal is to organize a national tour.

My second thing is to finish up my album. Since my first album came out, I've written at least twenty songs that I'm obsessed with. So I want to get my second album together, finalize it with a kiss and a bow, and put it out there because I think that these two songs on The Voodoo EP are very very different - a more mature departure from my first album. I think that it will be very well received. I'm very fortunate to be coming out at a time when people already seem more keen to see what else is out there in addition to all the auto-tune and hip hop beats.

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