Artists:Eleni Mandell

Eleni Mandell was born in Los Angeles, CA. At 16 her parents buy her an electric guitar for her birthday, a Gibson ES335. She discovers Tom Waits' music on MTV's IRS's The Cutting Edge when Rain Dogs comes out, and she's hooked. Goes to college at UC Berkeley and majors in Art. Meets Chuck E. Weiss at Musso and Frank's on Hollywood Blvd. back in Los Angeles during Thanksgiving break. He persuades her to go to Canter's Deli with him to meet a friend of his. That friend is Tom Waits. Tom and Eleni sit on the same side of the booth and he shows her pictures of his kids. Chuck explains that he met Eleni "in Hebrew school." Chuck hears her sing and declares "you're going to be a musician." She believes him and considers dropping out of college but decides to graduate at the urging of her parents.

After graduation, she moves back to Los Angeles and begins playing shows and meeting musicians. Eleni's first record, Wishbone, came out in 1999. Since then she has released a total of 5 full length records, 1 EP, 2 vinyl singles and has made various soundtrack contributions, her latest effort being 2004's Afternoon. She has just begun working on her next record tentatively titled City Life.

--from the artist's MySpace page.