Cannonball Jane

Cannonball Jane is the nom de four-track for Sharon Jane Hagopian, an elementary school music teacher from suburban Connecticut who spends her off hours perfecting a perky blend of Beck-style sardonic electro hip-hop and the exuberant sugar rush of classic U.K. indie twee pop acts like Talulah Gosh. Born into a musical family in Ohio, Hagopian started taking piano lessons in the fifth grade. Training in flute, voice, and guitar followed, and while completing her music education degree, she began experimenting in earnest with multi-track recording. Following college, as she was establishing her teaching career, Hagopian began making elaborate four-track mixes of her own one-woman-band songs, layering keyboards, drum machines, obscure samples, guitar, flute, and multi-tracked vocals. Eventually, she completed an album, Street Vernacular, which was released on the British indie label Fortuna Pop! in 2006. A follow-up EP, Knees Up!, was released in the fall of 2007, featuring two remixes of the single "Take It to Fantastic" by the Beastie Boys' Ad-Rock and British indie pop veteran DJ Downfall.