One of the most individual and eclectic figures on the Northern California music scene, Penelope Houston is a singer and songwriter whose music is guided by one sole constant, a fierce honesty that has informed work encompassing elements of several musical styles. She was a founding member of the Avengers, one of the most celebrated bands on the San Francisco punk rock scene, and later launched an eclectic solo career -- initially inspired by Tom Waits and the British folk music -- that entailed sophisticated contemporary folk with hints of jazz and pop, as well as folk-rock. Her most notable solo albums include Birdboys (1987) and Eighteen Stories Down (2003). ~ Mark Deming