Folk Alley's 2011 Folk Alliance International Follow Up

February 22, 2011

For those who have chosen to make Folk Music their livelihood as well as their lives, nothing tops the recently completed Folk Alliance International conference in Memphis. Producers, publicists, managers, agents, programmers, and musicians gather yearly for workshops, panel discussions, showcase performances. and lots and lots of late night shows - some scheduled as late as 3:00 AM. This event offers musicians and songwriters a chance to be seen and heard, but also a chance to network - to meet people and discuss plans and ideas.

A typical day might start at 8 AM with a breakfast meeting, followed by a 30 minute panel discussion. I attended one on the "Next Generation of the Internet - Engaging Fans Online." Present were Matt Ostrower from Pandora and Wayne Leeloy from Topspin. I was amazed at how much money Pandora was sending to Sound Exchange to compensate musicians - it was in the millions. After an hour of high tech discussion, David Newland from Roots Music Canada reminded all of us that the internet is not the experience; it's a companion tool to follow the experience. He is afraid that those of us too close to the bone are losing sight of the reason we're here - to revel in the live exchange - to go to a festival and laugh or cry during a song. Being on line does not replace being there.

I was part of the panel on the Future of Folk Music Radio. We discussed digital downloads and podcasting rights, and followed these conversations by individually responding directly to the topic of the session. Rich Warren of WFMT, Chicago felt fairly disillusioned by what the future held for radio, while manager Tim McFadden felt differently. Tim feels that the audience is growing and that we shouldn't hesitate to ride on the coat tails of groups like Mumford & Sons - the top selling artist at the time of this post - and a group that calls itself a folk band. I feel that people will always want to hear a hosted program, preferring to connect with their personal companion. What may change is the way those programs are delivered and received.

As far as the music goes, highlights were the tributes to John Hartford, featuring Alison Brown, and Darrell Scott's one set with legendary drummer/percussionist Kenny Malone. Darrell's word choices always shine, and his guitar dynamics allowed Kenny to embellish the songs easily. Riders in the Sky also played only one set and it was far too short for most cowboy music lovers. The Steel Drivers played with lots of energy; what sets them apart are well constructed songs delivered with passion. They showed why they received Grammy nominations. As usual, James Keelaghan's sets were packed and it was heartwarming to see just how admired he is.

There were many finds. Elephant Revival is a delightfully shy quintet from Nederland, Colorado. The songs are all original, backed by violin, old time banjo and an angel of a washboard player named Bonnie Paine who has a breathy delivery somewhat like Natalie Merchant. She stands on a stomp board, with a washboard and bongo drum in front of her. The Two Man Gentleman Band were very visual - almost vaudeville revivalists, bordering on the irreverent. Miss Tess and her Bon Ton Parade were very strong. Tess sings and plays swing standards which aren't so standard when you add lap steel and a trashcan for a drum set.

Abigail Washburn played with her group and later with just her guitar player/keyboardist. There is lots of buzz about her new album. I saw a wonderful "in the round" with Billy Crocket, Grace Pettis, Cliff Eberhardt, Beth Wood, and R.J. Cowdery. When I stopped in on Chatham County Line's set they were asking for requests. I called out the rest of their set - what a hoot!

Now that another Folk Alliance is past I have once again discovered that the overwhelming benefit of such a get together is that the weekend is a reminder. You are reminded that what you do matters, that you are appreciated, and that positive reinforcement works. There is no negativity, only excitement, and you remember why you fell in love with this music in the first place.

NPR and Folk Alley present a First Listen of Lucinda Williams' new CD 'Blessed'

February 21, 2011

Blessed will stream here in its entirety until the CD release day on Mar. 1 ..... Click Here to Listen!

by Elena See, FolkAlley.com

Stand back and look at Lucinda Williams' songwriting catalog, and you'll see themes that keep coming back: love, unrequited love, heartbreak, passion, anger-fueled passion -- you get the idea.

But with Blessed, her 10th studio album, Williams breaks away from those themes. Williams recently turned 58, and she's looking at life in a new light. The album offers a different perspective -- "I'm branching out and learning how to write about other things besides unrequited love," she said in a recent interview. "There's other stuff to write about."

Williams really does find other stuff to write about. Writing at her kitchen table, she addresses a weighty topic in "Seeing Black," in which she asks difficult questions about suicide: "Was it too much good you felt you lacked / Was it too much weight riding on your back? / When did you start seeing black?" Elvis Costello's backing guitar screams right along with Williams as she struggles to understand another's choice to die.

Williams also offers up a touching requiem to a good friend in "Copenhagen," in which Greg Leisz and his various guitars really shine. She contemplates and questions war -- and her changing attitude toward American politics -- in "Soldiers Song," for which she adopts the perspective of a solider who's far away from his young family. (Only Lucinda Williams could make the line, "Baby tells the little one / Daddy's gone bye-bye" sound unaffected and totally sincere.) And in "Born to Be Loved," she rocks a sultry blues sound, but in a surprisingly optimistic way. It's the antithesis of "Seeing Black," in which she sings, "You weren't born to suffer / You weren't born for nothing / You were born to be loved."

Naturally, Williams doesn't abandon the world-weary, hard-edged country-rock sound for which she's known: "Buttercup," for example, is a kiss-off song in the very best tradition of kiss-off songs. But on Blessed, Williams has achieved something new -- a balance. Life in her new world isn't happy or sad or angry or depressed; it's all of those things wrapped up in one. Let's take it as it is.

Blessed will stream here in its entirety until its release on March 1. Please leave your thoughts on the album in the comments section below.

JUNO Nominees from the Folk Alley Playlist

February 4, 2011

The JUNO Awards will be presented on March 27 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario.

ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Drake
Johnny Reid
Justin Bieber
Neil Young
Sarah McLachlan

GROUP OF THE YEAR
Arcade Fire
Broken Social Scene
Down With Webster
Great Big Sea
Three Days Grace

NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Basia Bulat
Bobby Bazini
Caribou
Hannah Georgas
Meaghan Smith

ROOTS & TRADITIONAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR: SOLO
Love Songs for the Last Twenty - Del Barber
The Early Widows - Justin Rutledge
Fall For Beauty - Lynn Miles
My Hands Are On Fire and Other Love Songs - Old Man Luedecke
The Garden - Ruth Moody

ROOTS & TRADITIONAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR: GROUP
City City - Chic Gamine
Girls from the North Country: Dala Live in Concert - Dala
La part du feu - Le Vent du Nord
Sundogs - The Creaking Tree String Quartet
That's the State I'm In - The Marigolds

BLUES ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Where's The Blues Taking Me - FATHEAD
Bread And Buddha - Harry Manx
Everywhere West - Jim Byrnes
It's A Long Road - The Johnny Max Band
The Sojourners - The Sojourners

SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR
Arcade Fire
Drake
Hannah Georgas
Royal Wood
Sarah McLachlan

ADULT ALTERNATIVE ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Black Dub - Black Dub
You I Wind Land and Sea - Justin Nozuka
Steel City Trawler - Luke Doucet And The White Falcon
Le Noise - Neil Young
Oh Little Fire - Sarah Harmer

INSTRUMENTAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Spirit Dance - David Braid & Canadian Brass
Continent & Western - Fond of Tigers
Room of Wonders - Jayme Stone
Sundogs - The Creaking Tree String Quartet
Rising Sun - The Souljazz Orchestra

FRANCOPHONE ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Brun - Bernard Adamus
Nous - Daniel Bélanger
Silence - Fred Pellerin
Les chemins de verre - Karkwa
Belmundo Regal - Radio Radio

CHILDREN'S ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Encore - Gregg LeRock
The Little Blue Doggy - Michelle Campagne
Proud Like a Mountain - Peter Lenton
Number 3 - The Kerplunks
Power to the Little People - The Monkey Bunch

ABORIGINAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR
CerAmony - CerAmony
Derek Miller with Double Trouble - Derek Miller
The Great Unknown - Eagle & Hawk
The Black Star - Joey Stylez
Vigilance - Little Hawk

JACK RICHARDSON PRODUCER OF THE YEAR
Arcade Fire
Brian Howes
Daniel Lanois
David Foster
Gavin Brown & Sarah Harmer

RECORDING ENGINEER OF THE YEAR
David Travers-Smith
Jeff Wolpert
Kevin Churko
Lenny De Rose
Mike Plotnikoff

Grammy Nominees from the Folk Alley Playlist

The Grammy Awards will be presented on Sunday, Feb. 13 at the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. Folk Alley will be live tweeting the pre-telecast ceremony @FolkAlley beginning at 5 p.m. ET.

WINNERS IN BOLD

BEST COUNTRY INSTRUMENTAL PERFORMANCE
Tattoo of a Smudge - Cherryholmes
Magic #9 - The Infamous Stringdusters
New Chance Blues - Punch Brothers
Willow Creek - Darrell Scott
Hummingbyrd - Marty Stuart

BEST AMERICANA ALBUM
The List - Rosanne Cash
Tin Can Trust - Los Lobos
Country Music - Willie Nelson
Band of Joy - Robert Plant
You Are Not Alone - Mavis Staples

BEST BLUEGRASS ALBUM
Circles Around Me - Sam Bush
Mountain Soul II - Patty Loveless
Family Circle - The Del McCoury Band
Legacy - Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band
Reckless - The SteelDrivers

BEST TRADITIONAL FOLK ALBUM
Genuine Negro Jig - Carolina Chocolate Drops
Onward and Upward - Luther Dickinson & The Sons Of Mudboy
Memories of John - The John Hartford Stringband
Maria Muldaur & Her Garden of Joy - Maria Muldaur
Ricky Skaggs Solo: Songs My Dad Loved - Ricky Skaggs

BEST CONTEMPORARY FOLK ALBUM
Love is Strange: En Vivo Con Tino - Jackson Browne & David Lindley
The Age of Miracles - Mary Chapin Carpenter
Somedays the Song Writes You - Guy Clark
God Willin' & the Creek Don't Rise - Ray LaMontagne And The Pariah Dogs
Dream Attic - Richard Thompson

SONG OF THE YEAR
Beg Steal or Borrow - Ray LaMontagne
F*** You - Cee Lo Green, Philip Lawrence & Bruno Mars
The House that Built Me - Tom Douglas & Allen Shamblin (Miranda Lambert)
Love the Way You Lie - Alexander Grant, Holly Hafferman & Marshall Mathers
Need You Now - Dave Haywood, Josh Kear, Charles Kelley & Hillary Scott (Lady Antebellum)
Track from: Need You Now

BEST NEW ARTIST
Justin Bieber
Drake
Florence & the Machine
Mumford & Sons
Esperanza Spalding

BEST FEMALE POP VOCAL PERFORMANCE
King of Anything - Sara Bareilles
Halo (Live) - Beyoncé
Chasing Pirates - Norah Jones
Bad Romance - Lady Gaga
Teenage Dream - Katy Perry

BEST MALE POP VOCAL PERFORMANCE
I Haven't Met You Yet - Michael Bublé
This is It - Michael Jackson
Whataya Want From Me - Adam Lambert
Just the Way You Are - Bruno Mars
Half of My Heart - John Mayer

BEST SOLO ROCK VOCAL PERFORMANCE
Run Back to Your Side - Eric Clapton
Crossroads - John Mayer
Helter Skelter - Paul McCartney
Silver Rider - Robert Plant
Angry World - Neil Young

BEST ROCK PERFORMANCE BY A DUO OR GROUP WITH VOCALS
Ready to Start - Arcade Fire
I Put a Spell on You - Jeff Beck & Joss Stone
Tighten Up - The Black Keys
RadioActive - Kings Of Leon
Resistance - Muse

BEST ROCK INSTRUMENTAL PERFORMANCE
Hammerhead - Jeff Beck
Black Mud - The Black Keys
Do the Murray - Los Lobos
Kundalini Bonfire - Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds
The Deathless Horsie - Dweezil Zappa

BEST ROCK SONG
Angry World - Neil Young
Little Lion Man - Ted Dwane, Ben Lovett, Marcus Mumford & Country Winston (Mumford & Sons)
RadioActive - Caleb Followill, Jared Followill, Matthew Followill & Nathan Followill (Kings Of Leon)
Resistance - Matthew Bellamy (Muse)
Tighten Up - Dan Auerbach & Patrick Carney (The Black Keys)

BEST ROCK ALBUM
Emotion & Commotion - Jeff Beck
The Resistance - Muse
Backspacer - Pearl Jam
MOJO - Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers
Le Noise - Neil Young

BEST COUNTRY PERFORMANCE BY A DUO OR GROUP WITH VOCALS
Free - Zac Brown Band
Elizabeth - Dailey & Vincent
Need You Now - Lady Antebellum
Little White Church - Little Big Town
Where Rainbows Never Die - The SteelDrivers

BEST COUNTRY COLLABORATION WITH VOCALS
Bad Angel - Dierks Bentley, Miranda Lambert & Jamey Johnson
Pride (In the Name of Love) - Dierks Bentley, Del McCoury & The Punch Brothers
As She's Walking Away - Zac Brown Band & Alan Jackson
Hillbilly Bone - Blake Shelton & Trace Adkins
I Run to You - Marty Stuart & Connie Smith

BEST GOSPEL SONG
Beautiful Things - Lisa Gungor & Michael Gungor
Better Than a Hallelujah - Sarah Hart & Chapin Hartford (Amy Grant)
It's What I Do - Jerry Peters & Kirk Whalum
Our God - Jonas Myrin, Matt Redman, Jesse Reeves & Chris Tomlin
Return to Sender - Gordon Kennedy (Ricky Skaggs)

BEST POP/CONTEMPORARY GOSPEL ALBUM
Beauty Will Rise - Steven Curtis Chapman
Love God. Love People. - Israel Houghton
Pieces of a Real Heart - Sanctus Real
Mosaic - Ricky Skaggs
Tonight - TobyMac

BEST SOUTHERN, COUNTRY, OR BLUEGRASS GOSPEL ALBUM
Times Like These - Austins Bridge
The Reason - Diamond Rio
Expecting Good Things - Jeff & Sheri Easter
Journey On - Ty Herndon
Live at Oak Tree: Karen Peck & New River - Karen Peck & New River

BEST TRADITIONAL GOSPEL ALBUM
The Experience - Vanessa Bell Armstrong
A City Called Heaven - Shirley Caesar
Downtown Church - Patty Griffin
Here I Am - Marvin Sapp
All in One - Karen Clark Sheard

BEST TRADITIONAL BLUES ALBUM
Giant - James Cotton
Memphis Blues - Cyndi Lauper
The Well - Charlie Musselwhite
Joined at the Hip - Pinetop Perkins & Willie 'Big Eyes' Smith
Plays Blues, Ballads & Favorites - Jimmie Vaughan

BEST CONTEMPORARY BLUES ALBUM
Nothing's Impossible - Solomon Burke
Tribal - Dr. John And The Lower 911
Living Proof - Buddy Guy
Interpretations: The British Rock Songbook - Bettye LaVette
Live! In Chicago - Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band Featuring Hubert Sumlin,
Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, Bryan Lee, And Buddy Flett

BEST HAWAIIAN MUSIC ALBUM
Huana Ke Aloha - Tia Carrere
Amy Hanaiali'i And Slack Key Masters Of Hawaii - Amy Hanaiali'i And Slack Key Masters Of Hawaii
Polani - Daniel Ho
The Legend - Ledward Kaapana
Maui on My Mind: Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar - Jeff Peterson

BEST NATIVE AMERICAN MUSIC ALBUM
XI - Bear Creek
Temptations: Cree Round Dance Songs - Northern Cree
Woodnotes Wyld: Historic Flute Sounds from the Dr. Richard W. Payne Collection - Peter Phippen
2010 Gathering of Nations Pow Wow: A Spirit's Dance - Various

BEST ZYDECO OR CAJUN MUSIC ALBUM
Zydeco Junkie - Chubby Carrier And The Bayou Swamp Band
En Couleurs - Feufollet
Happy Go Lucky - D.L. Menard
Back Home - The Pine Leaf Boys
Creole Moon: Live at the Blue Moon Saloon - Cedric Watson et Bijou Créole

BEST TRADITIONAL WORLD MUSIC ALBUM
Pure Sounds - Gyuto Monks Of Tibet
I Speak Fula - Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba
Grace - Soweto Gospel Choir
Ali and Toumani - Ali Farka Touré & Toumani Diabaté
Tango Universal - Vayo

BEST CONTEMPORARY WORLD MUSIC ALBUM
Throw Down Your Heart, Africa Sessions Part 2: Unreleased Tracks - Béla Fleck
All in One - Bebel Gilberto
ÕŸÖ - Angelique Kidjo
Bom Tempo - Sergio Mendes
Om Namo Narayanaya Soul Call - Chandrika Krishnamurthy Tandon

BEST MUSICAL ALBUM FOR CHILDREN
Here Comes Science - They Might Be Giants
Jungle Gym - Justin Roberts
Sunny Days - Battersby Duo
Tomorrow's Children - Pete Seeger With The Rivertown Kids And Friends
Weird Things Are Everywhere! - Judy Pancoast

BEST COMEDY ALBUM
Cho Dependent - Margaret Cho
I Told You I Was Freaky - Flight Of The Conchords
Kathy Griffin Does the Bible Belt - Kathy Griffin
Stark Raving Black - Lewis Black
Weapons of Self Destruction - Robin Williams

BEST COMPILATION SOUNDTRACK ALBUM FOR MOTION PICTURE, TELELVISION OR OTHER VISUAL MEDIA
Crazy Heart - Various Artists
GLEE: The Music, Volume 1 - Glee Cast
TREMÉ - Various Artists
True Blood: Volume 2 - Various Artists
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse - Various Artists

BEST SCORE SOUNDTRACK ALBUM FOR MOTION PICTURE, TELEVISION OR OTHER VISUAL MEDIA
Alice in Wonderland - Danny Elfman
Avatar - James Horner
Inception - Hans Zimmer
Sherlock Holmes - Hans Zimmer
Toy Story 3 - Randy Newman

BEST SONG WRITTEN FOR MOTION PICTURE, TELEVISION OR OTHER VISUAL MEDIA
Down in New Orleans (From the Princess and the Frog) - Randy Newman (Dr. John)
I See You (From Avatar) - Simon Franglen, Kuk Harrell & James Horner (Leona Lewis)
Kiss Like Your Kiss (From True Blood) - Lucinda Williams (Lucinda Williams & Elvis Costello)
This City (From TREMÉ) - Steve Earle
The Weary Kind (From Crazy Heart) - Ryan Bingham & T Bone Burnett (Ryan
Bingham)

BEST RECORDING PACKAGE
Brothers - Michael Carney (The Black Keys)
Eggs - Malene Mathiasson, Malthe Fischer, Kristoffer Rom, Nis Svoldgård & Aske Zidore (Oh No Ono)
Hadestown - Brian Grunert (Anaïs Mitchell)
What Will We Be - Devendra Banhart & Jon Beasley (Devendra Banhart)
Yonkers NY - Andrew Taray (Chip Taylor)

BEST ALBUM NOTES
Alan Lomax in Haiti: Recordings for the Library of Congress, 1936-1937 - Gage Averill (Various Artists)
Keep an Eye on the Sky - Robert Gordon (Big Star)
Side Steps - Ashley Kahn (John Coltrane)
There Breathes a Hope: The Legacy of John Work II and His Fisk Jubilee Quartet, 1909-1916 - Doug Seroff (Fisk University Jubilee Quartet)
True Love Cast Out All Evil - Will Sheff (Roky Erickson With Okkervil River)

BEST HISTORICAL ALBUM
Alan Lomax in Haiti: Recordings for the Library of Congress, 1936-1937
The Beatles (The Original Studio Recordings)
The Complete Mother's Best Recordings... Plus! (Hank Williams)
Not Fade Away: The Complete Studio Recordings and More (Buddy Holly)
Where the Action Is! Los Angeles Nuggets 1965-1968

BEST ENGINEERED ALBUM, NON-CLASSICAL
Battle Studies (John Mayer)
Dirty Side Down (Widespread Panic)
Emotion & Commotion (Jeff Beck)
God Willin' & The Creek Don't Rise (Ray LaMontagne And The Pariah Dogs)
Pink Elephant (N'dambi)

BEST SURROUND SOUND ALBUM
Britten's Orchestra (Michael Stern & Kansas City Symphony)
The Incident (Porcupine Tree)
Parallax Eden (David Miles Huber)
Songs and Stories: Monster Music Version (George Benson)
TrondheimSolistene: In Folk Style (TrondheimSolistene)

BEST SHORT FORM MUSIC VIDEO
Ain't No Grave/The Johnny Cash Project (Johnny Cash)
Love the Way You Lie (Eminem & Rihanna)
STYLO (Gorillaz, Mos Def & Bobby Womack)
F*** You (Cee Lo Green)
Bad Romance (Lady Gaga)

BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards - Nominees

The Radio2 Folk Awards will be presented on Feb. 7 at The Brewery in London. Listen to BBC Radio2 beginning at 19:45.

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT
Donovan

GOOD TRADITION AWARDS
Fisherman's Friends

RADIO 2 FOLK AWARDS 2011 - NOMINEES

FOLK SINGER OF THE YEAR
Chris Wood
Heidi Talbot
Jon Boden
Kris Drever

BEST DUO
Chris While & Julie Matthews
Eliza Carthy & Norma Waterson
Megson
Nancy Kerr & James Fagan

BEST GROUP
Bellowhead
Breabach
Coope Boyes & Simpson
Fisherman's Friends

BEST ALBUM
As If - Coope Boyes & Simpson
Gift - Eliza Carthy & Norma Waterson
Handmade Life - Chris Wood
Hedonism - Bellowhead

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
Hollow Point - Chris Wood
Queen of Waters - Nancy Kerr (performed by Nancy Kerr & James Fagan)
Rambling Man - Laura Marling
Stick Stock - Emily Portman

BEST TRADITIONAL TRACK
New York Girls - Bellowhead
The Demon Lover - Andy Irvine
Poor Wayfaring Stranger - Eliza Carthy & Norma Waterson
Willie Taylor - Heidi Talbot

HORIZON AWARD
Emily Portman
Ewan McLennan
Fay Hield
Jonny Kearney & Lucy Farrell

MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR
Andy Cutting
Brian Finnegan
Michael McGoldrick
Richard Thompson

BEST LIVE ACT
Bellowhead
Fiddlers' Bid
The Demon Barbers
The Unthanks

YOUNG FOLK AWARD
Adam Holmes
David Gibb & Elly Lucas
Mairi & Steaphanaidh Chaimbeul
Moore/Moss/Rutter

New Adds for January

New Music for January

Maybe it's because the holidays are over or that the weather is less than perfect (and I don't want to hear from the gloaters in Austrlia), but there's something about early January that says, "I'm ready for a nap." The record labels must feel it, too, because new releases really take a break for a few weeks. The good news is that gives us a chance to catch up on our listening!

In November, Mavis Staples released You Are Not Alone. A member of the famed Staples Family Singers, Mavis is enjoying a career resurgance even as many people in her generation are retiring. She is a fantastic performer and a Folk Alley favorite, especially after she gave us a shout-out from the stage at the Newport Folk Festival.

Loreena McKennitt is a regular in the Folk Alley stream, winning fans with her unique Celtic sound. After nearly a decade without putting out a new collection of music, she has been busy releasing CDs and touring. Her latest, The Wind That Shakes The Barley, strongly relies on traditional Celtic songs and instrumentation.

Although he began his career as a bluegrass banjo phenom, that description was too limiting for Tony Furtado. He mastered the slide guitar, wrote his own songs and reached out to other genres, drawing inspiration from jazz and pop and folk (while not forgetting his country roots). Golden, recorded near his home in Portland, is the product of Furtado's musical exploration.

Reflecting Folk Alley's international spirit, Fishtank Ensemble is made up of musicians from Italy, France, Serbia and Spain. The gypsy music they play is pulled from the ancient traditions of Euorpean nomads mixed with their personal musical experiences, loads of travel and lots of energy. Their new CD, Woman in Sin, reflects the glory that is roots music in the 21st century.

More of the first CDs added in the New Year:

Review: Danny Schmidt ~ Man of Many Moons

February 1, 2011

By Matt Watroba

Danny Schmidt
Man of Many Moons

Danny Schmidt caught my attention with a single cut," Esmee By The River," which appeared in an issue of Sing Out! Magazine several years ago. I was struck then by the sparse, almost fragile vocal performance, and the highly literate, deep image driven lyrics. On his seventh release, Man of Many Moons, I remain struck. There is no hiding for this artist on these eleven well-crafted tracks. The arrangements are bare and revealing. It's just Danny and guitar with bass, a tiny bit of piano and harmonica, and some haunting vocal support from fellow Red House artist, Carrie Elkin and Raina Rose. The songs center around the tricky concept of commitment, and the result is another glimpse into the complicated psyche of this talented, Austin-based emerging singer-songwriter.

With the exception of Bob Dylan's, "Buckets of Rain." The songs are all Danny's and, like Dylan's songs, they are mostly complicated word pictures that seem to come to life the more you listen. This is especially true of the first three tracks leading to the Dylan cover. The CD takes a lighter turn at this point including a twisted love song called "Ragtime Ragtime Blues," a daring venture, if you ask me. "Guilty By Association Blues" is the most political recorded Danny Schmidt song to date and "Almost Round the World" is the account of what happens when you sing political songs in a world connected by social media. Man of Many Moons ends with a song of simple advice about being careful of advice. "Know Thy Place" reminds us of the pitfalls of letting other people's fears block the path of wherever it is we're going.

Approach these songs as you would a great painting. Spend time with them. Walk around them. Stand back and then, just when you have it figured out, step closer until they envelope you. You won't be disappointed.