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Carrie Newcomer in The Examiner
February 1st, 2010
by Marian Tuin
"Ultimately we don't remember days, we remember moments." Carrie Newcomer told me and that theme is prevalent on her new album entitled before & after due February 23 from Rounder Records. Carrie continued, "A lot of the songs on before & after focus on the idea of the moment, the moment is where we live, that's where our life actually happens but you have to pay attention." And it seems that Carrie has been paying attention in the music business for a long time. Her new album will be her twelfth with Rounder Records and she has toured extensively here in the U.S. as well as abroad.
Newcomer classifies herself as a restless artist saying, "I don't have any interest in just repeating what I've done before. I always want to challenge myself with each album. The challenge with before & after was being fearlessly uncluttered." She said that early on in her career she had been afraid to make an album that was simple and clear for fear that people would think she couldn't do something complex. But as a seasoned professional now she says, "But you know, I've kind of gotten over that," and then continued "It's not about playing a lot of notes; it's about playing the right note and placing it perfectly." And that is exactly what this new album does. By her own admission she says it peels back another layer musically and emotionally, getting to the heart of things and the way she experiences the world around her.
In fact, Carrie was given the opportunity to experience more of the world during the fall of 2009 when the American Centre sent her to India for a month as a Cultural Ambassador. She recalls, "What the American Embassy told me when they approached me about doing this tour was that, ‘We're looking for music that creates bridges instead of builds walls and we think that your music builds bridges.' I was so touched by that." So by day the Embassy sent Newcomer out on various community service projects all over the nation of India and by night she performed concerts. "I wondered when I went what was going to translate and come across from culture to culture. And I found that if I sang songs that had to do with love or family or struggle, change and the unstoppable quality of hope, there was immediate recognition. It was so exciting and powerful to see whole Indian audiences singing a song like "If Not Now" because it's a song about hope, about making our small difference in the world. That really affected me profoundly."
When Newcomer isn't in the studio or abroad doing outreach you can find her here doing intense touring accompanied by workshops for other writers and songwriters. "I really love that up close experience with people who are interested in writing authentic words. I do creative writing and songwriting workshops but they're not so much about craft. They're really focused on paying attention to details and discovering an authentic voice." But that isn't all, she also visits colleges to do workshops that focus on vocational reflection, vocation being different from career. Carrie says she targets audiences who are really thinking about what they want to be saying, "Generally the most powerful work will come out of something we love deeply and truly by nature. And there isn't any right answer to that accept who you are and what you are fascinated with."
If by now you are still not reeling in inspiration by the authenticity and sincerity of Carrie Newcomer's artistry than you ought to pick up her album before & after next month to sample it audibly. Her music is every bit as impassioned and thoughtful as are her words. "My worth in music has been very interesting and it has always surprised me. If you follow your heart it will generally take you where you ought to go but it's very seldom where you expect that would be."