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Isthmus Preview
February 15th, 2008
by Madison, WI
It seems like ages since we've shared a concert with Carrie Newcomer,
but that long cold spell is about to heat up when Carrie Newcomer makes
a return visit to Madison with her CD release concert for her latest
CD, The Geography of Light.
For singer/songwriter Carrie Newcomer, beauty is discovered in the
midst of the ordinary. Life is experienced in the spaces between
darkness and light. Truth is found in the bond between music and word.
Newcomer's new Rounder release, The Geography of Light, is about
navigating and exploring the appearance of light and shadow in our
lives. It is a layered work. On one level, the listener experiences
these types of connections through Newcomer's lyrics, which explore
life with a progressive spiritual sensibility. In a world that
encourages us to move faster and think bigger, Newcomer invites the
listener to slow down and reflect on the small things that make life
worthwhile. As Rolling Stone wrote, "Newcomer asks all the right
questions and refuses to settle for easy answers." On another level,
the listener hears a skillfully arranged and performed collection of
folk roots tracks, with Appalachian and classical influences.
Newcomer's style is straightforward and accessible. Overall, she is not
afraid to take on serious subjects, and does so with a healthy measure
of good humor and self-awareness. For her, "songwriting is not about
being clever, flashy or fancy - it is about telling a compelling story
in language and music with elegance and clarity." The result is a
resonant soundtrack for a world that is both sacred and ordinary.
Carrie is a singer-songwriter who is a dynamic performer and able to
touch audiences in a very personal way, Carrie delights listeners with
her Midwestern storytelling and humor. She has been reviewed as
amazing, haunting, strong but subtle, virtuoso, literary and poetic.
Barbara Kingslover says of Carrie, "Carrie Newcomer is much more than a
musician. She's poet, storyteller, snake-charmer, good neighbor, friend
and lover, minister of the wide-eyed gospel of hope and grace. All
this, and she comes with a voice that declares, "Sit down a while and
listen. Who could ask for more?" Certainly not her fans in Madison! Her
national audience continues to grow-and she still comes back to play
for The Madison Folk Music Society.
Equally exciting as having Carrie back in Madison, she will bring with
her to the stage her long-time pianist and also joining them will be
Madison's own husband and wife team of Chris Wagoner & Mary Gaines.
Gaines & Wagoner have been in the studio with Carrie several times
over the years recording on her CDs. Now we will have the opportunity
to see live the musical combination that makes her CDs so outstanding.
Opening the show will be the Bob Westfall Band, which is also one of
the bands that Gaines and Wagner collaborates with.
The concert is sponsored by the Madison Folk Music Society and welcomed
by WORT 89.9FM. Advance tickets are available at Borders Bookshops East
and West, B-Side Records, Spruce Tree Music, Orange Tree Imports and
Steep&Brew on Odana Road.
For additional information on these performers or the Madison Folk
Music Society, please see the following websites:
www.carrienewcomer.com www.madfolk.org