Of course, Danny and Carrie are no strangers to touring the UK, and the observation of so many familiar faces on this Birmingham return certainly played a part in stimulating a relaxed and comforting atmosphere. However while an apt environment is crucial to a successful gig, the performance is still key and on that score the night soared to some seriously high levels of contemporary US folk song writing.
Essentially the tour was planned to coincide with the launch
of Carrie’s brand new album THE PENNY COLLECTOR with its curator assuming the
headline role. This record has been an absolute joy to discover and cherish
over the past couple of months. Anticipation was high that its live airing
would frame a whole new dimension and while we weren’t treated to its entirety,
the high spots were fantastically brought to life through the evening’s
presentation.
For those in attendance who treated it as their premiere,
they were quick to learn of its link between the two extremities of life’s
cycle. Also that its inspirational creative location was revealed in the opening
song ‘New Mexico’. On numerous other occasions,
it was a case of breathing in the album’s magical air. ‘And Then the Birds Came’ was one of the tracks closely aligned with
the passing of her father (the central theme alongside the subsequent birth of
her first child). ‘Crying Out’ leapt
to greater heights upon digesting Carrie’s interpretation of a letter to
herself. ‘Tilt a Whirl’ confirmed its
nostalgic features, while ‘My Brother
Said’ re-iterated the strength of emotion that pours out of this record. It
transpired that ‘Always on the Run’
was Danny’s favourite and with a little nudge from his supporting role during
Carrie’s set it was duly sung as the evening glided to a close.
Carrie did feature the album’s only cover. The version of
Paul Simon’s ‘American Tune’ allowed her
own compositions to match up well against a giant of her craft. The Richard
Thompson penned ‘Dimming of the Day’ helped
balance the covers in a Transatlantic slant. Of the three other songs to feature
in Carrie’s set, ‘Company of Friends’
(one of Danny Schmidt’s finest pieces of work) probably edged ‘ Echo in the Hills’ and ‘Jesse Likes Birds’. Although a faltering
moment was barely to be seen with Carrie free of the unwanted ailments that
affected her when she last visited this venue for a show.
It was almost a low key Danny Schmidt who shared a few of
his older songs during the obligatory support role with Carrie joining him on
vocals. Danny himself is now two years on from his last album release , the
totally absorbing OWLS, and while admittedly he has put things on hold to
support the new family and Carrie’s special project, it will surely be only a
matter of time before the next collection of new songs surface from one of
Austin’s finest contemporary songwriters. True to previous exposure of Danny
live (last seen in Asheville North Carolina last summer), his stage delivery is
compelling; song subject as deep as you would expect and an affable personality
to bridge the gap between artist and audience. Quite frankly he remains one of
the most astute, articulate and intelligent songwriters you are likely to come
across.
As welcome as it was to enjoy the brief company of Danny Schmidt’s
songs again, the evening’s success will be built upon the presentation of an
album that will give the career of Carrie Elkin a major lift. Obviously, priorities
will lie elsewhere now, but she should be proud that the creative art that
provides her a living is in rude health. On a separate note. and one final
thought from the evening : what would 600,000 pennies actually look like?
www.dannyschmidt.com
