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Danny Schmidt
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A man, a guitar and a bagful of the best songs you'll hear today, that' s the simple truth about Danny Schmidt. He has a big reputation in the States where Sing Out Magazine described him as "the best new songwriter we've heard in 15 years" and after touring the UK many time since 2001 he has a large following here too. Not to be missed.
Austin, TX-based singer/songwriter, Danny Schmidt has been building an
enthusiastic (nearly cult-like) following while simultaneously inspiring
the admiration of his fellow artists and critical acclaim from industry
professionals. He is an authentic timeless troubadour in the tradition
of Townes Van Zandt, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen and Dave Carter, who
delivers his craft with a quiet power, a level of complexity and an
underlying humanity that is truly rare in this age of sound bite
marketeering. It's his songwriting which won him the prestigous
Kerrville New Folk award, but it's his intense live performances that
leave listeners with a sense that each of his songs is necessary, plain
and simple. His guitar work is effortless and sparkling, his
arrangements are fresh and unpredictable, his voice ageless.
Stylistically and musically, Danny's writing spans an impressively
diverse reach, from deeply-rooted Appalachian mountain gospel to haunted
English balladry, from syncopated Piedmont country blues to vagabond
60's protest folk-stumpery. He tackles universal themes of love, loss
and longing . . . restless discontent and grateful joy. And he captures
both the sorrow and the beauty inherent in our everyday lives with the
wisdom of a perceptive, compassionate elder and with the innocent awe
and tenderness of a child.
In the words of Sing Out Magazine: "He is perhaps the best new
songwriter we've heard in the last 15 years." And in the words of Texas
Monthly: "With seductive simplicity, his music simply demands your
attention."
"Everything about the man is gentle, except his capacity for
insight, which is crushing." Songwriter Jeffrey Foucault
"I've not felt a performance with this much intensity since I saw
Neil Young solo years ago, nor have I heard songwriting with this much
subtlety of craftsmanship since Leonard Cohen. I was completely
floored." Henri Simmons, the Filter
"Very few people in this world can captivate an audience with just a
voice and a guitar the way Carrie Elkin can." Matthew
Toledo, Athens Music Network
"He is, perhaps the best new songwriter I've heard in the last 15
years." Rich Warren, Sing Out! Magazine
"In his use of parable and allegory, there are inevitable
comparisons with Cohen and Dylan, but these are songs of such quality
and beauty that they more than hold their own in this exalted company."
5* Maverick Magazine
"In today's underground folk world, Danny Schmidt is spoken of in
reverent tones, drawing comparisons to Leonard Cohen, with a poetry that
breathes naturally and without pretension, with results that are both
attractive and intense." Jim Caligiuri, Austin Chronicle
"This songsmith has been churning out brilliant, poetic songs on the
human condition coupled with dazzling technique on his guitar strings
for almost a decade." Jay Trachtenberg, KUT Radio in Austin
"Danny Schmidt's done it again. One of the country's best
singer-songwriters has released yet another masterpiece." Les
Reynolds, Indie-Music.com
"With beautifully crafted, lonesome pines music and complex
beguiling words, he would've fitted neatly on the bill at any '60s
coffee house alongside Townes Van Zandt or Leonard Cohen." Andy
Fyfe, Q Magazine
"The songs are fascinating and intriguing, even mysterious. The
singing is warm and unassuming, letting the stories lead him. The
melodies are captivating. And the writer is gifted. Go find Danny
Schmidt and listen." Marilyn Rea Beyer, WUMB Radio in
Boston