Two artists who often perform solo will be coming together for a night of music at Bozzini’s Upstairs Lounge next week.
Carrie Elkin and Danny Schmidt hail all the way from Austin, TX and will be performing the only show of the summer at the unique restaurant stage.
The two artists are becoming quite the phenoms in the Americana music scene. It’s a special treat when Schmidt and Elkin, who normally tour separately and solo, share the stage together. If the chemistry seems especially amorous, they come by it honestly, as they are a rare breed: a romantic partnership in real life, as well as musical life. And the two together on stage makes for a classic case of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts.
Named to the Chicago Tribune’s 50 Most Significant Songwriters in the Last 50 Years, singer/songwriter Schmidt has amassed a cult following for his stunningly poetic, poignant imagery. He is considered a preeminent writer, an artist whose earthy poetry manages to somehow conjure magic from the mundane. Schmidt is best known for his riveting poetic lyrics, which have drawn favourable comparisons to Leonard Cohen and Townes Van Zandt for their depth and complexity.
Elkin is a born performer, possessing an infectious energy that cannot be contained. With her dazzling voice and unpretentious charm, she wins over audiences. Elkin is best known for her incredibly soulful and dynamic vocals, which have drawn favourable comparisons to Patty Griffin at her most powerful, and Nanci Griffith at her most intimate.
Together, the respective strengths they each bring, individually, merge into a much greater whole — a performance of great energy and spirit, and one that audiences seem to be able to connect with on a multitude of levels, at once: emotionally, spiritually, and intellectually.
Don’t miss these two great artists in a rare split-bill performance, sharing songs back and forth, lending their voices to each other’s tunes, in harmony. They’ll be performing hits from their duo release, For Keeps, their 15 (combined) solo albums, as well as celebrating the release of Elkin’s long-awaited new solo album, The Penny Collector.
After touring extensively as a featured vocalist with the Sam Baker Trio and as a duo performer with her husband Danny Schmidt, this is Elkin’s highly anticipated return to her solo work. Written in a year that was book ended by the birth of Elkin’s first child and the process of care-taking her father through the dying process, The Penny Collector is a poet’s momentous stroll full circle around the human life cycle in one single year. It’s a journey that is beautifully told, fragile and heartbreaking at times, joyous and raucous in others. And Elkin once again delivers the powerhouse vocal performance that people have come to expect, with delicate waves of intimacy that build to astonishing crests and crashes of intensity.
Carrie Elkin and Danny Schmidt perform Thursday, Aug. 24 at 8 p.m. (doors at 6 p.m.) in Bozzini’s Upstairs Lounge. Tickets $17.50 at Bozzini’s, or call 604-792-0744 to reserve. For more, go to bozzinisrestaurant.ca/event/carrie-elkin-and-danny-schmidt/
