DCA Opens 2009 Summer/Fall Season
With
Award-Winning Musician and Vocalist Carrie Rodriguez
Shimmering with subtlety, Carrie Rodriguez is an explosive musician, songwriter, and vocalist who defies categorization. Fiddle in hand, the Texas-native’s folksy twang delivers on every song, hitting just the right notes. Performing in concert at the Door Community Auditorium on Friday, June 12 at 8 pm, Carrie Rodriguez will treat the audience to a performance that sparkles with intellect and emotion.
Carrie Rodriguez’s musical journey began in Austin, where as a little girl she began violin lessons rather than submit to mandatory naps. “I remember walking down the hallway and hearing these violins scratching out ‘Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.’ I was immediately drawn to that and came home and told my mom I wanted to take violin lessons,” she said.
The lessons “took” and Rodriguez continued her musical training at Oberlin College’s Conservatory of Music. Inspired by family friend Lyle Lovett’s fiddle player Andrea Zonn, Rodriguez recalled, “I wanted to do what she was doing.” Transferring to Boston’s Berklee College of Music, she found the resources to transform the violin into a fiddle.
The change in musical environment not only influenced Rodriguez’s fiddle playing, but also served as the perfect setting for collaborative duets, including a significant turn with singer/songwriter Chip Taylor. Their professional relationship led to Rodriguez’s debut album “Seven Angels on a Bicycle” which earned high marks from The Associated Press with raves for her as a “singular talent.”
Three-time Grammy Award winner Lucinda Williams, who sang backup on the album’s recording “Mask of Moses,” praised Rodriguez’s performance to the New York Times. “She’s got something unique in her voice that’s very subtle and a little smoky and sweet. I detect a certain wisdom in her, and yet a sense of wonder, as well.”
Today, the Brooklyn-based Rodriguez is busy touring following the release of her album “She Ain’t Me” which climbed to #2 at Americana Radio. She was honored by The Roots Music Association with a 2008 “Songwriter of the Year” award in the folk category. Rodriguez is featured on the new Tish Hinojosa album “Uncommonly Diverse,” and her song “Rag Doll” was featured on an episode of CBS television show Ghost Whisperer.
Although Rodriguez resists labels—there have been comparisons with Sarah McLaughlin or Nora Jones—what is universally true of her music is its depth and power. “On her latest CD, ‘She Ain’t Me,’ Carrie Rodriguez crates lush dramatic sound-scapes full of cosmic rhythms, ethereal melodies, and plenty of twang both in her voice and in the banjos and riffles, to keep the music grounded. I’m reminded of some of Roseanne Cash’s work, of Emmy Lou Harris’ work, but what stands out in Carrie Rodriguez’s music is a feminine, sexy voice that commands attention.” TapRootRadio.com.
Tickets for Carrie Rodriguez are $26/$22 and $18, and are available at the Door Community Auditorium box office, by phone (920.868.2728), or via the www.dcauditorium.org. Box office hours are Monday through Friday, 10 – 3 pm; weekend show days, 11 – 3 pm; and one hour prior to a performance. The Door Community Auditorium is located in Fish Creek, just north of the town center on Highway 42.
