Richard Shindell
Richard Shindell (* 1960 in Lakehurst , New Jersey ) is an American folk musician and singer-songwriter .
Life
After his first three solo albums, Richard Shindell's career got a boost in 1997 after Joan Baez recorded three of his songs ( Fishing , Reunion Hill and Money for Floods ) on her album Gone from Danger and invited the aspiring Shindell to do it to accompany her tour in 1997 and 1998.
In 1998 Shindell founded the group Cry Cry Cry with Dar Williams and Lucy Kaplansky . The album of the same name, Cry Cry Cry , featured an eclectic mix of cover versions, from REM to the not so well-known folk singer James Keelaghan . The trio went on tour with the album, then pursued individual solo careers again. So far, no plans for future recordings in this constellation have been announced, with Shindell and Kaplansky often on stage together.
In 2007 a CD was released with South of Delia , which only contains cover songs - u. a. an extraordinary folk version of the Bruce Springsteen classic Born in the USA .
Richard Shindell currently lives with his wife and children in Buenos Aires , Argentina .
The songwriting
On the early albums, the musical design is clearly more folk- heavy, later Shindell distances himself a little from these roots and often only uses the guitar and his voice. However, numerous instruments have already been used in the 15 years of musical creation. A certain willingness to experiment can not be recognized.
Shindell often uses a specific person's perspective when writing his songs: from an inspector for the Illegal Immigration Service ( INS ) in Fishing to a soldier in World War II at Sparrow's Point , a drummer boy in the Confederate States Army in Arrowhead , also a Spanish grandmother in From Abuelita to a stockbroker in Confession , stories are told in first-person form.
The specialty of his way of composing songs is that he has a great talent for putting entire stories with complex characters and actions into a few words and lines. Comparable to storytellers from the early 20th century.
He likes to use sad themes, but in some songs his sarcastic humor can also be heard, which is also particularly evident in live performances, where he likes to tell several minutes of stories about the creation of the songs between the individual pieces, which amuse the audience.
Due to the guitar playing in the foreground, as well as the pitch between baritone and bass , his music occasionally throws up comparisons to Mark Knopfler from Dire Straits or Johnny Cash .
Discography
- Sparrows Point ( Shanachie , 1992)
- Blue Divide (Shanachie, 1994)
- Reunion Hill (Shanachie, 1997)
- Cry Cry Cry ( Razor & Tie , 1998), with Dar Williams and Lucy Kaplansky
- Somewhere Near Paterson ( Signature Sounds , 2000)
- Courier (Signature Sounds, 2002)
- Vuelta ( Koch Records , 2005)
- South of Delia (Richard Shindell Recordings, 2007)
- Not Far Now , (2009)
Web links
- Official website
- Richard Shindell, Live in Kent, Ohio at folkalley.com
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Shindell, Richard |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American folk musician and singer-songwriter |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1960 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Lakehurst , New Jersey |