Richard Shindell + Antje Duvekot  

November 4, 2009

Wednesday 8:00pm

Detail: Antje Duvekot is one of the brightest singer-songwriters to rise out of Boston's competitive acoustic music scene. She is releasing her second studio album, "The Near Demise of the High Wire Dancer" on Black Wolf Records on March 17, 2009. Antje chose one of her favorite songwriters, Richard Shindell to produce the album. Richard lent his talent to the record and brought in well respected musicians such as John Gorka, Lucy Kaplansky and Victor Krauss. "What a blessing to have worked with someone as talented as Antje. With a voice like hers, and songs as good as these, a producer (especially a first-time producer!) just tries to get out of the way, to do no harm, and to let the artist speak for herself." -Richard Shindell "The Near Demise of the High Wire Dancer" demonstrates why, according to The Boston Globe, "Antje Duvekot's provocative, dark-eyed ballads are becoming the talk of the folk world. Duvekot has gotten hotter, faster than any local songwriter in recent memory." The songs on the album reflect both Duvekot's personal journeys and her observations of those of others. Antje remarks "I've come to find that writing about someone else's struggles or happiness feels just as cathartic as writing about my own." _____ An expatriate New Yorker now living in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Richard Shindell is a meticulous craftsman of song whose six studio albums and one live recording have been revered by critics and fans alike. Innovative, original and occasionally spiritual, Shindell's songs weave tales that interchangeably champion the downtrodden, exalt the disaffected or wax empathetic to those lost to society's fringes. From his first record, Sparrow's Point (1992) to the newest album Vuelta (2004), Shindell has demonstrated a penchant for songwriting at once passionate and profound. His songs are often slowly and painstakingly crafted until honed to perfection. Conversely, he is also capable of writing tunes that are simply clever and amusing. Shindell's songwriting is truly eclectic, ranging from lighthearted ballads and adulterous love songs, to dirges and diatribes that skillfully skewer politics, prejudice, war and religion. He has a unique ability to morph into the soul of the many and varied personalities he casts as narrators in certain songs--songs that are veritable novellas framed in haunting acoustic melodies, sometimes including cryptic, revelations through the eyes of a woman.