Sunday October 19: An Evening with David Wilcox
October 19, 2008
Doors open at 6:30pm
Show starts at 7:00pm
$17.50
Airstream
‘Like a conversation with a friend'
David Wilcox's songs travel. Like a drive across America, they offer up fascinating new places and ideas, along with time to drink in their meaning.
That's no coincidence: the highly regarded singer-songwriter recently returned from two years of traveling with his wife Nance and son Nate in a vintage Airstream trailer. The songs that emerged from the venture deliver what his audiences want: music that connects with their hearts and souls, while opening new doors of experience.
Wilcox said it occurred to him, once he got home, that songs conceived and born in the trailer should be recorded there. "We brought all the studio gear out into the Airstream and it sounded great," he said.
At his personal half-century mark, Wilcox offers a thoughtful musical perspective informed by more than two decades of touring. A native of Ohio, Wilcox has based his career out of the South since the 1980s when he emerged as a live performer in North Carolina and won the music industry's attention in Nashville. After getting a taste of the major-label ride on A&M for three releases, he then recorded for Vanguard, and now he's releasing Airstream, his 13th album, as his fourth project on the Colorado-based, independent "What Are Records?" label.
Airstream makes its distinctive musical and lyrical points with a range of contemporary styles, from folk balladry to acoustic soul and reggae. All could easily have inspired full-scale arrangements, but Wilcox chose to make a recording as intimate as his one-man shows - just his versatile baritone and agile guitar work.
"We decided to make this a voice-and-guitar record; even beautiful harmonies didn't make it to the mix," he said. "The simple arrangements just worked best for this batch of songs.
The ability to perform solo makes possible appearances such as a recent, last-minute trip to Africa, where Wilcox performed in Sudan at the country's first national day of prayer.
Concern about national and international crises led to songs such as ‘Three Brothers', a moving, allegory of Middle East turmoil; ‘Reaper Sweepstakes', about the universal marketing of fear; and ‘Falling for It', a biting satire of political deception.
"There are people that expect a lot from music," said Wilcox. "It's like a conversation with a friend where you get reminded of you who are; it wakes up what's best in your heart."
Sunday, October 19, 2008, 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Cost: $17.50
Website: http://www.davidwilcox.com