"...a songwriter of startling clarity and depth, equally skilled at turning a melody or lyrical phrase into what you didn't know you needed until you heard it." - Acoustic Guitar Mad Art is proud to welcome Anaïs Mitchell back to St. Louis. Opening for Ani DiFranco at Live on the Levee this summer, she returns for a special, one night only performance on Friday, October 12, 2007, at Mad Art Gallery. From her birthplace on a Vermont sheep farm to Beirut cafés, Cairo apartments, and Austin recording studios, Anaïs (ah-NAY-iss) Mitchell has been around. Therefore, it's no surprise that The Brightness, Mitchell's debut album on the Righteous Babe label, is infused with the restless, worldly perspective of a real troubadour. With The Brightness, Mitchell provides a glimpse into the raw talent and infectious energy of today's underground folkies. Over the course of 11 songs, listeners are transported to from Bethlehem to the Virginia countryside; they bathe in New Mexico moonlight and hear the world whizzing by from the inside of a hobo's train car. But for all of its worldliness, this is a lovingly homemade album. During the recording process, Anaïs lived above the studio, which was built into an old Vermont gristmill. She could wake up, shake the sleep out of her eyes, and record tracks in her pajamas. Recorded with producer and long-time collaborator Michael Chorney and a handful of Vermont-based artists, The Brightness is anchored by sparse, unpretentious rrangements, whether it's the charming backwoods banjo of "Shenandoah," Chorney's warm lap-steel playing, or Mitchell's acoustic guitar work, which is almost harp-like in its soft, economical beauty. On the rare occasions when the production gets richer, it's instantly memorable, especially the wave of vocal harmony that washes over the chorus of "Your Fonder Heart." Mitchell spins stories about forgotten old poets, jilted lovers, and the three wise men, making each one a distinct chapter of one cohesive work. Her lyrics tackle the personal and political with equal aplomb, often blurring the lines between the two. In fact, thin lines are a recurring theme in her music, whether it's between friends and lovers, religion and violence, or prosperity and pain. On The Brightness, Anaïs Mitchell is going somewhere, and you're invited to come along. Chances are it's a trip you won't soon forget. Come and hear this remarkable artist at Mad Art Gallery on Friday, October 12, 2007. Doors open at 7:00 p.m. and the show starts at 8:00 p .m. Tickets are $10 at the door. Cash bar available.
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