Carrie Elkin
Encyclopedia
Carrie Elkin was born 1974, and is a folk
/country
singer and musician
based out of Austin, Texas
where she lives with fellow musician
and singer-songwriter
Danny Schmidt
. Active since the mid-1990s, she has travelled to and settled in a variety of places, including Cleveland
, Athens
, Taos
, Steamboat Springs
, Colorado Springs, and Boston
, finally coming to settle in Austin
in the summer of 2007. In September 2010 she signed with Red House Records
.
, Simplicity, in 1996. Her second album
, Live at the Front Room, was released in 2001. The Waltz arrived in 2004 and The Jeopardy of Circumstance in 2007. Her fifth record, Call It My Garden was released in early 2011 by Red House Records
; her first with that label (she originally released the album in 2010). It was produced by Colin Brooks and Danny Schmidt
and features Sam Baker, Raina Rose, Robby Hecht, A. J. Roach, Anthony Da Costa, and Storyhill
’s John Hermanson. The first track, "Jesse Likes Birds", made number one on the FOLKDJ-L radio playlists (a.k.a. "Folk DJ List") for the month of January 2011 (based on 15,346 airplays from 157 different radio disc jockeys). The album was listed fifth for the same month.
She appears with Danny Schmidt on his more recent albums. She recorded "Little Drummer Boy
" with Danny on the Our Christmas Present (2008) fundraising record for Our Community Place in Harrisonburg, Virginia
.
, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and Greg Brown. She tours extensively, in the US and UK, often appearing with Danny Schmidt
live and on his recordings. They both appear as separate acts at the 2010 Storyhill Fest Midwest. She has been selected to appear at the 7th Annual Rice Festival in Fischer, TX November 2010 and the 24th annual International Folk Alliance Conference February 2011 in Memphis, TN. She appeared on the Bob Harris Country
show on BBC Radio 2
August 6, 2009. She sang with Danny Schmidt on the WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Show
in 2010 (radio hour number 526).
In support of her new album, Carrie will be on tour throughout the US and Europe
in 2011 and will showcase at the South By Southwest Music Festival (SXSW) and the International Folk Alliance Conference.
and country
musical genres. She also sings reverential music, similar to gospel
; often closing her shows, for example, with a highly-moving version of "Amazing Grace
".
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
/country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
singer and musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
based out of Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
where she lives with fellow musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
and singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Danny Schmidt
Danny Schmidt
Danny Schmidt is an American singer-songwriter based in Austin, Texas where he was born and raised and now lives with fellow musician and singer-songwriter Carrie Elkin.-Biography:...
. Active since the mid-1990s, she has travelled to and settled in a variety of places, including Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
, Athens
Athens, Georgia
Athens-Clarke County is a consolidated city–county in U.S. state of Georgia, in the northeastern part of the state, comprising the former City of Athens proper and Clarke County. The University of Georgia is located in this college town and is responsible for the initial growth of the city...
, Taos
Taos, New Mexico
Taos is a town in Taos County in the north-central region of New Mexico, incorporated in 1934. As of the 2000 census, its population was 4,700. Other nearby communities include Ranchos de Taos, Cañon, Taos Canyon, Ranchitos, and El Prado. The town is close to Taos Pueblo, the Native American...
, Steamboat Springs
Steamboat Springs
Steamboat Springs may refer to:*Steamboat Springs, Colorado, a town in Routt County, Colorado, United States*Steamboat Springs, Nevada, a collection of geysers located in northern Nevada, United States...
, Colorado Springs, and Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, finally coming to settle in Austin
Austin
Austin is the capital of the U.S. state of Texas.Austin may also refer to:-In the United States:*Austin, Arkansas*Austin, Colorado*Austin, Chicago, Illinois*Austin, Indiana*Austin, Minnesota*Austin, Nevada*Austin, Oregon...
in the summer of 2007. In September 2010 she signed with Red House Records
Red House Records
Red House Records is an American independent record label specializing in folk music and is based in St. Paul, Minnesota.The label was originally created in 1981 by Greg Brown as a method to distribute his own music, and is named for a farmhouse in Iowa where he was living...
.
Recordings
She self-released her first albumAlbum
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, Simplicity, in 1996. Her second album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, Live at the Front Room, was released in 2001. The Waltz arrived in 2004 and The Jeopardy of Circumstance in 2007. Her fifth record, Call It My Garden was released in early 2011 by Red House Records
Red House Records
Red House Records is an American independent record label specializing in folk music and is based in St. Paul, Minnesota.The label was originally created in 1981 by Greg Brown as a method to distribute his own music, and is named for a farmhouse in Iowa where he was living...
; her first with that label (she originally released the album in 2010). It was produced by Colin Brooks and Danny Schmidt
Danny Schmidt
Danny Schmidt is an American singer-songwriter based in Austin, Texas where he was born and raised and now lives with fellow musician and singer-songwriter Carrie Elkin.-Biography:...
and features Sam Baker, Raina Rose, Robby Hecht, A. J. Roach, Anthony Da Costa, and Storyhill
Storyhill
Storyhill is an American folk duo, composed of Chris Cunningham and John Hermanson. The acoustic songwriting duo formed in Bozeman, Montana in 1989 simply as Chris & Johnny. They did not adopt the name Storyhill until 1996. They started performing together in Montana and later Minnesota, creating...
’s John Hermanson. The first track, "Jesse Likes Birds", made number one on the FOLKDJ-L radio playlists (a.k.a. "Folk DJ List") for the month of January 2011 (based on 15,346 airplays from 157 different radio disc jockeys). The album was listed fifth for the same month.
She appears with Danny Schmidt on his more recent albums. She recorded "Little Drummer Boy
Little Drummer Boy
"The Little Drummer Boy," originally known as "Carol of the Drum," is a popular Christmas song written by the American classical music composer/teacher Katherine Kennicott Davis in 1941. It was recorded 1955 by the Trapp Family Singers and further popularized by a 1958 recording by the Harry...
" with Danny on the Our Christmas Present (2008) fundraising record for Our Community Place in Harrisonburg, Virginia
Harrisonburg, Virginia
Harrisonburg is an independent city in the Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia in the United States. Its population as of 2010 is 48,914, and at the 2000 census, 40,468. Harrisonburg is the county seat of Rockingham County and the core city of the Harrisonburg, Virginia Metropolitan Statistical...
.
Performance
Carrie has performed the national anthem at a Chicago Bulls game and opened for such artists as Jesse WinchesterJesse Winchester
Jesse Winchester is a musician and songwriter who was born and raised in the southern United States. To avoid the Vietnam War draft he moved to Canada in 1967, which is where and when he began his career as a solo artist. His highest charting recordings were of his own tunes, "Yankee Lady" in 1970...
, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and Greg Brown. She tours extensively, in the US and UK, often appearing with Danny Schmidt
Danny Schmidt
Danny Schmidt is an American singer-songwriter based in Austin, Texas where he was born and raised and now lives with fellow musician and singer-songwriter Carrie Elkin.-Biography:...
live and on his recordings. They both appear as separate acts at the 2010 Storyhill Fest Midwest. She has been selected to appear at the 7th Annual Rice Festival in Fischer, TX November 2010 and the 24th annual International Folk Alliance Conference February 2011 in Memphis, TN. She appeared on the Bob Harris Country
Bob Harris (radio)
Robert Brinley Joseph "Bob" Harris, OBE , known as "Whispering" Bob Harris, is British radio host who currently works for BBC Radio 2, presenting music two nights a week...
show on BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
August 6, 2009. She sang with Danny Schmidt on the WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Show
Woodsongs
The WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour, produced and hosted by folksinger Michael Johnathon is listened to by over 1 Million radio listeners on over 493 radio each week all over the world. It is provided free of charge to public and community radio stations anywhere in the world. It had been available...
in 2010 (radio hour number 526).
In support of her new album, Carrie will be on tour throughout the US and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
in 2011 and will showcase at the South By Southwest Music Festival (SXSW) and the International Folk Alliance Conference.
Style and sound
Carrie is an acoustic guitarist who performs mainly in the folkFolk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
and country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
musical genres. She also sings reverential music, similar to gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
; often closing her shows, for example, with a highly-moving version of "Amazing Grace
Amazing Grace
"Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn with words written by the English poet and clergyman John Newton , published in 1779. With a message that forgiveness and redemption are possible regardless of the sins people commit and that the soul can be delivered from despair through the mercy of God,...
".
Discography
- Simplicity (1996) CarrieElkin.com
- Live at the Front Room (2001) CarrieElkin.com
- The Waltz (2004) CarrieElkin.com – ASIN: B000CAEAY0
- The Jeopardy of Circumstance (2007) CarrieElkin.com – ASIN: B0010V57EW
- Call It My Garden (2011) Red House RecordsRed House RecordsRed House Records is an American independent record label specializing in folk music and is based in St. Paul, Minnesota.The label was originally created in 1981 by Greg Brown as a method to distribute his own music, and is named for a farmhouse in Iowa where he was living...
– ASIN: B004DK4A5O
Video
- "Folk Alliance 2009 - Andy Cohen & Carrie Elkin" impromptu moment captured on the Klyma Cam at the 2009 Folk Alliance conference when Andy Cohen walked up and strummed a tune on Devon SprouleDevon SprouleDevon Sproule is a musician based for many years in Charlottesville, Virginia. She married musician and singer-songwriter Paul Curreri in 2005. She shared the prestigious ASCAP Foundation Sammy Cahn Award for 2009 with Oren Lavie...
's 1954 Gibson ES-125Gibson ES-125The Gibson ES-125 is an archtop, hollow body electric guitar model that was produced by the Gibson Guitar Corporation.-Model history:Introduced in 1941 as the successor to the ES-100, the ES-125 was an entry-level archtop electric guitar. It had one P-90 single-coil pickup in the neck position,...
, which Carrie had borrowed. - "Carrie Elkin - Did She Do Her Best, at WNRN" Carrie performs "Did She Do Her Best" on WNRN's Acoustic Sunrise in Charlottesville, VirginiaCharlottesville, VirginiaCharlottesville is an independent city geographically surrounded by but separate from Albemarle County in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the queen consort of King George III of the United Kingdom.The official population estimate for...
on December 11, 2008 before her show at Gravity Lounge with Danny SchmidtDanny SchmidtDanny Schmidt is an American singer-songwriter based in Austin, Texas where he was born and raised and now lives with fellow musician and singer-songwriter Carrie Elkin.-Biography:...
. - "Carrie Elkin - Questions About Angels" performing her song "Questions About Angels" live at the Cactus CafeCactus CafeThe Cactus Café is a live music venue and bar on the campus of The University of Texas at Austin. Located in Austin, Texas, a city frequently referred to as "the live music capital of the world," a number of well-known artists have played in the Cactus, and Billboard Magazine named it as one of...
in Austin, TX.
Distinctions
- She has been selected to appear at the 24th annual International Folk Alliance Conference February 2011 in Memphis, TN.
- She has been selected to appear at the 7th Annual Rice Festival in Fischer, TX November 2010.
- She appeared at the 2010 Storyhill Fest Midwest.
- She sang with Danny Schmidt on the WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Show in 2010 (radio hour number 526).
- She appeared at the 2010 Home of the Islands Folk Festival on Vancouver IslandVancouver IslandVancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several North American locations named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Northwest coast of North America between 1791 and 1794...
in British Columbia, Canada. - She recorded “Little Drummer BoyLittle Drummer Boy"The Little Drummer Boy," originally known as "Carol of the Drum," is a popular Christmas song written by the American classical music composer/teacher Katherine Kennicott Davis in 1941. It was recorded 1955 by the Trapp Family Singers and further popularized by a 1958 recording by the Harry...
” with Danny Schmidt on the Our Christmas Present (2008) fundraising record for Our Community Place in Harrisonburg, VirginiaHarrisonburg, VirginiaHarrisonburg is an independent city in the Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia in the United States. Its population as of 2010 is 48,914, and at the 2000 census, 40,468. Harrisonburg is the county seat of Rockingham County and the core city of the Harrisonburg, Virginia Metropolitan Statistical...
. - She appeared at the 2007 South Padre International Music FestivalSouth Padre International Music FestivalSouth Padre International Music Festival is an annual 3-day music festival held on South Padre Island, Texas. The event features international and national artists, encompassing a wide range of musical genres including country, funk, reggae, rock, indie, Latin rock, ska and jazz...
on South Padre Island, TexasSouth Padre Island, TexasSouth Padre Island is a town in Cameron County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Brownsville–Harlingen Metropolitan Statistical Area. It may be included as part of the Brownsville–Harlingen–Raymondville and the Matamoros–Brownsville metropolitan areas. The population was 2,816 at the...
.
Articles, reviews, interviews
- "Carrie Elkin Call It My Garden (Red House)" FEATURED CONTENT SXSW Records Saturday, by Jim Caligiuri in the Austin Chronicle; March 18, 2011.
- "Carrie Elkin: Call It My Garden" review by John Davy for Flyinshoes on February 18, 2011.
- "Call It My Garden: Carrie Elkin" review by James Allen for allmusic—Rating 3.5/5.0 stars; Released January 25 on Red House Records; 42:18; Folk; AMG Album ID: R 2102866.
- "Carrie Elkin's Call It My Garden and Danny Schmidt's Man of Many Moons (both on Red House)" by Jeff Burger for No Depression; February 13, 2011.
- "FAME Review: Carrie Elkin - Call It My Garden" review written for the Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange by Frank Gutch, Jr.; February 2, 2011.
- "Carrie Elkin: HAPPY TO BE A LITTLE BIT OF A TREE HUGGING HIPPY" Maverick Magazine March 2011 (with review of latest album).
- Review of Jeopardy of Circumstance (2007) in C-60 Low Noise July 22, 2010.
- "Folk Couples, Covered: Sproule & Curreri, Schmidt & Elkin, and Ritter & Landes" Cover Lay Down June 27, 2010.
- "The Budgeteer’s heart-to-heart with Carrie Elkin" by Matthew R. Perrine Duluth News Tribune July 2, 2009. "The latest need-to-know name coming out of the fertile Austin, Texas, scene is singer/songwriter Carrie Elkin . ."
- "Carrie Elkin - 'The Jeopardy of Circumstance'" By Kim Ruehl About.com 2008.
- "Women In Music Series - Carrie Elkin" by Dan D. - July 7, 2000, interviewed on Athens Musician Network.
See also
- Danny SchmidtDanny SchmidtDanny Schmidt is an American singer-songwriter based in Austin, Texas where he was born and raised and now lives with fellow musician and singer-songwriter Carrie Elkin.-Biography:...
- Folk musicFolk musicFolk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
- Austin, TexasAustin, TexasAustin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
- Singer-songwriterSinger-songwriterSinger-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
External links
- Official Website Carrie Elkin.