"Danny Schmidt: Voice of the Soul"
"There's a little man inside my head
He calls himself sometimes my friend
But he always helps me in the end ..."
- Danny Schmidt, from "Sometimes A Friend"
The Man ...
You don't hear music like this every day.
Danny Schmidt is one of those unique musicians who has adistinct voice. He can be at once soulful and pensive, and he'llknock you for a loop with his beautiful harmonies through thesimple combination of acoustic guitar and his voice.
It's his voice that really makes him distinct from the rest ofwhat is being called the singer/songwriter revival. Schmidt's soundcould see comparisons to the likes of Bob Dylan, Tom Waits and JohnPrine, but when you hear him play, all you really can compare himto is ... Danny Schmidt. It's a natural sound. I read on his Website somewhere that people say he plays as naturally as hebreathes.
"I guess that's true," said Schmidt, "because I've done both fora long time and I don't think about either one much."
And he really doesn't preoccupy himself with calling himself a"good" guitar player.
"I do think I have a comfortable feel for my instrument," hesaid, "but that's because I've spent a lot of time just feeling itout ..."
Schmidt says he got started playing music when he was 12, but itwas the awkward heavy metal of a kid who hasn't yet found hismuse.
"It wasn't until I was 20 that I figured out that Jimi Hendrixwas playing the blues," Schmidt notes in his press biography, "butwhen I did, I realized I liked the blues."
That's when he discovered artists like Neil Young and JohnPrine. And they were the ones who taught him about the melody andpoetry of words.
"I always loved poetry," he said, "and I always loved songs. Itjust never occurred to me to sit down and write one myself, until Ifell in love with this girl in Virginia ..."
Since that turning point in his musical life, Danny Schmidt hasmade quite a name for himself in the acoustic folk community, bothin Charlottesville, Virginia, and on the Austin, Texas music scene,where he's currently playing his bluesy brand of folk.
I discovered his music by accident during a 3 a.m. music bingeon the late (and these days not so great) mp3.com. One listen, andI was hooked. As is always the case when I discover something trulygood, I let the artist know what I thought. After a series of shorte-mail communications, Schmidt sent me his two studio albums:"Enjoying The Fall" and "Make Right The Time." Both are sparse andbeautiful looks into the soul, the type of albums you just have tosit back and really listen to. Each song is a snapshot into theheart and mind of a songwriter who is finally making his voiceheard.
And it's a voice you'll want to hear.
For more information, visit http://www.dannyschmidt.com.
. . . and His Music
Enjoying The Fall (2001, Live Once Records)
Enjoying The Fall is not a particularly happy album. In fact,after just a first listen I'd quickly classified this as a fairlydark lyrical look into a mind that's tortured by the way the worldseems these days. Schmidt put it succinctly in an interview in hispresskit.
"Enjoying The Fall is fullblown dark," he says. "Looking backinto that collection of songs, they seem like snapshot images ofwhat the world looks like when you're drowned in a shipwreck ...but it's not like 'gosh! I feel so bad I almost drowned.' It's morelike 'Damn, those shoreline mountains with the storm clouds surelook creepy through all this brine.'"
I couldn't have put it better myself. But these are snapshotsthat, when combined as a whole, make for a genuinely interesting,and at once stunning, look into the mind of a man who is justtrying to get all these thoughts out.
I'll give you that some of these songs are hard to delve into;they're filled with painful images. In "Sometimes My Friend," thecharacter voiced through the lyrics is a serial killer who isspeaking to a judge who wants to sentence him to death. He tellsthe story of why he's done what he's done, and along the way makessome powerful observations about the thoughts of a damned man.
"Your honor, don't you understand?" he sings mournfully,"Deterrents only haunt the damned -- they're slaps across a knowinghand and a face turned blue ..." The song starts off as just asparse guitar melody, but by the end, a terribly sad whistlingtakes on the harmony line, leaving me in goosebumps every time.It's a very emotional song.
Other songs on the album, most notably "These Ain't Tynan'sBlues," "Tennee, Mama and Desiree" and "Columbine," all combinethis dark, yet hopeful, tone as Schmidt works his way through thedemons we know his characters are seeing. And when you're donelistening to this album, you'll know you've been part of somethingwonderful.
RATING: * * * *
Muncie area musicians:
Would you like to be featured in a future installment of "InMy Headphones"? Send Jonathan an email atjonathansanders@justice.com to find out how to submit your presskitand musical material for consideration.
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
