DENVER, COLO. (3/26/08) -- Chris Smither, who the Associated Press calls, "an
American original" and "one of the absolute best singer-songwriters in the
world," performs at Swallow Hill's Daniels Hall on Saturday, April 12 at 8 p.m.
After coming on the radar in 1970 with the well-received debut album I’m a
Stranger Too! and the similarly lauded 1972 follow-up, Don't It Drag On,
Chris Smither didn't release another record for more than a decade. "Everybody
has good patches and bad patches," he says. "I was basically drunk for 12 years,
and somehow I managed to climb out of it; I don't know why. Why did I get well
when so many other people don't? It had nothing to do with any virtue on my
part; if I were Christian, I'd call it grace. I just got lucky."
His latest release, Leave the Light On, stands as the quintessence of his
life's work while throwing in some new wrinkles that reflect where he's been and
what he's encountered since the last time around. The work finds him once again
in a contemplative mood, examining his thought processes from struggling to
distinguish between self-deception and truth to seeking the most fundamental
kind of closure. One of the songs on the album, "Origin of the Species," was
named #42 of the 100 Best Songs of the Year 2006 by Rolling Stone.
Smither was also named as 2007's Outstanding Folk Act by the Boston Music
Awards.
Brad Colerick, who has had the pleasure of writing and producing for a long list
of musical icons, including the late Johnny Cash, and who has in recent years
been a successful traveling performer, will open for Smither.
For
tickets visit www.swallowhillmusic.org or call
(303) 777-1003. Discounts are available for Swallow Hill members.
