Instead The Forest Rose To Sing
Red House

Danny Schmidt is a new name to me, and an act his record label Red House can feel justly proud. Schmidt’s easy flowing style of music creates gentle imagery of the finest order. Capable of calming the waters of the roughest ocean, his simple melodic tones are superb from start to finish and I would go so far as to cite him as the find of the year.

Helped on the production duties by Mark Hallman (Eliza Gilkyson, David Byrne, Ani Difranco) who contributes much of the instrumental (drums, bass, mandolin, percussion, organ, piano, slide guitar and harmony vocals) work ó alongside Schmidt’s own guitar and Damien Llanes (drums), Mark Williams (bass) and the additions of a few more that include Elana James (violin) and harmony vocals of Carrie Elkin and Joia Wood and tasty harmonica (‘The Serpentine Cycle Of Money’) of George Carver. Schmidt delivers music that dances, sometimes a waltz, other times a two-step around your head to never let up. No matter what the subject, Schmidt’s music like a log fire on a cold winter’s evening draws the listener towards the flame, and with the moving ode ‘Grandpa Builds Bridges’, tropical tale ‘Southland Street’ and as the album draws to a close ‘The Night’s Just Beginning To Shine’ lifts the standard to that akin to the quartet of opening cuts.

Schmidt’s career prior to Instead The Forest Rose To Sing had consisted of two low-key studio albums, a sabbatical from music and an album, Home Recordings released to help offset debt incurred through medical care treating his fight with cancer. Danny, a prolific songwriter in 2007 had his work recognised when he picked up the New Folk Award at Kerrville Folk Festival. Little Grey Sheep followed in 2008 and went on to be one of the most played albums on folk and Americana radio. At which point Red House stepped in, and a better acquisition would on hearing his work be hard to imagine. Such the textures produced on the emotionally strong ‘Oh Bally Ho’ and twilight shuffling story-ballad ‘The Night’s Beginning To Shine’.

www.redhouserecords.com
www.dannyschmidt.com