93XRT Welcomes Suzanne Vega
Duo with guitarist Gerry Leonard
Suzanne Vega
Official Website
Widely regarded as one of the most brilliant songwriters of her generation, Suzanne Vega emerged as a leading figure of the folk-music revival of the early 1980s when, accompanying herself on acoustic guitar, she sang what has been labeled contemporary folk or neo-folk songs of her own creation in Greenwich Village clubs. Since the release of her self-titled, critically acclaimed 1985 debut album, she has given sold-out concerts in many of the world's best-known halls. In performances devoid of outward drama that nevertheless convey deep emotion, Vega sings in a distinctive, clear vibrato-less voice that has been described as "a cool, dry sandpaper- brushed near-whisper" and as "plaintive but disarmingly powerful."
Suzanne Vega is an artist that continues to surprise. In 2006, she became the first major recording artist to perform live in avatar form within the virtual world Second Life. She has dedicated much of her time and energy to charitable causes, notably Amnesty International, Casa Alianza, and the Save Darfur Coalition. Suzanne has a daughter, Ruby, by first husband Mitchell Froom. Ruby, like Suzanne before her, attends the High School for the Performing Arts. Suzanne is married to lawyer/poet Paul Mills who proposed to her originally in 1983. Suzanne accepted his proposal on Christmas Day 2005, twenty two years later. As fascinating as the New Yorkers she has been inspired by, Suzanne Vega herself is full of stories and surprises: the everyday revelations, the grabbed-on-the-run wisdom, the strange, random, miraculous stuff that make up a singular career – or maybe just another life in the big city.
MUSIKANTO
Official Website
MUSIKANTO walks the line between Indie-Blues and Urban Americana, while borrowing elements of Experimental Folk and broken-down Orchestral music. The Chicago songwriter grew up listening to his father's obscure folk and roots rock records and the music of Fraser and Debolt and Jerry Hahn. With a propensity toward heartbreaking ballads and melodic melodrama, MUSIKANTO's songs survive the bite of a Chicago Winter and the soul of a Midwestern bon-fire. MUSIKANTO carries the lyrical weight of folks like Van Morrison and Elliott Smith and the driving tone of Ray Lamontagne and Amos Lee. His narratives rattlethe core of the human spirit leaving you feeling like an outsider who witnessed something very real.