(V Entertainment Network) "For the New York singer songwriter, almost everything musical begins and ends with the guitar," said the New York Times of a recent live performance by Duncan Sheik. And indeed it does, as the modern troubadour takes his show back out on the road in support of his fifth album, "White Limousine," recently released on Zoe/Rounder. His most realized work yet, it fuses the epic balladry and tuneful love songs for which he is known, with visceral commentary on war, media and consumer culture. Sheik's new record represents the latest turn from an artist who has always avoided predictability, despite commercial triumphs and critical acclaim. Produced by Sheik himself, "White Limousine" features peace and love themes painted on a gorgeous tapestry of atmospherics, in which fans can thoroughly absorb themselves. Intended to be a fully interactive record, each copy comes with a DVD loaded with individual musical tracks and software (Ableton Live) that enables fans to remix all the songs on the album. "I decided to give the listener unprecedented leeway with the album's contents because I was really curious to hear what people would come up with," says Sheik.
Described as "...an artist who has successfully pushed the envelope of his craft" by Harp Magazine, Sheik is as much a mood illuminator as a storyteller, having learned how to balance introspective singer-songwriting material with catchy rock hooks, pairing complex orchestral arrangements with spare instrumentation. This album features the London Session Orchestra for texture, as all his previous albums have.
The title track of White Limousine, which in its first week was the #1 most added song at the radio's AAA format, offers a metaphor for what Sheik sees as a changing American cultural landscape. "We have so much in this country that people are becoming wasteful with it," he says "and yet it's amazing what some human beings elsewhere on this planet have to go through just to survive." Hoping to make a difference in the world with his music, he is more concerned with making art than entertainment.
Sheik has worked to build a varied career influenced by his personal philosophy as a 15 year practicing Nichiren Buddhist. He launched his musical career in 1996 with his hit single "Barely Breathing," which earned him a Grammy for Best Male Vocal. He garnered rave reviews thereafter for his own brand of folk-tinged pop music, featuring acoustic guitars, solid hooks and melodies and intelligent, introspective lyrics. He has also scored films, live Shakespeare productions, even musicals - including his own, "Spring Awakening" which opens off Broadway in June.
Duncan will embark on the second leg of his North American tour with his all-star band featuring the quietly masterful and much-in-demand guitarist Gerry Leonard (David Bowie, Spooky Ghost), drummer Doug Yowell (Suzanne Vega), and bassist Milo DeCruz.
DUNCAN SHEIK's LIMO HITS THE ROAD AS FOLLOWS:
APRIL
Fri. 4/7 Cafe du Nord San Francisco, CA
Thurs 4/13 Historic Avalon Theater Easton, MD
Fri 4/14 Starr Hill Music Hall Charlottesville, VA
Sat 4/15 Maxwell's Hoboken, NJ
Fri 4/21 Fairfield Theater Fairfield, CT
Sat 4/22 Turning Stone Verona, NY (Syracuse)
Wed 4/26 Waterfront Park Louisville, KY
Thurs 4/27 Music Mill Indianapolis, IN
Fri 4/28 The Dame Lexington, KY
Sat 4/29 Washington University St Louis, MO
MAY
Thurs 5/4 The Swamp Ft Walton, FL (Pensacola)
Fri 5/5 Sunfest West Palm Beach
Sat 5/6 State Theater St Petersburg, FL
JUNE
Sat 6/3 Appel Farm Arts Center Elmer, NJ (Phila)
Sat 6/24 Stephen Talkhouse Amagansett, NY
OCTOBER
Fri 10/20 Carriage House Theater Saratoga, CA
