Événement

Stephen Dawson w/ Sigrid Christiansen

Steve Dawson was born in California, raised in Idaho, and currently lives in Chicago. His songs show evidence of all 3 places the California folk-rock of the 70s, the country music he heard growing up in Idaho, and the blues, gospel and soul music of Chicago. Steve learned to play guitar in the Idaho public schools and began writing songs and performing with local rock and country bands almost immediately. After high school Steve studied jazz composition and songwriting at Berklee College of Music in Boston, while also performing in the rich Cambridge folk music scene. The lure of Chicagos rich musical history of Blues, Gospel and Jazz and the citys vibrant live music scene drew Steve to his current hometown in the late 80s. His first band was Stump the Host, an eclectic and twangy high energy group that featured the firey two-part singing of Steve and his wife and singing partner, Diane Christiansen. The band caught the attention of national press and record labels and led to a publishing deal with PolyGram Music. Stump The Host evolved into Dolly Varden in the mid 90s and became Steves main musical focus through the early 2000s, releasing a string of acclaimed albums that would reflect the growing craft and depth of his songs. Critics from Rolling Stone, Uncut, The Village Voice, among many others, praised Steves gift for melodic, evocative songs and soulful singing as the band toured all over the USA and Europe. In the mid 2000s Steve decided to do less touring and began teaching guitar and songwriting at the legendary Old Town School of Folk Music. He opened a small recording studio, Kernel Sound Emporium, and began producing and recording his own solo albums, along with other Chicago-area singer-songwriters. His solo albums, Sweet Is The Anchor (2006), I Will Miss The Trumpets and the Drums (2010) and Funeral Bonsai Wedding (2014), have expanded and reinforced Steves reputation as One of the most underrated songwriters in American music, and a classic artist hiding in plain sight. In 2016 Steve co-wrote a book, Take It To the Bridge: Unlocking the Great Songs Inside You, with Mark Caro, based on his popular songwriting classes at The Old Town School. Steve is currently finishing a forth solo album at Kernel to be released in late 2019, and an EP with Funeral Bonsai Wedding and the Quartet Parapluie string quartet.