CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo., Nov. 2, 2009 -- KRCU will be offering listeners a chance to sit in on a studio recording, this time with the folk duo Steve Gillette and Cindy Mangsen on Tuesday, Nov. 10.
Steve and Cindy and their partnership "Compass Rose Music" represent the very best in contemporary and traditional folk music. The recording session will begin at 7 p.m.
According to the Sing Out Magazine review of Steve and Cindy's latest album, Being There, "Steve and Cindy have hit on a combination that consistently produces high quality recordings and entertaining stage shows. Their voices and styles meld seamlessly with a gentleness and a maturity that is unmatched in the world of folk duos."
Gillette is best known as a songwriter, with songs recorded by artists from Ian & Sylvia to Garth Brooks, from Jiminy Cricket to John Denver. His song "Darcy Farrow" alone has been recorded by more than 100 artists since 1966, most recently by Jimmy Dale Gilmore and Nanci Griffith. Quite literally, he wrote the book on songwriting; Songwriting and the Creative Process (Sing Out Press) is a standard text in songwriting classes across the country. Gillette sings in a rich baritone and is a virtuoso on guitar, using a unique fingerpicking style with a flat-pick and two fingers. His most recent solo recording is "Texas and Tennessee" (Redwing Music), named one of the Top 10 Folk Albums of 1998 by Tower Records' Pulse Magazine.
Mangsen, who married Gillette in 1989, is also a songwriter, but her focus has been on songkeeping. Mangsen is a master interpreter of traditional ballads, rich in myth and legend. She plays guitar, concertina, and banjo, and is renowned for her compelling voice, described by one critic as a voice that can warm a New England winter. Her newest solo CD is "Cat Tales: Songs of the Feline Persuasion" (2005, Compass Rose Music), an album of songs about cats and their people.
As Gillette comments, "Cindy has brought me back to my roots, and I think I've influenced her in terms of ensemble playing, rhythmic development, arrangement and performing. We're very fortunate to play for people who really listen and who come to a concert with a certain sense of history. There's a strong feeling of community about this music."
Gillette and Mangsen have been featured on National Public Radio's "All Things Considered" and "Mountain Stage," and have delighted audiences across North America and Europe with their music, warmth and humor.
The “studio concert” begins at 7 p.m. and will be recorded for later broadcast on "Your Folk Connection," heard on KRCU 90.9 FM in Cape Girardeau, KSEF 88.9 FM in Farmington as well as WEIU 88.9 FM in Charleston, Ill. Capacity for this unique engagement is limited to the first 30 registrants who call KRCU at (573) 651-5070. Tickets for the event are $10.
