Carrie Newcomer
Carrie Newcomer (born in Dowagiac, Michigan, on May 25, 1958; raised in Elk… Read Full Bio ↴Carrie Newcomer (born in Dowagiac, Michigan, on May 25, 1958; raised in Elkhart, Indiana) is an American singer and songwriter. In the 1980s, Newcomer was a member of the pop-folk group Stone Soup which produced two albums. After leaving Stone Soup, she began a solo career and released her first album called Visions and Dreams in 1991. Since then she has released at least twelve additional solo albums on the Philo/Rounder label.
Newcomer is recognised as a rare breed of singer/songwriter: the kind who illuminates life with startling depth, humor and clarity. Her ability for sharp observation of the world lead the Dallas Morning News to rave, "She's the kind of artist whose music makes you stop, think and then say, 'that is so true'." Mining what is true, Newcomer's latest Rounder release, Before and After is a multi-layered work that invites the listener to slow down and reflect on the experiences that have changed and shaped our lives. On Before and After, Newcomer remarks, she has "peeled back another musical and emotional layer". The result is melodious and smooth, infused with classic Newcomer grace and honesty, so that, she says "there is something unguarded and naked about this album."
Praised by Billboard as a "soaring songstress," Newcomer is an acclaimed musician who continues to create music from her uniquely spiritual and poignant take on the world. Before and After is no exception, highlighting Newcomer's ability to blend her rich alto with a poetic lyricism on a skillfully arranged and performed collection of folk roots tracks, with Appalachian and classical influences. "The joy and challenge in creating this album was endeavoring to be fearlessly uncluttered and subtle," Newcomer says. The title track features an unforgettably haunting and beautiful duet with a special guest appearance by Mary Chapin Carpenter, launching the album with a remarkable collaboration from two of acoustic music's most resonant female vocalists.
Recorded and produced by Newcomer and David Weber at Airtime Studios, Before and After is Newcomer's twelfth release on Rounder, with prior albums including Regulars & Refugees, The Age of Possibility, The Gathering of Spirits, the Betty's Diner collection and her last critically acclaimed album The Geography of Light. Before and After results from working closely with a core of exceptional musicians, including Gary Walters on piano, Chris Wagoner on violin, mandolin, dobro and accordion, Mary Gaines on cello, Byron House on upright acoustic bass, Jim Brock on percussion, Keith Skooglund on guitar, and a second stunning duet featuring special guest Krista Detor on "Do No Harm." At the center is Newcomer's adept guitar work and resonant voice, which the Austin Statesman has described as being "as rich as Godiva chocolate." The album's artwork features the work of Hugh Syme, whose sense of magical realism captures Newcomer's joyous idea about finding miracles in common places.
On Before and After, the listener experiences a deep connection through Newcomer's lyrics, which explore life with a progressive spiritual sensibility. The Minneapolis City Pages wrote, "Newcomer's musing is deeply introspective, but she offers it with a poet's sense of nuance and a folkie's common touch, turning philosophical theory into the stuff of people's daily lives." On the captivating title track, Newcomer ponders the notion that "We live our lives from then until now, by the mercies received or the mark upon our brow" - exploring the large and small experiences by which we mark our lives. On "Stones in the River" she tenderly reveals that we may never see fruit from the seeds we plant today, but regardless, it is still vital that we plant them. She holds close the insistence of hope in "If Not Now" ("But miracles do happen every shining now and then") in a style reminiscent of the richness and depth of the traditional spirituals. From the cinematic lushness of "Before and After" to the elegant string accompaniments of "I Do Not Know Its Name," to the lighthearted and poignant "I Wish I May I Wish I Might," Before and After is both timeless and contemporary.
Newcomer, a Quaker, cuts across secular and spiritual boundaries. In recent years, she has emerged as a respected and recognized artistic voice for the progressive spiritual community. On Before and After, Newcomer continues to be inspired by her friendships and recent collaborations with leading authors and theologians, including Parker J. Palmer, Phillip Gulley, Scott Russell Sanders, Jim Wallis, Brian McLaren, Jill Bolte Taylor, Richard K. Thomas and Barbara Kingsolver. Her relationship with this community influenced many of the album's compelling themes and inspired the songs: "Do No Harm," "Stones in the River," and "I Wish I May, I Wish I Might."
Newcomer has worked with many notable artists throughout her career and has met with critical acclaim for her music. In 2008, she was listed as one of the Top Most Influential Artists of the past 25 Years by Boston's WUMB. Her successful 2008 release, The Geography of Light, also earned her Artist of the Year and Album of the Year from Folk Wax Magazine. She has toured with Alison Krauss and Union Station in Europe and the U.S. and recorded the title track of her 2002 The Gathering of Spirits album with Krauss. Krauss went on to introduce Nickel Creek to Newcomer's song "I Should've Known Better," which the band recorded on their Grammy-winning, gold-selling album This Side (produced by Krauss). Currently Carrie is writing a collection of essays and a musical based on the characters and music of Betty's Diner with author, playwright and internationally recognized sound designer Richard K. Thomas.
Newcomer's music has been praised in Rolling Stone, The Village Voice, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, Acoustic Guitar, Performing Songwriter, Paste Magazine and several other outlets. In the words of acclaimed writer Barbara Kingsolver, author of The Poisonwood Bible, "Carrie Newcomer is much more than a musician. She's a poet, storyteller, snake charmer, good neighbor, friend and lover, minister of the wide-eyed gospel of hope and grace."
In the fall of 2009, Newcomer was invited by The American Center, the cultural outreach division of The American Embassy in India, to represent the U.S. as a cultural ambassador. Newcomer performed concerts for Indian audiences and young people involved with community service, taught workshops on songwriting, community service, and met and performed with contemporary, traditional and classical Indian musicians. She also visited slum programs for women and children at risk throughout the country of India. About her impressions of India, Newcomer says, "Music can be a language deeper than words. I love our differences. Cultures are rich and what makes each culture unique is to be celebrated, but I was powerfully moved by what we share as a human family."
www.carrienewcomer.com
Newcomer is recognised as a rare breed of singer/songwriter: the kind who illuminates life with startling depth, humor and clarity. Her ability for sharp observation of the world lead the Dallas Morning News to rave, "She's the kind of artist whose music makes you stop, think and then say, 'that is so true'." Mining what is true, Newcomer's latest Rounder release, Before and After is a multi-layered work that invites the listener to slow down and reflect on the experiences that have changed and shaped our lives. On Before and After, Newcomer remarks, she has "peeled back another musical and emotional layer". The result is melodious and smooth, infused with classic Newcomer grace and honesty, so that, she says "there is something unguarded and naked about this album."
Praised by Billboard as a "soaring songstress," Newcomer is an acclaimed musician who continues to create music from her uniquely spiritual and poignant take on the world. Before and After is no exception, highlighting Newcomer's ability to blend her rich alto with a poetic lyricism on a skillfully arranged and performed collection of folk roots tracks, with Appalachian and classical influences. "The joy and challenge in creating this album was endeavoring to be fearlessly uncluttered and subtle," Newcomer says. The title track features an unforgettably haunting and beautiful duet with a special guest appearance by Mary Chapin Carpenter, launching the album with a remarkable collaboration from two of acoustic music's most resonant female vocalists.
Recorded and produced by Newcomer and David Weber at Airtime Studios, Before and After is Newcomer's twelfth release on Rounder, with prior albums including Regulars & Refugees, The Age of Possibility, The Gathering of Spirits, the Betty's Diner collection and her last critically acclaimed album The Geography of Light. Before and After results from working closely with a core of exceptional musicians, including Gary Walters on piano, Chris Wagoner on violin, mandolin, dobro and accordion, Mary Gaines on cello, Byron House on upright acoustic bass, Jim Brock on percussion, Keith Skooglund on guitar, and a second stunning duet featuring special guest Krista Detor on "Do No Harm." At the center is Newcomer's adept guitar work and resonant voice, which the Austin Statesman has described as being "as rich as Godiva chocolate." The album's artwork features the work of Hugh Syme, whose sense of magical realism captures Newcomer's joyous idea about finding miracles in common places.
On Before and After, the listener experiences a deep connection through Newcomer's lyrics, which explore life with a progressive spiritual sensibility. The Minneapolis City Pages wrote, "Newcomer's musing is deeply introspective, but she offers it with a poet's sense of nuance and a folkie's common touch, turning philosophical theory into the stuff of people's daily lives." On the captivating title track, Newcomer ponders the notion that "We live our lives from then until now, by the mercies received or the mark upon our brow" - exploring the large and small experiences by which we mark our lives. On "Stones in the River" she tenderly reveals that we may never see fruit from the seeds we plant today, but regardless, it is still vital that we plant them. She holds close the insistence of hope in "If Not Now" ("But miracles do happen every shining now and then") in a style reminiscent of the richness and depth of the traditional spirituals. From the cinematic lushness of "Before and After" to the elegant string accompaniments of "I Do Not Know Its Name," to the lighthearted and poignant "I Wish I May I Wish I Might," Before and After is both timeless and contemporary.
Newcomer, a Quaker, cuts across secular and spiritual boundaries. In recent years, she has emerged as a respected and recognized artistic voice for the progressive spiritual community. On Before and After, Newcomer continues to be inspired by her friendships and recent collaborations with leading authors and theologians, including Parker J. Palmer, Phillip Gulley, Scott Russell Sanders, Jim Wallis, Brian McLaren, Jill Bolte Taylor, Richard K. Thomas and Barbara Kingsolver. Her relationship with this community influenced many of the album's compelling themes and inspired the songs: "Do No Harm," "Stones in the River," and "I Wish I May, I Wish I Might."
Newcomer has worked with many notable artists throughout her career and has met with critical acclaim for her music. In 2008, she was listed as one of the Top Most Influential Artists of the past 25 Years by Boston's WUMB. Her successful 2008 release, The Geography of Light, also earned her Artist of the Year and Album of the Year from Folk Wax Magazine. She has toured with Alison Krauss and Union Station in Europe and the U.S. and recorded the title track of her 2002 The Gathering of Spirits album with Krauss. Krauss went on to introduce Nickel Creek to Newcomer's song "I Should've Known Better," which the band recorded on their Grammy-winning, gold-selling album This Side (produced by Krauss). Currently Carrie is writing a collection of essays and a musical based on the characters and music of Betty's Diner with author, playwright and internationally recognized sound designer Richard K. Thomas.
Newcomer's music has been praised in Rolling Stone, The Village Voice, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, Acoustic Guitar, Performing Songwriter, Paste Magazine and several other outlets. In the words of acclaimed writer Barbara Kingsolver, author of The Poisonwood Bible, "Carrie Newcomer is much more than a musician. She's a poet, storyteller, snake charmer, good neighbor, friend and lover, minister of the wide-eyed gospel of hope and grace."
In the fall of 2009, Newcomer was invited by The American Center, the cultural outreach division of The American Embassy in India, to represent the U.S. as a cultural ambassador. Newcomer performed concerts for Indian audiences and young people involved with community service, taught workshops on songwriting, community service, and met and performed with contemporary, traditional and classical Indian musicians. She also visited slum programs for women and children at risk throughout the country of India. About her impressions of India, Newcomer says, "Music can be a language deeper than words. I love our differences. Cultures are rich and what makes each culture unique is to be celebrated, but I was powerfully moved by what we share as a human family."
www.carrienewcomer.com
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Carrie Newcomer Lyrics
A Crash Of Rhinoceros When Adam went out to name the animals He sat on…
A Long Way Up Here in the great unraveling, So much of this is baffling. W…
A Map of Shadows It's four in the morning, the last dregs of the…
A Mean Kind of Justice There's a ring around the moon, There's a chill in the…
A Safe Place I've been looking for a safe place Looking for a safe…
A Simple Change Of Heart There has never been a day When the world wasn't…
A Small Flashlight The way is dark up ahead of me The way…
A Whole Lot of Hope Sometimes you just close your eyes and jump You don't think…
Alice And Roy Roy squeezed her hand Alice smiled at him The senior club…
All I Know It's never been a matter of sureness It's always been a…
All Saints' Day All around us and within us And yet it's only at…
Amelia Almost 13 We've been so close together Close from the start And as y…
An Angel At My Shoulder I've been watching changes in the weather I've been searchi…
Angels Unaware He said, "My name is Gabrielle Thomas I just blew in…
Anything With Wings It wasn't what I planned It's just how it's comin' down I…
Arthur B and Bob I'm a little bit retrievers and a little bit hound A…
Bare To The Bone Here I am without a message Here I stand with empty…
Be True Here I sit smack dab in the middle Tomorrow is a…
Bearing Witness Could you be some redemption Could you be some relief? Cou…
Before and After The dust settles after a hit and run Bewildered by…
Below The Waves Sometimes I just give up trying It seems like a lifetime T…
Betty's Diner Miranda works the late night counter In a joint called Betty…
Biscuits and Butter Daniel said traveling risky But the money awful good When …
Bowling Baby Workin' Friday night down at the Alley We're open late twel…
Breathe In Breathe Out To live we learn what we love most, Embrace it all…
Close Your Eyes I believe we're born good from the start And we come…
Closer To Home This is a lovely place that is hard to leave And…
Closer to You Missouri's tied together like a rolling rag rug Bit and pie…
Coy Dogs There have been too many leavings to list in one…
Crazy in Love I've seen enough starts and stops to make me wise Had…
Distance Distance can deepen your appreciation I think it makes your …
Do No Harm John Roth had a heart like flame, He believed all…
Don't Push Send This is a story a very sad tale Of intrigue and…
Five Years On Here I sit smack dab in the middle Tomorrow is a…
Geodes You can't always tell one from another And it's best not…
Ghost Train There's a light in the darkness just barely out of…
Hold On I've been drivin' down this road Five times this week It's a…
Holy as a Day is Spent Holy as a day is spent Holy is the dish and…
Holy Ground There's more to this than me There's more to this than…
Hush You can rest your head upon my heart And we'll…
I Believe I believe there are some debts That we never can…
I Do Not Know Its Name He leaned and whispered as he turned the page And…
I Fly The women from the PTA whisper They sideways glace when I…
I Heard an Owl I heard an owl call last night Homeless and confused I sto…
I Meant To Do My Work Today I meant to do my work today So many plans…
I Should've Known Better Been a long time comin' And the cards were stacked It's been…
I Will Sing A New Song I don't know how, No, I don't know how. I've never done…
I Wish I May I Wish I Might Sweet Corn Days in Oakland City The Apple Fest in…
I'll Go Too When I was small I often said There were ugly…
I'm Not Going to Let You Break My Heart You lay down you money and you take your ride You…
I'm Not Thinking About You I'm tired of being tragic, that bit has lost its…
I'm Not Thinking Of You You lay down you money and you take your ride You…
I'm Still Standing Across these fields, across this town Standing up, on solid…
If Not Now [Chorus] If not now, tell me when If not now, tell me…
In The City Chalk one up for the street Mark one down for the…
It Goes Both Ways I should have looked down I should have looked back I shou…
It's Always Love It takes some starts and stops To hold a paradox All that's…
It's Not OK It's not OK and I won't say so Til I'm good…
Just A Little Hand Just a little hand can be a great big help It…
Just Like Downtown I grew up on an island Somewhere near Chicago Learned how …
La Paloma Sit down here in the alley Where no one can see…
Lazarus Now that he's gone Now the world has moved on Since he…
Learning To Sit With Not Knowing I'm learning to sit with not knowing. When I don't see…
Leaves Don't Drop The truth I knew when I was eight My dad swam…
Little Earthquakes All I every wanted was a love so big All my…
Looking for Something There no black and white, no easy answer I've found Only…
Love Is Wide Love is Wide I love you for all the worn places What's…
Love Like An Immigrant Grandpa came over on the boat His voice was thick with…
Meet You On Monday We've been chasin' our dream down this old highway Just as…
My Father's Only Son It's just a good excuse to watch the sun go…
My Mamma Said It's True Words of wisdom, I recall, my mama told me when…
My True Name Let me call you darlin', maybe call you sweetheart Don't you…
Nomads It's hard out on the border, it's cold out on…
One Good Turn Where do we start How do we proceed It's been such a…
One Great Cry A thousand cry out in wonder A million pray â??God could…
One Woman and a Shovel Martha walked right down to the dam, I hoe and a…
Only One Shoe We have been parted and though we've just started We've got…
Playing With Matches Read the paper in said that we've Got one child in…
Seven Dreams Walking like a ghost in my own movie Touching you then…
Silver Will you love me when we go silver When our ears…
Something Worth Fighting For There's stormy seas this side of heaven No guarantees of re…
Sparrow When the evening like a sparrow Folds down it's small wings …
Stones In The River There's a crack in the glass where the water gets…
Straight to the Point Some come in the side door swingin' Some eat in the…
Streamline I thought it would get easier as I went along To…
Take It Around Again Too hot to sleep in this room tonight Just too restless…
Take One Step I've been known to think too much Get caught up in…
Tenderly With You I don't mind the years gone by when I think…
The Bird or the Wing You've got that crooked way of smilin', you got that…
The Brink of Everything At night I heard a wood thrush calling, In the evening…
The Clean Edge of Change First there is the folding in, To gather light and dark…
The Fisher King [Chorus] Just down the road and to the left It's never been…
The Gathering of Spirits [Chorus] Let it go my love my truest, Let it sail…
The Length Of My Arms I've always had long arms and my sleeves never fit. And…
The Love Letter When you look real close you can see real good You…
The Madness You Get Used To Violence for violence, time after time Putting those things…
The Moon Over Tucson We just can't help it so we do it again We…
The Point of Arrival First it is a bitter pill A rubber band stretched til…
The Prelude It's a prelude to goodbye When you close your eyes You didn'…
The Razor's Edge There's a shifting of the shadows down along the woods Ther…
The Rooms My Mother Made She said, "Your coat isn't new but it's gonna be…
The Season Of Mercy Traveling north Tall straight pines Ghost white birch On the…
The Slender Thread The car wheels hummed and the radio whined The rise and…
The Things I've Gone and Done Take down your defenses Like you've taken off your clothes …
The Yes of Yes When the morning comes like a moment blessed Breathing ne…
There and Back There and back I have traveled Here and there I have…
There Is A Spirit There is a spirit moving cross the water There is a…
There Is a Tree Last night I dreamed you very near Though the night was…
These Are the Moments Nobody's gonna know years from now No one gonna care why…
This Long I don't know why I can't say no I guess I should But…
This Too Will Pass Hold tight hold hands with me All is trouble just as…
Threads I have hands like my grandma Rough and wide A smile like…
Three Women There's a light in the kitchen, there's a glass on…
Throw Me a Line Why do I worry so much, it can't add a…
Tornado Alley You and I are two of a kind Two restless spirits…
Toward the Horizon Stretched as thin as paper, hollow as the sky Empty as…
Tracks Be careful when you walk down my street The wolves are…
Two Toasts Praise be that this thin mark, this sound Can form the…
Under Your Skin I spent time in a truck stop, time pouring coffee I…
Up in the Attic Tied up in a bundle is a stack of love…
When It's Gone It's Gone The New York Central Railroad was something in her day A…
When One Door Closes When one door closes another door opens wide It's hard to…
When The Wolf Is At The Door There's an owl gliding silently tonight, The hours drag slow…
Where You Been He was driving in to Chicago in a borrowed El…
Who Done It It all comes down to timing, A moment seized or missed. Like…
Wisdom is Watching He believes he's right, she believes she's right He stepped…
Writing a Better Story I'm writing a new ending With a better story line Turn the…
You Can Choose You can throw life like your anger at the wall Embrace…
You'd Think By Now It isn't fair, it isn't right I've gone over and over…