Anaïs Mitchell has a voice and writer perspective like no one else’s. She’s as interested in the world around her as the one inside her and her songwriting is vivid and direct. In the last ten years she’s made five acclaimed albums; one on Waterbug, two for Ani DeFranco’s Righteous Babe label and the last three on her own Wilderland Records. Her operetta Hadestown was based on the Orpheus/Eurydice mythos and performed internationally with an orchestra and eight guests singing each night. She is no stranger to Portland and even lived here for awhile at the turn of the century.
- photo© by Jay Sansone
Last year, Mitchell released a duo project with Jefferson Hamer singing English and Scottish tradtional songs by Francis Child and won the 2014 BBC Folk Award for Best Traditional Song. Then her daughter was born and a well-deserved break from the road was taken.
Her new disc is as basic as can be – Anäis Mitchell and fifteen original songs sung solo. Her performance at Doug Fir, 830 E. Burnside on Saturday September 13 will be solo as well and the excellent sound there will surely make for a pin-drop silent music evening.
“I’ve always loved solo shows, watching them and playing them,” she said. “There’s nowhere for anyone to hide.”
Her new CD is named xoa, her customary signoff at the end of a correspondence. “If the title were longer,” she said, “it would be: dear audience, thank you for everything”. Visit anaismitchell.com for an audio preview.