Award-winning composer and guitarist to perform in St. Charles Jan. 19
Heart Dance recording artist and multi-instrumentalist Michael Kent Smith will be performing at 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 19, at Eden on the River, 1 Illinois St. in downtown St. Charles.
Smith will be playing on both the guitar and the mountain dulcimer in a concert featuring music from each of his first three albums. He will be accompanied by his trio featuring Steve Arens on string bass and Brian Duke on percussion.
Smith's latest album on Heart Dance Records, "After the Harvest," is creating a buzz in the industry and is currently at No. 2 on the U.K.'s One World Music Radio chart and No. 13 on the Zone Music Reporter chart in the United States and is receiving regular radio airplay across the globe from Australia to Egypt.
Michael Kent Smith has toured the United States, Europe, Mexico, Central America and Africa with his various projects and his music has absorbed the culture, art and musical traditions of each those places. His compositions, while heavily grounded in acoustic music traditions, make full use of today's electronic technology and he ties all these divergent strands together to create a musical tapestry that is both new and old at the same time. At different turns the music touches on folk, jazz, Celtic, classical and even flamenco.
Although he is now living in central Mexico, Smith grew up just outside of Chicago and earned a music degree from Elmhurst College, so there is always a certain homecoming aspect whenever he plays in the area.
Press quotes about 'After the Harvest':
Easily the most unique album I have listened to, or written about for many years, with a freshness of musical spirit that will live on forever. This amazing multi-instrumentalist is about to take us on a journey as of yet unknown. - Steve Sheppard, One World Music Radio, U.K.
Absolutely showcases his immense skill with the guitar as the work is pure, intricate and infinite; it simply should be totally indulged to truly appreciate. - Janet Mawdesley, BlueWolf Reviews, Australia
More information is available at the following websites: www.michaelkentsmith.com, www.facebook.com/michaelkentsmithmusic, www.youtube.com/michaelkentsmith, and www.heartdancerecordings.com.