The me&thee welcomes back Eliza Gilkyson, a politically-minded, poetically gifted singer-songwriter, who has become one of the most respected musicians in roots, folk and Americana circles. The Grammy-nominated artist, whose award-winning tune “Man of God,” a scathing indictment of the Bush administration’s use of religion to manipulate the public, has become a political anthem to many and has received wide airplay around the world. Opening is John Elliott, whose blend of songwriting, vocals, and multi-instrument versatility is extraordinary. His songs have a style like no others. His musical spectrum is too broad to define as merely “folk” or “rock.” It’s insightful and abstract, and for those who listen, his music hits home.

Eliza Gilkyson is the daughter of legendary songwriter Terry Gilkyson and grew up in Los Angeles knowing that her life would revolve around music. “I got into it for all the wrong reasons, more as a survival tool than anything else, but it proved to serve me more than I dared to imagine.” As a teenager, she recorded demos for her father, an accomplished songwriter whose songs have been covered by artists as diverse as Dean Martin, Johnny Cash and the White Stripes and whose credits include such standards as “Green Fields,” “Marianne” and “The Bare Necessities” (from the Disney film Jungle Book).

At the end of the sixties, Eliza moved to New Mexico with likeminded souls, eventually raising a family, all the while developing a loyal fan base in the Southwest and Texas. She cut numerous records including Pilgrims in the late 1980s and worked with Swiss composer/harpist Andreas Vollenweider. Eliza returned to the United States and released several albums to critical acclaim before signing with internationally recognized roots label Red House Records. Her first album on Red House, Hard Times in Babylon, came out in 2000, and soon after came another critical success — Lost and Found. Eliza followed this breakthrough album with her 2004 release Land of Milk and Honey, which was nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Contemporary Folk Album. The CD was decidedly socio-political in nature, from the Iraq War awareness plea, “Hiway 9,” to the call for peace in Woody Guthrie’s previously unrecorded anthem, “Peace Call,” a track featuring vocals by friends Patty Griffin, Mary Chapin Carpenter and Iris DeMent.

2005’s Paradise Hotel was her most personal album to date. It featured songs that artfully revealed the roots of her progressive patriotism and commented on the direction our world is headed by peeling back the thin layers obscuring the heart of what matters in these complex times. Her live album from 2007, Your Town Tonight, featured fan favorites as well as lesser known originals from her pre-Red House days and covers of songs by Bob Dylan and her father. Eliza’s latest album, Beautiful World, is her first studio album in three years, an evocative collection of songs that explore an optimism and love for the world despite its violence and darkness. Smart, sensual lyrics combine with upbeat Americana, folk and pop sounds to create her most radio-friendly CD to date.

Eliza Gilkyson photo by Adam Piggott

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John Elliott is a singer, writer, musician and producer whose music has been described as “post-Sein­feld, post-9/11 eyebrow rock,” “tear at your heartstrings, folksy” and “surreal and trippy, cool kind of pop thing.” The San Diego Troubadour says: “John’s well-crafted, concise and very catchy songs get in, make their statement, kick you in the teeth and get out before they start talking too much.” Heavily influenced by Dylan and Springsteen, his songwriting is frequently compared to Paul Simon’s and his voice has been featured on “Grey’s Anatomy,” NPR and Neil Young’s “Living With War” website. He and his band, John Elliott and The Hereafter, have developed an international following and were just signed to Garland Lane, an independent record label in Los Angeles. Elliott released his sixth album exclusively on vinyl and the World Wide Web (no CDs!) in 2009.

• Few folksingers, even those from the original folk revival, have been able to combine social consciousness with musicality as well as Eliza Gilkyson. She merges strong songwriting talent with commanding vocals to create music that has immediate appeal as well as lasting intellectual impact. Vintage Guitar
• As an album, Beautiful World features so many elements that have made Gilkyson’s 21st century body of work so compelling: softness, self-inventory, a prayer for mercy, psychological depth. . . . The breadth of the album’s tone is impressive. Austin American-Statesman
• Gilkyson, who draws on both personal and political themes, remains one of the most insightful and compelling of roots-based singer-songwriters. Montreal Gazette