Singer to explore ’Geography of Light’ in Ann Arbor
Written by Vicki L. Kroll | | news@toledofreepress.comCarrie Newcomer couldn’t sleep one night and went out on the porch of her Indiana home in the woods and watched the night turn to day.
"There is a moment in between the two; there is this liminal space, this overlap — the bats and the owls are still calling and the morning birds are beginning to sing," the folk singer-songwriter said. "I’ve always been fascinated by those overlapping spaces."
She was inspired to write "A Map of Shadows," which is on her new disc, "The Geography of Light."
"There are overlapping places in our lives, and we’re always navigating the gray spaces," she said during an interview from Bloomington.
"There is an interest in art forms, musics and expressions that are not giving black-and-white answers but that are willing to engage in conversation about the spiritual," Newcomer said. "I think that’s a running theme in this whole album: There are not black-and-white answers out there, but there are really good questions."
And the Quaker doesn’t shy away from religious queries.
"I think I’m one of the growing number of voices choosing to not put the sacred in such a small box," she said.
And Newcomer offers a witty vantage point. In "Where You Been," she has Jesus and Buddha talking at Starbucks, and Gia and Ganesh doing double-dutch at the park.
"I was having a conversation with a friend about what is a prophet … We started playing with this idea of maybe not riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, but maybe driving into Chicago in an El Camino," she said. "I like the idea of bringing this into modern-day context and with, I think, a good sense of humor."
The 49-year-old didn’t pursue music as a career until after college.
"Sometimes you have to get ready to risk what you love the most because if it didn’t work out, it would actually mean something," she said. "I went to school for visual art, but made it through school playing coffeehouses, bars and bowling alleys. After school, it was songwriting that called me and I decided to follow, not really knowing where it was going to take me, and I’m still following."
Newcomer will play at 8 p.m. March 5 at the Ark in Ann Arbor. Tickets are $17.50.
