Gig - Paul Curreri and Danny Schmidt

Barn D’Or promoter Mike Lance answers with refreshing candour when I ask him why he has booked American singer/songwriters Paul Curreri and Danny Schmidt on a double bill. “Sometimes it really is a case of who you know”, he says. “I’ve been sitting here listening to these acts for the first time. I only booked this gig as a favour to a friend after a venue closed down”. The friend is a pretty reliable source, though, a fellow promoter whose tastes Mike rates from experience. (He introduced him to last week’s Country Joe McDonald and Dylan’s ex-violinist Scarlet Riviera).

As for the acts themselves, he was in for ‘a lovely surprise’. Paul Curreri is something of an underground secret. After majoring in film, he turned down an editing job at MTV to follow his musical aspirations. A veritable one-man band - Curreri plays every note on every instrument and even throws in the production himself too. Schmidt (who Curreri has produced records for) is described by Mike as a “singer/songwriter with a Neil Young/Tom Waits edge”. He found music after running away to join a commune and falling in love. “My phone’s not stopped ringing since I announced the line-up”, says Mike. “It turns out they’ve got a huge amount of kudos amongst those in the know”. “Sadly”, he laughs ruefully, “that previously didn’t seem to include me”. ER