Straight out of the heartland comes Pieta Brown. The daughter of two preacher’s kids, her early upbringing in Iowa was in a rural outpost with no furnace or running water. There, Pieta was exposed to traditional and rural folk music through her father, now a beloved Midwestern folk singer. Later, while living with her mother in Alabama during her formative years, Pieta drew on and expanded these influences and began writing poetry and composing instrumental songs on piano.
By the time she left home at 18, Pieta had lived in at least 17 different houses and apartments between Iowa and Alabama. Staying true to the disjointed lifestyle of her childhood she wandered from the West Coast to the East. Each locale left its mark on her, accounting for an artist who brings together the unvarnished humility of Loretta Lynn, the honest modern rock punch of P.J. Harvey, the hipster swagger and poetry of Cat Power, and the airy sophistication of Feist. And, coloring it all, a deep abiding saturation in folk and blues that’s beyond her years. All of this, yet she has her own distinctive style, lyrical substance, and voice.
Now, firmly planted back in Iowa, after releasing two critically acclaimed albums in the last four years–Remember the Sun (2007) and In the Cool (2005) – Pieta has now signed with Red House Records. A natural addition to the label’s award winning roster, she spent her early childhood in the very red house that gave the label its name. On her label debut “Shimmer” she delivers 7 stripped down tacks of soulful alt-country songs recorded by Don Was (Bob Dylan, Bonnie Riatt, Rolling Stones) Steadily she has gained attention across the musical genres, the Iowa folk-based songwriter has toured with John Prine, Ani Difranco, Calexico, J.J. Cale, Iris Dement and Mason Jennings, among others. You will not want to miss her in the intimate setting of Severson Dells Nature Center.
Tickets $10.00 call 815-335-2915, limited seating available
