Six Shooter Records has a new bullet in its chamber. The respected Toronto indie label has inked a new deal with Ontario songwriter Danny Michel, who will release a new album called Black Birds Are Dancing Over Me on September 18.
Much like 2010's Sunset Sea, this album finds Michel veering away from traditional folk in favour of Belize-inspired sounds. A press release notes that it features instruments like "Maya guitar, turtle shells, donkey jaw-bone, and traditional Garifuna segunda and primero drums." This makes for "lush rhythms and sounds" that prop up "Michel's eloquently buoyant songwriting style."
The collection was recorded the town of Benque Viejo del Carmen in Belize, right next to the Xunantunich mayan ruins. There, he teamed up with members of the Belize's own Garifuna Collective and producer Ivan Duran at the StoneTree Records studio. The collection is credited to Danny Michel & the Benque Players.
Watch a brief trailer for the album at the bottom of the page. In it, Michel explains that he showed up with no instruments and no pre-written songs in order to capture an authentic Belizean sound.
Below, see Michel's upcoming tour schedule.
Tour dates:
8/2 Bowmanville, ON - Boots and Hearts Music Festival
8/25-26 Eaglewood Folk Festival - Pefferlaw, ON
9/6 Ottawa, ON - Ottawa Folk Festival
10/5 Mülheim, Germany - Leibecke Concert Series
10/7 Amsterdam, Holland - The Backstage Hotel
10/10 Hamburg, Germany - Knust
10/11 Berlin, Germany - Frannz Club Kulturbrauerei
10/13 Sylt, Germany - Kulturhaus
10/14 Münster, Germany - Fachwerk
10/15 Köln, Germany - Stadtgarten
10/16 Wiesbaden, Germany - Walhalla Spiegelsaal
10/17 Tübingen, Germany - Zimmertheater
10/18 Innsbruck, Austria - Bäckerei
10/19 Linz, Austria - Posthof
10/20 Halle, Germany - Objekt 5
10/30 Courtenay, BC - Joe's Garage
11/1 Victoria, BC - TBA
11/2 Kelowna, BC - Rotary Centre for the Arts
11/4 Vancouver, BC - Centennial Theatre Centre
11/5 Lethbridge, AB - The Slice
11/6 Lethbridge, AB - The Slice
11/8 Canmore, AB - Communitea Café
11/9 St. Albert, AB - The Arden Theatre
11/10 Calgary, AB - The Ironwood
11/11 Calgary, AB - The Ironwood
11/13 Winnipeg, MB - West End Cultural Center
12/8 Toronto, ON - TBA
Much like 2010's Sunset Sea, this album finds Michel veering away from traditional folk in favour of Belize-inspired sounds. A press release notes that it features instruments like "Maya guitar, turtle shells, donkey jaw-bone, and traditional Garifuna segunda and primero drums." This makes for "lush rhythms and sounds" that prop up "Michel's eloquently buoyant songwriting style."
The collection was recorded the town of Benque Viejo del Carmen in Belize, right next to the Xunantunich mayan ruins. There, he teamed up with members of the Belize's own Garifuna Collective and producer Ivan Duran at the StoneTree Records studio. The collection is credited to Danny Michel & the Benque Players.
Watch a brief trailer for the album at the bottom of the page. In it, Michel explains that he showed up with no instruments and no pre-written songs in order to capture an authentic Belizean sound.
Below, see Michel's upcoming tour schedule.
Tour dates:
8/2 Bowmanville, ON - Boots and Hearts Music Festival
8/25-26 Eaglewood Folk Festival - Pefferlaw, ON
9/6 Ottawa, ON - Ottawa Folk Festival
10/5 Mülheim, Germany - Leibecke Concert Series
10/7 Amsterdam, Holland - The Backstage Hotel
10/10 Hamburg, Germany - Knust
10/11 Berlin, Germany - Frannz Club Kulturbrauerei
10/13 Sylt, Germany - Kulturhaus
10/14 Münster, Germany - Fachwerk
10/15 Köln, Germany - Stadtgarten
10/16 Wiesbaden, Germany - Walhalla Spiegelsaal
10/17 Tübingen, Germany - Zimmertheater
10/18 Innsbruck, Austria - Bäckerei
10/19 Linz, Austria - Posthof
10/20 Halle, Germany - Objekt 5
10/30 Courtenay, BC - Joe's Garage
11/1 Victoria, BC - TBA
11/2 Kelowna, BC - Rotary Centre for the Arts
11/4 Vancouver, BC - Centennial Theatre Centre
11/5 Lethbridge, AB - The Slice
11/6 Lethbridge, AB - The Slice
11/8 Canmore, AB - Communitea Café
11/9 St. Albert, AB - The Arden Theatre
11/10 Calgary, AB - The Ironwood
11/11 Calgary, AB - The Ironwood
11/13 Winnipeg, MB - West End Cultural Center
12/8 Toronto, ON - TBA
