Americana Songwriter Abi Tapia Relocates To Berkshire County
Housatonic, Mass. – Singer/Songwriter Abi Tapia, most recently of Austin, TX has moved to Berkshire County and will perform two shows in local clubs this June.
Thursday, June 4, 2009, 8pm at the Dream Away Lodge, 1342 County Road, Becket. 413-623-8725 http://www.thedreamawaylodge.com.
Monday, June 15, 2009, 7pm at Club Helsinki, 248 Main Street, Great Barrington. 413-528-3394 http://www.clubhelsinkiweb.com.
Abi Tapia smiles big when she’s sings. She can’t help it - she’s having so much fun. But in the world of independent music, where it’s hip to be tortured, she sometimes feels like a Pollyanna.
Abi undoubtedly gets her optimism from her mom who was kicked out of Catholic School for being pregnant with her, but called it “the best day of her life.” Abi’s first fifteen years were a blur of Southern towns and yearly uprooting as her mother chased work and higher education. But the constant moving was presented as a big adventure and instilled in Abi the idea that new places have potential for happiness, discovery and success. So she kept moving.
Following her nomadic childhood she attended college in Iowa, and began her professional music career while living in Portland, Maine. But Abi found herself attracted to the sweet twang and straightforward approach of country music so she migrated to Austin, Texas in 2002, where she quickly rooted herself in the city’s thriving live music scene. Along the way she picked up awards and recognition for her songwriting from Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, The Wildflower Music Festival, Austin Songwriters Group and the Kerrville Folk Festival.
Tapia’s songwriting and voice are stronger than ever and her new CD, The Beauty In The Ruin, showcases her knack with a hook and ability to universalize her experience. Beauty explores sadness and frustration, but is never maudlin and is always hopeful. In “The Easy Way”, she flirts with the idea of willingly sinking into depression; “My Miner” explores the helplessness of loving someone who works a dangerous job; and “Beware” lists the endless dangers facing Americans, especially a woman traveling the highways alone. But when it came time to name the album, she found there was a common thread of hope, redemption, and joy in all of these supposedly sad songs. “The beauty in the ruin” is a lyric from “Flying,” mostly written on an airplane over Louisiana, looking down at the complex relationship between ecology and manmade infrastructure, which from 30,000 feet she found awe-inspiring.
The music straddles country, folk, and rock with ease, incorporating fiddle and pedal steel as well as some crunchy electric guitars and big drums. Chris Gage enlisted Austin studio veteran Glenn Fukunaga to play bass and Bruce Logan to fill the drum throne. Gage’s musical versatility is showcased throughout on keyboards, guitar, Dobro, mandolin and percussion, while fiddler Eleanor Whitmore and pedal steel master Buzz Evans sweeten the mix. Background vocals are shared by Abi, Christine Albert, Chris Gage and Bill Small (Walt Wilkins and the Mystiqueros).
Since she can write songs from anywhere, Abi followed love to the Berkshires. She’ll continue to travel and perform and find inspiration in the changing world around her.
