Slaid Cleaves

Genre: Singer-Songwriter Hometown: Austin TX
www.slaid.com

Thursday, March 17   9:00 p.m.
Caribbean Lights   (614 E 6th St)

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Slaid Cleaves continues the journey he embarked upon when he left his days as a counrty/rock bar singer in Maine, intent on focusing on his songwriting in the Americana capital of Austin, Texas. The city’s focus on musical integrity fit Cleaves’ ambition and personality, and he quickly proved himself as a worthy new resident. In 1992, Cleaves won the prestigious Kerrville Folk Festival’s New Folk competition - an award previously given to such striking talents as Lyle Lovett, Robert Earl Keen and Steve Earle. By 1996, he had signed to Rounder Records and released his impressive debut, No Angel Knows, which atttracted widespread critical acclaim and announced the former Maine resident as a major new singer-songwriter.

Broke Down, which followed in 2000, reached beyond the cult audience Cleaves had attracted and gave him a national following. The Austin Chronicle dubbed it “the first great Texas album of the 21st Century,” while the Chicago Sun-Times noted that Cleaves “has fashioned a timeless yet fresh sound rooted in the best storytelling tradition of the great singer-songwriters.”