Antje Duvekot ( ; born 1974) is a singer-songwriter and guitarist based in
Somerville, Massachusetts
Somerville ( ) is a city located directly to the northwest of Boston, and north of Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cambridge, in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a total population of 81, ...
. She holds three top songwriting awards including the
Kerrville New Folk Competition's Best New Folk Award,
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
Music Award for Outstanding Folk Act, and Grand Prize in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest.
Biography
Duvekot moved to
Delaware
Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...
at the age of 13. Duvekot writes songs that are often profound and personal, and she frequently records and performs with little accompaniment besides her
acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...
.
She began recording music on her own at the age of cassette tapes for her friends. At 18 she won the first
open mic
An open mic or open mike (shortened from "open microphone") is a live show at a venue such as a coffeehouse, nightclub, comedy club, strip club, or pub, usually taking place at night, in which audience members may perform on stage whether the ...
competition she entered, at the Sam Adams Brewpub in Philadelphia. Within a year, she had recorded a number of songs on a borrowed
4-Track tape machine, and released a self-produced full-length cassette entitled ''Waterstains"'' which she sold at gigs in and around
Newark, Delaware
Newark ( )Not as in Newark, New Jersey. is a small city in New Castle County, Delaware, New Castle County, Delaware, United States. It is located west-southwest of Wilmington, Delaware, Wilmington. According to the 2010 United States Census, ...
, where she had attended the
University of Delaware
The University of Delaware (colloquially UD or Delaware) is a public land-grant research university located in Newark, Delaware. UD is the largest university in Delaware. It offers three associate's programs, 148 bachelor's programs, 121 mas ...
.
In 2000, her song "Soma" won the grand prize in the rock category of the John Lennon Songwriting Contest.
Duvekot often tours with
Ellis Paul
Ellis Paul (born Paul Plissey; January 14, 1965) is an American singer-songwriter and folk musician. Born in Presque Isle, Aroostook County, Maine, Paul is a key figure in what has become known as the Boston school of songwriting, a literate, p ...
, who sings on her first studio album, ''Big Dream Boulevard''. ''Big Dream Boulevard'' was produced by
Séamus Egan
Séamus Egan is an Irish-American musician.
Early days
Séamus Egan was born in Hatboro, Pennsylvania to Irish immigrants Mike and Ann Egan. At the age of three his parents moved the family back home to County Mayo, Ireland.
He learned accor ...
of the Irish-American band
Solas. Solas has previously recorded five of Duvekot's songs: "Black Annis," "The Poisonjester's Mask," "Erin," "Reasonland," and "Merry Go Round."
Duvekot's first two albums, ''Little Peppermints'' and ''Boys, Flowers, Miles'', are based on recordings of live performances, although some tracks include studio overdubs as well. Both albums include spoken anecdotes from Duvekot.
In 2007, Duvekot's song "Merry-Go-Round" was featured a large-scale marketing campaign for
Bank of America
The Bank of America Corporation (often abbreviated BofA or BoA) is an American multinational investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered at the Bank of America Corporate Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. The bank w ...
, including a high-profile spot during
Super Bowl XLI
Super Bowl XLI was an American football game played between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Indianapolis Colts and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Chicago Bears to decide the National Football League (NFL) champio ...
.
Duvekot performed for the first time as a professional in Europe, in August 2007, as part of Denmark's Tonder Festival, accompanied by
Karan Casey
Karan Casey (born 1969) is an Irish folk singer, and a former member of the Irish band Solas. She resides in Cork, Ireland.
Early years
Casey was born in Ballyduff Lower, Kilmeaden, County Waterford, Ireland. Her family encouraged her to sin ...
, John Doyle,
Liz Carroll
Liz Carroll (born September 19, 1956) is an American fiddler and composer. She is a recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts' National Heritage Fellowship Award. Carroll and collaborator Irish guitarist John Doyle were nominated for a Gr ...
,
Julie Fowlis
Julie Fowlis (born 20 June 1978) is a Scottish folk singer and multi-instrumentalist who sings primarily in Scottish Gaelic.
Early life
Fowlis grew up on North Uist, an island in the Outer Hebrides, in a Gaelic-speaking community. Her mothe ...
, and Mick McAuley.
Duvekot released her second studio CD, ''The Near Demise of the Highwire Dancer'', on Black Wolf Records in March 2009. The album, which features 11 tracks, most of them originals, was produced by singer-songwriter
Richard Shindell
Richard Shindell (born August 3, 1960) is an American folk singer, songwriter, producer, and musician. Shindell grew up in Port Washington, New York, and now lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with his wife, Lila Caimari, a university professo ...
.
Duvekot's latest album, ''Toward the Thunder'', is her fourth full-length studio album featuring 11 tracks. The album is her most personal to date and she handled all aspects of the record herself, including designing the cover.
Discography
Solo albums
* ''Little Peppermints'' (2002)
* ''Boys, Flowers, Miles'' (2005)
* ''Big Dream Boulevard'' (Black Wolf Records, 2006)
* ''Snapshots'' (Black Wolf Records, 2008)
* ''The Near Demise of the Highwire Dancer'' (2009)
* ''Antje Duvekot LIVE from all over the place'' (2011)
* ''New Siberia'' (2012)
* ''Toward The Thunder'' (2016)
Collaborative albums
* ''Winterbloom: Winter Traditions'' (2009)
(with
Anne Heaton,
Meg Hutchinson
Meg Hutchinson (born 1978, in South Egremont, Massachusetts) is an American folk singer-songwriter. Originally from rural westernmost Massachusetts, Hutchinson is now based in the Boston area. Influences include poet Mary Oliver, songwriter Sha ...
, and
Natalia Zukerman
Natalia Zukerman (born June 25, 1975) is an American artist and musician. She blends genres of blues, jazz, bluegrass and folk.
Personal life
Zukerman was born in Manhattan, the daughter of violinist/violist/conductor Pinchas Zukerman and fl ...
)
* 'SOLAS: Reunion – A Decade of SOLAS' (2006)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Duvekot, Antje
1976 births
American women singer-songwriters
American folk singers
German emigrants to the United States
Living people
Singers from Delaware
Musicians from Boston
Musicians from Somerville, Massachusetts
People from Newark, Delaware
Musicians from Heidelberg
University of Delaware alumni
Songwriters from Delaware
20th-century American women guitarists
20th-century American guitarists
21st-century American women guitarists
21st-century American guitarists
Singer-songwriters from Massachusetts
Guitarists from Delaware
Guitarists from Massachusetts
Guitarists from Pennsylvania
20th-century American women singers
21st-century American women singers
20th-century American singers
21st-century American singers
Singer-songwriters from Pennsylvania