Anais Mitchell, Photo by Alicia Rose
Not only is Anais Mitchell gracing the ReadyMade stage at SXSW in less than two weeks, she also releases her folk opera, Hadestown, today with help from Justin Vernon as Orpheus, Ani DiFranco as Persephone, Ben Knox Miller as Hermes, Greg Brown as Hades, and the Haden Triplets as the Fates. And as far as album operas go, this one doesn’t give off an overly gimmicky vibe, but surrounds the listener with good, down-home folk that happens to tell a haunting tale.
Anais’ riff on Orpheus (set in a post-apocalyptic society), though rooted in mythology, takes on a very familiar tone: Every artist has the desire to make something so beautiful that they inspire the impossible—in this case, bringing back the dead Eurydice. First developed as a stage production in Vermont, Anais and her friends hammered out the details, wrote new drafts, and debated between poetry and story clarity before she went into the studio to lay it all down. Give it a listen here, and enjoy.
SXSW info below, and for more of the history behind Hadestown, click here.
This year’s music line-up includes:
12:15p Anais Mitchell / 1:00p Sarah Jaffe / 1:30p Birds & Batteries / 2:30p Everest /
3:30p Matt Morris / 4:30p Carney
Where: Beauty Bar @ Palm Door, 401 Sabine Street @ East 4th Street
When: Saturday, March 20th, Noon – 5:00p.
RSVP to attend: events@readymademag.com
Please put SXSW in subject line. Space is limited. RSVP does not guarantee entry. SXSW badges welcome.
Heredity: Everyone believes in it until their children act like fools!