Eliza Gilkyson

A combination of gravity and grace… Her writing is poetry, something that most songwriters strive for but not so many actually achieve. The strength of her lyrics and music help set the work apart. ~ Buddy Magazine Eliza Gilkyson is a twice Grammy-nominated (2006/2014) singer-songwriter and activist who is one of the most respected musicians in Folk, Roots and Americana circles. Her songs have been covered by Joan Baez, Bob Geldof, Chris Smither, the world-renowned Conspirare Choir, Tom Rush and Rosanne Cash and have appeared in films, PBS specials and on primetime TV. A member of the Austin Music Hall of Fame, and an inductee into the Austin Songwriter Hall of Fame, she has won countless Folk Alliance and Austin Music awards, including 2014’s Songwriter of the Year and the “Song of the Year” Award at the Folk Alliance International Conference in 2021. Eliza’s current release, “Dark Ages”, is a surprisingly upbeat collection of songs, although she pulls no punches in terms of the times in which we find ourselves and her sentiments regarding the current dismantling of the US constitution by the newly elected president. Working in collaboration with Don Richmond, her producer/accompanist for the last two records, and calling on some of her Austin compadres and fellow New Mexicans to join her, the album showcases Eliza in her strongest and most compelling voice. She remains true to the convictions and sensibilities for which she is known, covering the wide range of human experience from political to personal, following the threads of darkness and light, reminding us of the hope and beauty still to be found even in the frightening scenarios of today’s current events. Honest, stark, musically moving and stubbornly hopeful, “Dark Ages” is a roadmap and a soundtrack for our time. Drawing on elements of folk, country and Americana, Gilkyson, like contemporaries Shawn Colvin, Lucinda Williams, Rosanne Cash, demonstrates that the craft of songwriting, intelligent and lasting, is ultimately in the hands of those who can not only turn out a compelling second album, but five, or ten, or with this Grammy-nominated performer, over twenty. ~ Direct Current Music Even her darkest moments are warmed by a genuine compassion for the lost souls who sometimes populate her stories, and a very real concern for the world we all live in is woven through every tune… Whether she looks into darkness or light, Eliza Gilkyson’s vision is impressive. ~ All Music Guide