Recorded in record time - six days - in the Spring of 2008 with Austin, Texas friend & renowned Grammy-nominated producer/engineer Mark Hallman (Ani DiFranco, Shawn Colvin, Gretchen Peters & Carole King amongst others) nestled in a cozy house on the outskirts of Austin, Texas - Christene's highly anticipated latest full-length CD, "dust 'n' branches ... songs from a wanderer" has arrived!
APPEARING ELIZA GILKYSON & cover art by TOM RUSSELL
CLICK ON CD COVER TO BUYOR download from
Help Christene stay on the road...
The following VIDEO is footage from a 2006 concert with Christene's Swedish trio, "The Black Sheep Girls." Performing in Stockholm, Sweden. Christene is singing her song, "Lonely Stranger."..
A recent video singing an encore song (last minute - hence lyrics:-) w/ friends after our show in Liverpool, England June 2008:
A small snippet of one of Christene's first songs but a fan favorite & requested on this night, "Bus to the ocean" (off the CD Little Lighthouse):
BIOGRAPHYA Telluride Troubador Finalist, Falcon Ridge Folk Festival Finalist, Rocky Mt. Folks Festival Finalist, Founder's Title Folk & Bluegrass Festival Finalist, USA Songwriting Award winner, Billboard Songwriting Award winner, Performing Songwriter Top 12 Pick and chosen amongst the UK's Top Maverick Magazine as Ladies Choice to name a few, Christene's down to earth approachability and heart-warming songs are quickly winning the hearts of both fan and industry alike across the globe.
Although reminiscent in some ways to folk icons Nanci Griffith, Patty Griffin & Kate Wolf and with a voice often compared to that of the late Eva Cassidy, it's not to be mistaken that Christene's voice, songs and show are all her own.
Christene has, as a many folk singers before her, lived hard and traveled far, earning each mile and tale as only a wandering minstrel can do.
Living everywhere from California to Arizona, Alaska to Connecticut, Colorado to Tennessee, Texas to London, on the roads & in the campgrounds of the US in her Ford truck & Airstream trailer and now the alps of Innsbruck, Austria - Christene is a gifted storyteller, mesmerizing singer and possesses some of the best songwriting out there.
Armed with a map, the road ahead, her angelic voice, an acoustic guitar, infectious laughter and a gift for songwriting & storytelling, Christene has traveled everywhere from the US & Canada, England, Wales, Scotland & Ireland to Scandinavia, Greece, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Italy & France amongst many others and later this year, will embark on her first of many tours to Australia.
Watching Christene perform live is like spending time with your closest friend. Her ease with her audience is alarming ... her stories both funny and tragic and just when you think you know where it's going, she takes you from tears to laughter in a matter of minutes.
Arthur Jefferson of 'San Francisco Art Magazine' put it best when he wrote, "The lyrics of Christene LeDoux are so clear and vivid that with each note and tone she emits, a detailed form seems to take shape in our minds. To call LeDoux a storyteller is to understate her skills. She is an artist creating exquisite imagery through song. Her entire performance was pure art, her voice of angelic purity. Through every song the crowd was entranced, the aura of their love and appreciation a palpable presence in the club. This is what the experience of music is all about."
Christene has done everything from writing sports in both California and Arizona to fueling airplanes at the Grand Canyon after her car broke down there on her way to training in Washington DC to work with children in Ghana, Africa. She did a brief stint in Alaska raising huskies, held a job at a lipstick holder builder factory in rural Connecticut, worked in Real Estate, as a waitress and as a mountain photographer in Vail, Colorado. In San Francisco, Christene started a dog-walking/training business, trained and worked as both a clown, children's party planner and caterer and as her music began to take hold, was hired for one of twelve auditioned spots to play the outdoor stages at Fisherman's Wharf and Ghiradelli Square. There she honed her skills and before she even had a CD to sell, managed to sell over 5000 home-burned demo CD's to both locals and tourists from around the world.
Finding her calling as a songwriter at nearly 30, Christene finished what would be her last job before music was her job, a full-time live-in nanny.
For those that have crossed paths with Christene - they know calling Austin, Texa and Innsbruck, Austria home is exactly what you would expect from not only a self-confessed Tumbleweed but an often labeled perpetual wanderer.
As the UK's Top Maverick magazine wrote, "She delivers both stories and songs with such passion and conviction that you can't help but know she is onto something good. I was left in no doubt that to see Christene perform live is about more than just live music. It is about being given a unique opportunity to understand who the person behind that music is, and to share for a brief time, her life on the road and be a part of that journey."
