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Rio en Medio

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Rio en Medio
OriginBrooklyn, New York City, United States
GenresNew Weird America
Freak folk
LabelsGnomonsong, Manimal Vinyl, Womens Work Recordings
MembersDanielle Stech-Homsy
Websitewww.rioenmedioradio.com

Rio en Medio (Spanish for river in between) is the pseudonym of singer and baritone ukulelist Danielle Stech-Homsy.

Background

Born in the US state of New Mexico, Stech-Homsy later made Brooklyn her home and there began to record and perform her own compositions. Working independently and in secret, she first created The Bride of Dynamite, a collection of collage-like songs incorporating found sounds and electronic programming, lifting texts from disparate sources, and evoking traditional-folk song structure, themes and melodies. As chance would have it, a friend passed on the unique, hand-made record to Devendra Banhart who soon requested to release it on his label (Gnomonsong). Since her debut release in early 2007, Stech-Homsye has performed on stages across the US and abroad in Europe and the UK. She has worked with many artists; to name a few: Grizzly Bear, CocoRosie, Brightblack Morning Light, Vetiver, Patrick Wolf, Vashti Bunyan, Tim Fite and Devendra Banhart. In 2007, she did a Take-Away Show acoustic video session shot by Vincent Moon.

Musical style

Rio en Medio's music is described[by whom?] as delicate and fragmented songs featuring a minimal trio of baritone ukulele, subtly harmonized vocals and electronic or sampled soundscapes, evoking the spun poetry of ancient folk lullabies, but not without a hint at the darker side of today's cultural climate.

Danielle cites traditional musical styles including tropicalia, Russian, Spanish, American and English folk music, and musicians as diverse as Paul Horn and Mary McCaslin as influences.

Rio en Medio has been represented on stage and in recording by a range of musical and visual guests and collaborators, among them Justin Riddle (drums), Shoko Hikage (koto), Sierra Casady (vocals), Vlad Kromatika (visuals), Nathan Shineywater (vintage organs).

Future plans

Rio en Medio's third album, Peace Sequence, was released in 2013 on the feminist exploratory music label Womens Work Recordings. It is a collection of minimal folk songs played on an old Martin guitar and recorded in the desert of the Southwest, where Stech-Homsy has lived for the past several years. As its title suggests, "Peace Sequence" is intended to evoke peace and harmony in the world and in oneself. Songs are accompanied intermittently by San Francisco koto master Shoko Hikage and vintage organs by Nathan Shineywater (Brightblack Morning Light, Library of Sands).

Discography

Albums

  • The Bride of Dynamite (2007)
  • Frontier (2008)
  • Peace Sequence (2012)
  • Rio en Medio Radio (2015)

Singles

  • 2008: "Fall Up"/"Heartless"
  • 2008: "Let's Groove"/"Staying Alive"

References

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