Shindell brings his brand of folk to the Mission

West Milford - Richard Shindell is an expatriate New Yorker now living in Buenos Aires, Argentina, who writes songs from lighthearted ballads to songs of adulterous love, to dirges and diatribes that skewer politics, prejudice, war and religion. He is considered a meticulous craftsman with seven studio albums and one live recording which have been well received by critics and fans as innovative, original and spiritual. Shindell weaves tales that interchangeably champion the downtrodden, exalt the disaffected or show empathy to those lost to society’s fringes. Shindell brings his music to Music at the Mission on Saturday, Nov. 21 at 8 p.m. Earlier this year, Shindell released his first studio album of original material in five years, titled Not Far Now. Born in New Jersey, Shindell grew up in Port Washington, Long Island, where he began to take guitar lessons. He spent the last of his teenage years in Baltimore, then attended Hobart College in upstate New York, where he continued to pursue his musical interests. During an earlier stint at Moravian College, he teamed with John Gorka in the Razzy Dazzy Spasm Band. Upon graduation, Shindell moved into a Zen Buddhist monastery for a while, leaving to explore Europe, and ending up the proverbial struggling musician in Paris, where he would often play for coins in the underground Metro train stations. After Paris, he came to New York where he enrolled in Union Theological Seminary. Between classes, he began to write and finished what he calls his first “keeper song,” a melodic if cryptic ode to the Virgin Mary composed on the mountain dulcimer called “On a Sea of Fleur de Lis.” He soon signed with independent label Shanachie. He produced three records under the Shanachie label, including Sparrow’s Point (1992), Blue Divide (1994) and Reunion Hill (1997), which won the AFIM “Best Contemporary Folk Album” in 1998. He toured frequently and was invited to join Joan Baez on tour in 1997. In 1998, Shindell formed the acoustic trio, Cry Cry Cry, with Dar Williams and Lucy Kaplansky. Cry Cry Cry and some friends produced an eponymously titled album (Razor and Tie Records) of cover songs of lesser-known artists. The trio toured from 1998 until 2000. In 2000, Shindell released Somewhere Near Patterson (Signature Sounds), which quickly became his most successful release. It was followed by Courier, the live reprise of many of Shindell’s best-loved songs. Also in 2000, Shindell and his family moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he recorded Vuelta (Koch Records, 2004). For this project he joined up with Puente Celeste, a distinctly Argentine group of virtuoso musicians. In 2007, he released a collection of covers called South of Delia, a deeply personal choice of songs. Music at the Mission is located at 1452 Union Valley Road in West Milford, at the West Milford Presbyterian Church. For ticket information call 800-613-1455 or visit the Web site, www.musicatthemission.org. Tickets are also available at Harvest Moon Health Food Store, 22 Marshall Hill Road in West Milford.

If you go
Richard Shindell
Music at the Mission
West Milford Presbyterian Church
1452 Union Valley Road
Nov. 21, 8 p.m.
$23.25 online/$25 at the door
www.musicatthemission.org