BIOGRAPHY
Carolyn Striho is a widely-respected Detroit musician and songwriter, honored w/ 7 Detroit Music Award nominations in 2009. Highly respected in the world music community as songwriter, musician, wild, sassy, sweet performer, Carolyn has recorded unusual and very accessible CDs that stand the test of time.
Pursuing her next U.S.& European tours, Carolyn’s new album released in November, 2009 features original compositions that are catchy, melodic pop with a twist. Mixing trumpet on Petula Clark's “Downtown”, rock it up, ease it down, wild piano in “January Baby” and rap with lovely punchy vocals, sizzling guitars, tribal dance beats – Carolyn’s new CD “Honesty” features a potpourri of songs ready for radio, film or taking you somewhere fresh and new in your car or on your headphones. Scott Dailey joins up in songwriting and performances together on the album; magical poetry that Carolyn writes with passion, all blended with eclectic, unusual, yet immediate songs.
Carolyn's recordings and band showcases Carolyn's wild, cool, diverse repertoire, the new disc an exploration of acoustic rocking soul to electric ballads. And Carolyn just finished an avant-garde, big set at the Detroit International Jazz Festival in September - 2009 – one of the most respected jazz festivals in the world, performing alongside infamous Dave Brubeck (“Take Five”) and Chick Corea.
After playing Detroit’s Comerica Cityfest, Porcupine Mountains Festival, Ann Arbor Art Fair, U.P. Michigan tour w/ the Hard Lessons in Marquette, Wyandotte July/August Festival/Wine Crawl, Rivers Edge Gallery w/artists Patty Izzo and Niagara, Focus Hope Detroit Showcase, Noel Night, Carolyn and band are slated for another welcoming European tour in 2010.
Carolyn's played Detroit's Festival of the Arts, done live broadcasts on 101.9 WDET-FM, 89X-FM and NPR, will be performing on Acoustic Café, the nationally syndicated radio show, and at SXSW. Carolyn also was included in the Detroit Music Awards 2006 feature CD, & in 2009’s singing performance on “Motown Our Town” by Paul Miles, featuring The Vandellas, Barbara Payton, Jill Jack, Khary Frazier and Nadir. Carolyn's band line-up has included Patti Smith’s son Jackson Smith, even Patti Smith herself, Luis Resto, saxophonist David McMurray, Detroit's own stellar guitarist Scott Dailey, bassist Jervonny Collier of Gladys Knight and Bruce Hornsby’s band, the late Buster Marbury of the Temptations, Randy Jacobs of Was (Not Was) and Seal fame, Vinnie Dombrowski of Sponge. She has collaborated with Aretha Franklin’s son, Teddy Richards.
Carolyn's also played high-profile festivals in Rome, Italy – she and guitarist Scott Dailey performed in London, Camden & Brixton UK clubs in 2007. Carolyn was a featured artist at Patti Smith’s Meltdown Festival in London in 2005, playing with Sinead O’Connor, Ed Harcourt, Tori Amos, Yoko Ono, Beth Orton, Kristen Hersh, Steve Earle and Patti Smith. In addition, Carolyn has opened for political activist Steve Earle in London.
Carolyn's last CD, entitled "Is This Me?", was nominated for a Detroit Music Award & featured guitarist Scott Dailey, the Ann Arbor-based Ragbirds, and John Madison, principle violist for the Detroit Symphony. With Carolyn’s pop/Rock, hard folk, piano jazz - acoustic, avant, rocking, Carolyn’s song “Enchante” and Scott’s song “East of Eden” received Honorable Mentions in the Billboard Songwriting Contest 2009.
Ms. Striho has performed with Ms.Smith at Lollapalooza in New York. Other touring highlights include stints at the Grand Marais Festival on Lake Superior, Detroit Music Awards Showcase, Metro Music Expo, Focus Hope Festival, the Metro Music Expo, and Metro Times Blowout, as well as great clubs and art galleries in Michigan and Ontario, Canada.
The new album, “Honesty”, has already sparked interest from the international community and fans everywhere – let’s see where “Honesty” takes Carolyn and band in the new year.
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