KRT CAMPUSNearly 10 years after Duncan Sheik released his self-titled debut album – with its Grammy Award nominated single, “Barely Breathing” – the singer-songwriter might just now be hitting his stride. When he opens for Ben Folds this Saturday at W.I.L.D. it will come as an enjoyable break from what have been several months of intense work. Beginning in mid-January, Sheik departed on a still-ongoing national tour to promote his fifth and newest album, “White Limousine.” In between touring, he has been in theatre rehearsals for “Spring Awakening,” his musical adaptation of Frank Wedekind’s 1891 play. The play, which begins previewing May 28 in New York, is the second this year that Sheik has collaborated on with playwright and poet Steven Sater, who wrote the lyrics for Sheik’s 2001 album, “Phantom Moon.” The other, “Nero (Another Golden Rome),” premiered February in San Francisco. His productivity so far has paid off. “White Limousine” was met with glowing reviews, while the New York Times devoted a feature to Sheik in their arts section in February.
Sheik’s latest album continues to build on the musical and lyrical foundations of his previous work. Often compared to the work of 1960s British folk artist Nick Drake, Sheik’s songs have traditionally ranged from stripped-down acoustic numbers to more expansive, orchestral arrangements. As always, “White Limousine” features Sheik’s enchanting vocals and, on the album’s first track “Hey Casanova,” a robust falsetto. Most significantly, however, the album represents Sheik’s first attempt at overtly politicized lyrics. A practicing Nichiren Buddhist of 15 years, Sheik has in the past stuck with more introspective, existential and personal themes. While “White Limousine” is still filled with songs of love and loss, the album often reaches its heights when it becomes politically charged. On the title track, Sheik explores the failures of the current administration – in this case, Bush’s famous “Mission Accomplished” speech – with both humor and disappointment. “Who’s the smart guy at the wheel / We’re running out of gas / He likes to wear a flight suit / And fly around for laughs,” he sings.
Given the fact that Sheik has built his success around songs of love and peace, he is not concerned about the possibility that his outspoken anti-war stance could alienate his listeners. “90 percent of [my listeners] know what side of the fence I’m on already,” said Sheik, via cell phone from New York City, where he was on his way to a rehearsal of “Spring Awakening.” A couple of my biggest fans are fairly conservative, and we had healthy conversations about this stuff. They understand why I write the things that I write. It’s not like they don’t like ‘White Limousine’ because it’s about poking fun of George Bush. I mean, they don’t really like George Bush either.”
The two plays he has collaborated on this year are further attempts to carry his musical talents into different realms with different audiences. “Spring Awakening,” a play about sexual development and teenage angst, captures the introspective nature of his music, while “Nero” is more political – a play that seeks to draw connections between Roman imperialism and the current U.S. foreign policy. Sheik sees no problems jumping from theatre to studio albums and back again. Rather, he views them both as part of the same larger project and vision.
“[The theatre ventures] have basically been very similar to what I’ve been doing on my solo albums,” he said. “‘Spring Awakening,’ for example, is in a very similar vein musically and lyrically to ‘Phantom Moon.'”
An ambitious man involved in projects ranging from the artistic to the political – he has initiated humanitarian projects in Albania and Cuba and has performed in benefits for a number of liberal causes – Sheik is in many ways a perfect fit for a college crowd. Indeed, his performance in the quad this Saturday marks the second time in four years he has played in front of a Washington University audience. In late 2002, he opened for Ben Folds at a concert for students at The Pageant.
“If I could play at colleges all the time, that’s what I would do,” he said. “I have the best time when I’m playing college shows, and in a of lot ways it’s the best audience because it’s intelligent people, sophisticated to whatever degree, who appreciate intelligence in music and are able to get into the lyrical ideas that are happening. For me, that’s all good.”
Duncan Sheik opens for Ben Folds this Saturday in the quad. Students who arrive in time to see the performance will be automatically entered into a raffle to win free round trip air tickets on American Airlines.