Biography Wikipedia
Wikipedia:
Rio en Medio (Spanish for river in between) is the pseudonym of singer and baritone ukulelist Danielle Stech-Homsy.
Background
Born in the high desert of New Mexico, Danielle 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, Danielle has performed on stages across the US and abroad in Europe and the UK. She has worked with many well-regarded 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 as delicate and fragmented songs featuring a sparse and haunting 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 Bob Dylan and Beth Gibbons as influences.
On stage, Rio en Medio has been represented by a range of musical and visual guests and collaborators, between them are Justin Riddle (drums), Christian Lee (guitar), Nicholas Toll (keyboards and percussion), Justin Hartery (video), Cohdi Harrell (aerialist) and most recently the sound and visual artist Vlad Kromatika.
Future plans
Danielle's new album, Frontier, (Manimal Vinyl) was written and recorded at home in the wintery isolation of Northern New Mexico, where Danielle now resides. Written first as a series of interrelated poems, then later set to music, the album unfolds as a sort of constellation of tales, inviting a narrative reading but perhaps without all the lines drawn in. What results is a wildly imaginative journey into the cosmos, where concepts are reduced to light and matter and mystery. Lifting the mythology of space exploration and the conquering of the wild, western forests, and aided by Danielle's intricate collage style and a remarkable host of synthesizers, the featured instrument is still Danielle's crystalline voice and the careful way she uses it to serve the magic of the song. "Frontier" was released on vinyl LP and iTunes on October 14, 2008 on Manimal Vinyl, and she is confirmed to be appearing on the label's tribute record to The Cure. A deluxe enhanced CD of "Frontier" will be released on Manimal Vinyl in early 2009.
