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By Michael Swanger scenescribe@mchsi.com

Elliott finds his stride with ‘Redemption Man’

Redemption is something a working artist like Chad Elliott understands. It is the saving or improving of something from irreversible decline.

Sometimes it is the art. Other times it is the artist himself.

Eight years ago, the 35-year-old singer-songwriter-guitarist bought a one-way ticket to California. With only $20 in his pocket, he immersed himself in San Francisco’s homeless community. For one month, he ate and slept with them. Then for the next 11 months, he lived in his car, rambling like a vagabond before returning to his native Iowa and settling down in Coon Rapids.

“It put me in a different world as I was learning to write as a solo performer and finding my voice,” said Elliott, who three years prior to that had began his musical career as part of the indie-folk duo One Man’s Junk.

Seven albums and eight years later, Elliott recalls the lessons learned living on the streets of Frisco on his new folk, country and blues album, “Redemption Man,” arguably the Iowa musician’s best work to date. The independent album’s 11 original compositions like “Wide, Open Road,” “Redemption Man,” “Maureen” and “Home” are also rife with messages about love, divorce and fatherhood, things Elliott has experienced.

“The album, thematically, was a journey for me,” said Elliott, who in July won the 2009 Woody Guthrie Festival songwriting contest in Okemah, Okla., for his song “Same Old Way.” “It’s about the growth of oneself.”

Though the mature performances on “Redemption Man” speak volumes about Elliott’s musical growth, it can also be measured by the company he keeps. Elliott was fortunate enough to recruit one of his idols, Iowa’s own Bo Ramsey (Lucinda Williams, Greg Brown) to produce and play guitar on “Redemption Man.”

“It was a dream come true,” Elliott said. “We developed a nice, solid relationship where we could even talk about future projects. It means a lot to me to have a producer and an artist like that show me that respect. I’m looking forward to working with him in the future, too.”

To round out the record, Ramsey recruited his band mates Pieta Brown, Steve Hayes and Jon Penner to also lend a hand.

“When we counted in the first song, we were right in there. It was great to work with such seasoned professionals,” Elliott said.

Elliott’s artistic contributions to “Redemption Man,” however, are not limited to the album’s songs. The Guthrie Center native is also a dedicated artist who paints and sketches. A drawing of his hand-written lyrics is included in the album’s booklet.

“Art and music go hand in hand,” Elliott said. “My art started in journals with sketches of artwork I wanted to do. I’ve been slowly creating a body of work based on lyrics of my songs.”

Last year, Elliott hosted a combination one-man show of his art and music. On average, he performs about 100 concerts a year, staying close to his home and 11-year-old son during the school year and touring the country during the summer months. To help fill his musical calendar, Elliott has been participating in the growing trend of performing house concerts where 20 to 30 fans each might pay a suggested tip of $10 to $15 to hear him perform in someone’s living room.

“I appreciate the smaller crowds because my songs are intimate stories,” he said. “It makes for a great listening environment and good way to sell CDs.”

Speaking of selling product, Elliott will host a CD release concert on Saturday, Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. at People’s Court, where he will perform songs from “Redemption Man,” as well as a few tunes from his other eight records. That night, Elliott will also announce that he is releasing a batch of home recordings at www.chadelliott.net that he has stockpiled over the years, appropriately entitled “The Den Sessions.”

But for now, Elliott is focused on getting the messages of “Redemption Man” across to his audiences.

“There is a naturalness to this record that the listener will be able to catch on to,” he said. CV