Antje Duvekot Returns to atac

Antje Duvekot is a bit of a local legend. The always-compelling Boston-area artist has criss-crossed the country and Europe many times, played festivals like The Newport Folk Festival, Mountain Stage, and the Kerrville Folk Festival, and internationally, has headlined the The Celtic Connections Festival in Scotland, and the Tønder Festival in Denmark. An atac-favorite, Duvekot returns on Saturday April 15; Micah A. John opens. Grab your tickets today!

atac: Hi Antje. Who are you and how’d you get here?

Antje Duvekot: I'm a singer-songwriter who has been living in the Boston area for the last 20 years. I've been on the Boston acoustic folk circuit more or less that whole time—ever since being discovered by Ellis Paul, who took me on the road with him and nurtured my budding career.

I am originally from Germany; my family moved me to the States around the beginning of high school. I didn't know the language and culture, and I struggled making sense of the new country. Via a Rounder Records compilation album, I found acoustic music and performers like John Gorka, Ellis Paul, and Dar Williams around that time. The sound spoke to me deeply. Even when I could not yet understand the words, I vowed to become one of them.

atac: Across your two-decades of touring…any rough gigs?

AD: Liverpool UK. When I walked off stage, a guy actually tried to kiss me and another guy hit him in the face for it. Usually my shows are very, very quiet and respectful. That was wildly out of the norm.

Above: Duvekot (right) at the Boston Music Awards with Rachel Klein

atac: Yikes! OK - what about something more positive…a great show you’ve seen. 

AD: Son of Townhall, they are fairly new as a duo. They dress as two regular old-timey guys from the Victorian era and sing from that perspective. They stay in character and it is hilarious; they sound like Simon & Garfunkel or the Milk Carton Kids. Their darkness, humor, originality, and raw talent lifted me up like possibly no other show has. I saw them last December, so it’s living strong in my recent memories.

atac: What are your top "stuck on an island" records? The ones you could hear forever.

• Paul Simon, Graceland

• Anaïs Mitchell, Hymns for the Exiled

• Meg Hutchinson, The Crossing

atac: Good picks. Besides Meg, any local acts around here you’d want people to pay extra attention to?

AD: Catie Curtis and Heather Maloney.

atac: What are some great discoveries from time on the road? 

AD: National Parks and State Parks! It's a beautiful country. Arches in Moab, Utah and Anza-Borrego in California stand out.

atac: Is music your main creative thing? 

AD: I teach occasionally (songwriting and German via the use of music) and I also am a stop motion animator who creates music videos for other artists, but my main career is touring singer-songwriter.

Above: An in-process image from Duvekot's stop-motion animation practice

atac: What's the process like of creating visuals for other artists?

AD: So far the artists I've worked with have let me pretty much do my own thing and trusted my vision. I am grateful for that, as conceptualizing is especially fun for me. 

atac: Stop motion requires an extraordinary amount of patience and planning; how does that relate to your songwriting process?

AD: It's funny that I suddenly develop a plethora of patience when working with stop motion, as I am generally a very impatient person. I think it just speaks to the power of passion. I am so enamored by stop motion art that I can put up with incredible tedium. 

I think the tension and excitement is maintained because with every scene you animate, you don't really get to see how it turned out or whether it does what you think it will until after it's completed and you play it back! So the element of surprise is like opening an easter egg. Songs are similar in that you can only find out whether or not it's working once you've tried it out. 

atac: What's a piece of advice you'd give to an aspiring performer? Besides avoiding bar fights in Liverpool…

AD: Don't be afraid to blow your own horn and approach people in the biz that you admire; even if they’re a rung up. Seek collaborations and be confident. I think I did not do this enough when starting out; I somehow thought my talent alone would be sufficient to draw people towards me and provide me opportunities, and while to some extent it did, I learned that you mostly have to make that happen for yourself. Be loud about your worth. Even if that goes against your nature or sense of humility. Own it! Flaunt it! Also work super hard on your art, obvi.

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Catch Antje Duvekot at atac on Saturday, April 15. The show’s $22 and tickets are on sale now.