Italian Star Carmen Consoli Returns to Chicago for One-Woman Show

HotHouse will host Italy’s top female singer-songwriter Carmen Consoli September 28, 2008. Under the HotHouse Presents banner, Consoli will perform 2 sets at the upstairs loft of Fizz on Chicago’s near northwest side. This is Consoli’s second HotHouse appearance after her sold-out Chicago debut in March 2005. Consoli’s only other Chicago appearance was a standing room show at the Chicago Cultural Institute for World Music Fest 2006.

For her third Chicago appearance, audiences will experience an offering of repertoire drawn from Consoli’s more than decade-long career re-interpreted in a minimalist manner, intentionally stripped down to expose the sophisticated essence of her songs. Consoli’s set is titled "Anello Mancante" (Missing Ring) and features the Sicilian-born auteur on solo voice, guitar, accordion and traditional Sicilian instruments. Songs will be interspersed with engaging insights into her songwriting process, citing influences such as writer/director Pier Paolo Pasolini’s use of Italian dialect, the music of star crossed Roman songstress Gabriella Ferri as well as the work of leading figures from the world of Italian and international cinema.

The Sicilian-born Carmen Consoli is the most successful female singer-songwriter in Italian history. The 34 year-old musician is known for her unflinching emotional live performances of songs that examine broad themes of love, illness, solitude and friendship from a feminine — and feminist — perspective. Her innovative mixture of Italian song with indie-rock influences, bossa nova rhythms and jazz and blues-inspired riffs have engendered a sound unique on the Italian music scene.

Consoli has six studio albums and two live albums to her credit, all platinum albums in Italy that have sold cumulatively over 1 million copies. Consoli’s most recent studio effort Eva Contro Eva (Eve Against Eve), featured guest appearances by the Beninese singer-songwriter Angélique Kidjo and Balkan composer Goran Bregovic. The album debuted at #1 on the Italian charts in May 2006. Consoli has numerous awards to her credit, including the MTV Italian Music Award for Best Video (Parole di Burro) in 2001; Best Female Artist at the Italian Music Awards 2002 and 2003; and Best Song at the Taormina Film Festival for the soundtrack of the Italian film, "L’Ultimo Bacio" (The Last Kiss). The film’s title was inspired by a Consoli song and Zach Braff’s recent film, “The Last Kiss” was an adaptation of the international hit.

Her first set will begin at 7pm followed by a second set at 9pm. Fizz is located at 3220 N. Lincoln Ave.

CDs available by Consoli:

• In North America: Eva Contro Eva,  Confusa e Felice, L’ Eccezione, Due Parole, Stato di Necessità, Mediamente Isterica, and Un Sorso in Più.
• In Europe: Mediamente Isterica, Confusa e Felice, Stato di Necessità, Eva Contro Eva, Un sorso in più, and L’ Eccezione

Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at www.hothouse.net.