New Roots Duo

Art in the cafe...

Laurel Statz


"The Spectator"


December 2025



Laurel Statz is a painter and Madison area native. Her work, while figurative, is influenced by abstraction and minimalism. The paintings often have a quick and instinctual nature, capturing just what’s needed. While she often times herself to eliminate extra details and over-precision, she has ventured into more detailed works as well. Laurel does not attach narrative to her pieces. Rather, she thinks of them like a journaling process for her scatter-brained psyche. The figures in the pieces are meant to be processing tools for the artist and the viewer. She hopes that seeing these figures helps the...
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Saturday, April 19, 2008

New Roots Duo is a unique combination of finger-style guitarists Ben Woolman and Dan Schwartz. Based in the Twin Cities, both artists have successful solo careers performing throughout the country but have now joined forces to write, record, and perform music as a duo. Together, exploring new terrain and new instruments (acoustic baritone guitar, acoustic lap-steel guitar respectively), they are creating the finest music of their careers. Currently, they are touring in support of their newly released CD entitled, Roots Run Deep, an inspired collection described as, "Instrumental, melody driven, roots based pop music."