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| Joy Clark and Tiffany Morris |
In the midst of one of many intricate guitar tapestries, Clark returned to a refrain that worked like a mantra-- “I know this road is not a race, so I keep going my own pace, until I find my place.”
Fellow New Orleans musicians Tiffany Morris on bass and Bradley
Bourgeois on drums complemented her search with solid, unobtrusive backing, both lockstep and free.
Joy Clark, singing “One Step in the Right Direction” solo a
few months back: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYfKov8XylQ
I found myself thinking about Valerie June’s keynote speech
earlier in the day.
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| Valerie June Delivering the Keynote |
June took us on a rough but necessary journey to find hope. She recalled leaving Memphis on icy roads the same day police murder victim Tyre Nichols was laid to rest and then ticked off the many threats we face—from a global climate crisis to technology that “hacks our mind and body,” and the “daily threat of nuclear war.” She called to mind the many disagreements that keep us pitted against each other, and asked, “What will these battles mean when we are all made equal by unfortunate circumstances?”
She sang a cover of Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful
World” before focusing on reasons for some hard won hope.
Valerie June singing “What a Wonderful World” on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=265677271129168
Someone will post this talk soon, and I’ll repost it here.
Meanwhile, I want to emphasize the vision she offered.
June asked, “What if it’s as simple as starting where we
are?”
And she meant, specifically, at that moment, Folk Alliance. June
noted, after all, there’s “wizards and fairies everywhere,” gesturing toward the packed darkness of the room. She added, “We begin
with the revolutionary act of making art.”
June called for “a language of joy” to combat language that “elevates
fears.” She pointed out that our entire money system is simply based upon our
belief in it, so she wanted us to think about our potential to shift such beliefs, to live without fear, to build “a more loving world.” She followed
that with a performance of her song, “Astral Plane.”
Valerie June, “Astral Plane”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rN35g4eLQgg
Her talk was a perfect complement to the introductory remarks by Cary Morin and his partner and life and music, Celeste Di Iorio. Morin has been working as an artist in residence to raise awareness, alongside the Friends of the Kaw, regarding our river system. Morin sang as the Kaw, part of this great river system that allowed us to settle here in the first place, continues to give us life and suffer our neglect. Asking on behalf of the river for our care, Morin sang, “You’re helping me help you.”
 |
| Cary Morin and Celeste Di Iorio |
More about the Cary Morin duo here: https://carymorin.com/cary-morin-duo
I found myself thinking a lot about the ways people were working together throughout the day. At Genevieve Racette’s showcase, Folquebec's Gilles Garand thanked the army of volunteers that make Folk Alliance happen. As the set closed, Racette acknowledged she was, in fact, dating a volunteer and offered another word of thanks.
I
thought about all the people building off this music—the photographers, others like me scribbling
notes in pads, club owners and festival owners making plans. As June had
pointed out earlier, we all understand what it means to hustle for a job,
but there’s something else going on here too--a collective energy and vision fed
and inspired by the music.
The echoing sentiments in the artist's voices suggest how that energy moves full circle, inspiring the art. Racette’s pledge to try some new
things this year, including playing a song she’d never played live in front of
anyone before, particularly considering the song, reminds me again of Clark’s “One Step in the Right Direction."
 |
| Eleanore Pitre, Genevieve Racette, and Judith Little D |
Though it was largely the same songs as last year, Racette seemed to have grown more self-assured. A quiet grandeur seemed to come naturally. Racette’s deeply touching vocals were bolstered by dark counterpoints from Eleanore Pitre (of the band Rosier) on guitar and Judith Little D on drums.
Genevieve Racette’s opener, “Hostage”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpnV9LpqftQ&list=OLAK5uy_mku9n0UQIwFHlb3lFhX4PMjew86xAS810
Similarly, Scottish singer Iona Fyfe seemed ready to take on any challenge that may come her way. Quick and funny, in her banter alone she managed
to take on the American health care system, teach us about the Scots language,
and declare her unabashed belief in Scottish self-determination. Before singing
a cover of Taylor Swift’s “Love Story,” translated into Scots, Fyfe noted it’s
a pain to try to sort the legal clearances between here and there, “so if
anyone knows Tay Tay,” she said, holding an invisible phone to her ear.
Guitarist Adam Hendy lent solid acoustic backing to her
bright clear vocals which shone, flexed, and punched as needed. She sang a song
of the “Northern Lights of Old Aberdeen” although she noted the writer Mary Webb
had never been there, and Fyfe had lived there for 17 years without seeing any
sign of these things. She also sang of Lady Finella, who killed King Kenneth II
of Scotland to avenge her son’s death.
Iona Fyfe, “Lady Finella”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzsbJtg9gFE
My evening
really ended with Joy Clark’s set. She finished with the song, “Good Thing.” The refrain offered assured gratitude and hope: “You know we got a good thing/And a
good thing is not so easy to find/Yeah, you know we got a good thing/Take my
hand and it will be all right.”
In such moments, the more loving world in June's dream felt like a living reality.
Joy Clark’s video for “Good Thing”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bc_ZL1djWOQ
Cary Morin Duo: https://carymorin.com/cary-morin-duo
Valerie June: https://valeriejune.com/
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