Patty Larkin Continues The Storytelling Tradition
“I
think that folk music is storytelling that draws from everyday life. It is
music that talks about everyday life,” says folk singer / songwriter Patty
Larkin. “I decided way back twenty years ago, that to avoid talking about
things with which I felt uncomfortable, or that made other people
uncomfortable, would make people feel sad, or was politically oriented, was
going to be a sin of omission. I was not going to avoid talking about issues
that I felt were important.”
Larkin’s song, “The Streets Of Birmingham Are Burning,” was written to draw attention to the working poor in America, and particularly in the Alabama city of Birmingham. “At the time that I wrote it, I knew that it was the state where you could earn the least amount of money, and still pay income tax on it.
Kimmie Rhodes, One Of America's Most Respected Songwriters
“If
you write songs, the music behind the lyric should be underscoring the music
and what the song is saying. It is the same way that the score of a movie
should tell you what the action is. If I write a song and I make a choice to
have a happy little melody in a sad period lyrically, then I do that on
purpose, but for the most part if a song is sad, it has a sad feeling tone to
the music. The tones strike a chord with human beings and communicate every
bit as much as the lyrics do, or they should if the song is done right. It
tells the listeners if they are supposed to be light, or happy, or if they are
supposed to be feeling sad or contemplative. The beauty of a song is that it
is much more than just a poem, because you have this beautiful, magical medium
going on. They are striking chords in a human being,” says Kimmie Rhodes, one
of the foremost songwriters of our decade.
Defining Lauren Monroe's Music
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As singer, songwriter, and percussionist Lauren Monroe and I discussed her new album The Freedom Sessions, the conversation turned to the third track, “My Love.” “I think that “My Love,” taps into a very vulnerable, personal journey (for me). It is a delicate place about loving someone or something, and then letting it go. I sang it with Moon Calhoun, who is an amazing human being. He is a drummer who has played with The Gap Band, Rufus, Neil Young and Michael Thompson. He is one of the most amazing percussionists,” observes Monroe, who also happens to be married to a pretty amazing drummer, in Rick Allen, from Def Leppard.
Pursuing the topic of Calhoun for a moment longer, Monroe says, “He was in an accident fourteen years ago, and now he is a paraplegic. He is in a wheelchair and his life has changed tremendously. I wrote “My Love,” right after I met him.
Maria Muldaur Says Yes We Can !
It
has been my privilege over the past few years to on more than one occasion
have some very interesting conversations with singer Maria Muldaur. She always
says what is on her mind and she never seems to concern herself with whether
or not she is politically correct. Having said that, she does not go out of
her way to be rude, obnoxious or to hurt people, but she is certainly no
wallflower or shrinking violet either. Recently, we had an opportunity to talk
about her new CD Yes We Can, a record on which she gathered together
women who have, in one way or the other been strong voices, advocating the
advancement of human rights and peace. A sampling of the women who appear on
this album include, AMMA, Joan Baez, Jean Shindoa Bolen, Jane Fonda, Anne
Lamott, Odetta, Holly Near, Bonnie Raitt, Phoebe Snow and Marianne Williamson.
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