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  • Musicians in America during the Covid-19 Pandemic240

1. Interview with Aaron Keim, Hood River, Oregon (06:33)

Date:
2020-09-23
Main contributors:
Aaron Keim
Summary:
Aaron Keim (Hood River, Oregon) Aaron Keim lives an artistic life along with his wife Nicole, making music, building musical instruments, writing instructional music books, crafting folk art, and raising their 6-year-old son Henry in Hood River, Oregon. As the Quiet American, they play old-time and teach at festivals and music camps. Their connection to folk tradition is undeniable as they find new ways to sing old songs and unique ways to incorporate music and art into their teaching and performing. Mainly influenced by Depression-era string band music and the folk revival, they use ukulele, banjo, and accordion to accompany their harmony singing; pick old-time tunes; and lead the audience through group singing. A modern, home-grown folk revival: the Quiet American. Interviewed by Raquel Paraíso, 09/23/2020.

2. Interview with Adam Faucett, Little Rock, Arkansas (05:45)

Date:
2020-09-14
Main contributors:
Adam Faucett
Summary:
Adam Faucett (Little Rock, Arkansas) Adam Faucett is a singer-songwriter born in Benton, Arkansas, and based out of Little Rock. Faucett was originally a member of the Russellville, Arkansas-based band, Taught the Rabbits, and has been performing solo since 2006. After the breakup of that band, Faucett relocated to Chicago, where he focused on folk music, writing his first album, The Great Basking Shark. Upon the release of a second album in 2008, Show Me Magic, Show Me Out, he toured the U.S. and Europe with acts including Lucero, Calexico, The Legendary Shack Shakers, Vetiver, and Damien Jurado. Faucett’s music has been described as “southern soul swamp opera,” blending experimental rock, psychedelic rock, and noise rock into his framework of singer-songwriter country music. Interviewed by Holly Hobbs, 09/14/2020.

3. Interview with Akua Naru, Boston, Massachusetts (06:06)

Date:
2020-09-24
Main contributors:
Akua Naru
Summary:
Akua Naru (Boston, Massachusetts) Akua Naru is a Hip Hop artist, organizer, producer, activist, and scholar whose work centers social justice advocacy and community building. Her music theorizes the myriad experiences of Black women through rhyme along a sonic spectrum from Jazz to Soul. She is co-founder of the production/management company The Urban Era and has released multiple albums alongside a wide range of additional artistic content. She has recorded with artists including Tony Allen, Angelique Kidjo, Questlove, and Georgia Anne Muldrow. Akua has performed internationally in more than fifty countries across five continents with her six-piece band. In her social justice work, she has collaborated with numerous individuals and organizations globally in order to instigate change. Akua Naru was a Nasir Jones Fellow at the Hutchins Center for African & African American Research at Harvard University (2018-19) and a Race & Media Fellow at the Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America at Brown University (2019-2020). Interviewed by Tamar Sella, 09/24/2020.

4. Interview with Aline Mukiza, Burlington, Vermont (05:59)

Date:
2020-10-14
Main contributors:
Aline Mukiza
Summary:
Aline Mukiza (Burlington, Vermont) Aline Mukiza is a dancer, musician, and community organizer based in Burlington, Vermont. Mukiza was born in Burundi and moved to Vermont in the state’s refugee resettlement program. She is a master artist of Burundian women’s dance and traditional song in the Vermont Folklife Center’s Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program. Mukiza is the director of Twibukanye, where she teaches Burundian music and dance to young adult women and girls in Chittenden County. She has worked with the Vermont Folklife Center to develop and expand pedagogies and materials for cultural education in her community. Additionally, Mukiza has worked as a multilingual liaison for the Burlington School District and a family service coordinator at the Vermont Family Network. She has also served as coordinator of the Heritage Learning Program, a project of the Burundian American Association of Vermont, which provides language, science, and culture classes to children. Interviewed by Tamar Sella, 10/14/20.

5. Interview with Alonzo Demetrius, Morristown, New Jersey (05:51)

Date:
2020-10-08
Main contributors:
Alonzo Demetrius
Summary:
Alonzo Demetrius (Morristown, New Jersey) Alonzo Demetrius Ryan Jr. is a trumpeter, composer, and bandleader. He was classically trained in trumpet pedagogy and has studied at the historic Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz. In 2014 he obtained a B.M. from the Berklee College of Music, and in 2019 received his MM from the Berklee Global Jazz Institute. He has taught masterclasses domestically and abroad at Berklee College of Music, IMEP Paris College of Music, Music Academy International, Fundación Danilo Perez, and beyond. Alonzo is the founder and bandleader of the band The Ego, which has performed throughout the New England and New York metropolitan areas since the fall of 2017. He has worked with musicians including Terence Blanchard, Terri Lyne Carrington, Ralph Peterson Jr., Tia Fuller, Robert Glasper, and Jason Palmer. His album Live from the Prison Nation (The Onyx Productions Music Label, 2020) is his personal form of protest against the Prison Industrial Complex. Interviewed by Tamar Sella, 10/08/2020.

6. Interview with Alonzo Townsend, St. Louis, Missouri (05:32)

Date:
2020-09-04
Main contributors:
Alonzo Townsend
Summary:
Alonzo Townsend (St. Louis, Missouri) Alonzo Townsend is the youngest son of Delta blues legend and patriarch of the St. Louis Blues Henry James “Mule” Townsend and blues singer Vernell Townsend. Alonzo has made it his mission to carry on the blues heritage and become an active voice for St. Louis’ history and vibrant music scene. Alonzo accepted the posthumous Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album in 2008 on behalf of his late father for his album, Last of the Great Mississippi Delta Bluesmen: Live in Dallas. Alonzo himself is a spoken word emcee, booking coordinator, event manager and talent manager for events like Taste of St. Louis, River Front Times Music Showcase, Big Muddy Blues Festival, Blues at The Arch and more. His spoken word recording, “A Letter To My City,” was featured as a part of the 18 N 18 St. Louis Blues Society Compilation Album. Townsend is a speaker and writer for the St. Louis Blues Society, Blues Education programs including “Hip-Hop to The Blues,” and a presenter/youth educator for Blues in The Schools Programs. Interviewed by Holly Hobbs, 09/04/2020.

7. Interview with Amy Garland, Fox, Arkansas (05:55)

Date:
2020-09-18
Main contributors:
Amy Garland
Summary:
Amy Garland (Fox, Arkansas) Fox, Arkansas-based musician and artist, Amy Garland, has spent many years serving as a mentor figure to other artists throughout the region. She also has her own show on the local public radio station, KABF, called “Backroads,” where she plays a variety of independent country/old-time/bluegrass/singer-songwriter musics to her local fanbase. Her all-girl group, The Wildflowers, performs regional shows, while she continues writing and performing her own compositions. Amy Garland is also a social worker and a guitar strap maker. Interviewed by Holly Hobbs, 09/18/2020.

8. Interview with Andrae Ambrose, Chicago, Illinois (05:32)

Date:
2020-10-01
Main contributors:
Andrae Ambrose
Summary:
Andrae Ambrose (Chicago, Illinois) As the President and Lead Producer of Jambrose Music Group, gospel musician Andrae Ambrose is known for his professional overseeing of live recording sessions. Andrae has worked with a number of major recording artists, including Grammy Award-winning producers Kevin Randolph, Donald Lawrence, Kirk Franklin, and Aaron Lindsey, as well as work with artists such as Leslie Ruiz, Brandon Roberson, Atmosphere of Heaven, San Franklin, One 4 Christ, and Reggie Royal & Judah. Andrae has served on the Chicago Board of Governors of the National Association of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS) and was the co-chair for the Gospel Task Force of the Chicago Chapter. He is the composer of the SoundMind Collection, a series of therapeutic instrumental music. As a member of a pastoral family, his perspective on music ministry includes training of worship leaders and choirs around the world. Interviewed by Holly Hobbs, 10/01/2020.

9. Interview with Andre Johnson, Washington, District of Columbia (06:05)

Date:
2020-11-02
Main contributors:
Andre Johnson
Summary:
Andre Johnson (Washington, D.C.) Andre “Whiteboy” Johnson is a singer and guitarist based in Washington, D.C. Johnson is the lead guitarist and founding member of D.C. go-go band Rare Essence. In 1976, Johnson co-founded Rare Essence with friends in elementary school. Originally the Young Dynamos, they later changed their name and expanded their lineup, becoming one of the city’s premiere go-go institutions, putting on marathon shows that ran until 5 a.m. and performing regularly six to seven nights a week. Since the 1980s, the band has released dozens of studio albums, mixtape albums, live albums, compilations, and singles. They have performed with Run DMC, Wale, DJ Kool, LL Cool J, Doug E. Fresh, Biz Markie, Ice Cube, Heavy D and the Boyz, Wu Tang Clan, Redman and Method Man, French Montana, Scarface, TLC, Eric B and Rakim, YoYo, Shabba Ranks, The Roots, Erykah Badu, Thievery Corporation, KRS-1, and go-go icons Chuck Brown, Trouble Funk, The Junk Yard Band, and EU. Interviewed by Tamar Sella, 11/02/2020.

10. Interview with Andrea Colburn, Atlanta, Georgia (05:51)

Date:
2020-09-24
Main contributors:
Andrea Colburn
Summary:
Andrea Colburn (Atlanta, Georgia) Singer-songwriter Andrea Colburn is one-half of the musical duo Andrea and Mud, who categorize themselves as “surf western music.” Based in Atlanta, they spent many years operating a very demanding touring schedule. Growing up in St. Louis, Andrea Colburn says she wanted to learn guitar from a young age, but never particularly excelled at the instrument. When she moved to Georgia in 2012, however, a shift happened, and she found herself performing on a new level. When she connected with Kyle “Mud” Moseley, they found the right match. The duo released their album Bad News Darlin’ in 2020. In addition to guitar, Andrea Colburn also plays the musical saw. Interviewed by Holly Hobbs, 09/24/2020.