Basic Folk – Ondara

Posted on by Shelby Williamson

When Ondara was a little boy growing up in Nairobi, Kenya, music was both everywhere and just out of reach. He walked around the market listening to vendors playing music from stereos, stopping to listen when he heard something that caught his attention. His family couldn’t afford musical instruments, and the household radio was constantly in demand so he would wait until everyone was asleep so that he could listen to music by himself. He began writing poems, and eventually a cappella songs. He figured that if Bob Dylan could create a legacy setting insightful poems to music, so could he.

 

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In 2013, Ondara won the green card lottery and moved to Minneapolis, because a) he had a family member there, and b) his hero Bob Dylan came from there. Ondara quickly discovered that Minnesota was a little different than he had dreamed. He was working temp jobs to buy his first guitar, writing dozens of songs that would eventually become his debut album, Tales of America, and getting his foot in the door in the Minneapolis open mic scene. But he found that it was difficult to put a band together, that the life of a songwriter was lonely, and that, in America, the color of his skin came with a whole set of expectations about how he should behave (and even about what kind of music he should create).

Ondara has worked to understand these expectations without bowing to them. He shared during our conversation that being Black in America means joining a tradition of art and resistance, and that helping The Cause matters to him. And his ability to contribute to the cause has grown exponentially, since Ondara hit the road in support of his hit debut album, and opening for artists like Neil Young, Lindsey Buckingham, and the Lumineers.

Since then, Ondara has looked outward for subject matter, releasing a pandemic-inspired album in 2020 based on his friends’ stories of quarantine dating and struggling to pay the rent. He has also undertaken a significant spiritual journey as he struggles to reconcile fame and the demands of capitalism with his desire to become a grounded, useful, wise, grown-up adult. His solution, for now, comes in the form of the Spanish Villager, the hyper-performative character at the center of his new album.

Editor’s Note: Basic Folk is currently running their annual fall fundraiser! Visit basicfolk.com/donate for a message from hosts Cindy Howes and Lizzie No, and to support this listener-funded podcast.

Photo Credit: Nate Ryan

LISTEN: The Great Divide, “Into the Blue”

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Artist: The Great Divide
Hometown: Stillwater, Oklahoma
Song: “Into the Blue”
Album: Providence
Release Date: October 28, 2022

In Their Words: “This song was written in 2009 in a flurry of songs that came to me over the course of a few evenings. The songs were longings for a love that didn’t quite exist yet for me. I knew it was out there, and I knew it wasn’t what I had. ‘Into the Blue’ is speaking to that love as though it already existed, and in a way, it did. We just hadn’t found each other yet.

“The overall arc of the record is dealing with time; it asks how much time we have left in our lives and how we want to spend the remaining years. It’s about admitting the areas where work is needed and putting in the effort to do something about it. There is a coming full circle aspect for us as a band; as performers and people. Everyone is bringing their best to the table for the first time in years, and when that happens, The Great Divide is a force. This album brings with it a certain hope.” — Mike McClure, The Great Divide

Photo Credit: Sierra Haney

LISTEN: Carolyn Kendrick, “Break of Day”

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Artist: Carolyn Kendrick
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Break of Day”
Release Date: November 4, 2022

In Their Words: “During the time of a cross-country move, I started waking up uncharacteristically early, feeling a lot of apprehension about what my future would look like. I wrote ‘Break of Day’ very literally at the break of day, early in the morning on one of those anxious mornings. Writing this song was one of those magical meditative moments where everything that has been simmering in the subconscious comes to the forefront and flows out all at once. It’s vulnerable to admit your fears, hopes, joys and frustrations held in life, especially to yourself. This song is near and dear to me, in that writing it unlocked my ability to be honest with myself. Recording ‘Break of Day’ was a joyous occasion, with some of my oldest friends and musical colleagues in a gorgeous studio in rural Maine. I think the intimacy and solitude of the recording process lent itself to the song beautifully.” — Carolyn Kendrick

Photo Credit: RedLineRoots

Artist of the Month: Trampled by Turtles

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At a steady pace, Trampled by Turtles have built an international following for their acoustic music from their home base of Duluth, Minnesota. They have maintained a DIY aesthetic for nearly two decades, yet they opted for a new approach for their latest album, Alpenglow. Using an outside producer for the first time, the band enlisted Jeff Tweedy to helm the project, which was recorded at Wilco’s recording studio in Chicago.

“I came in with songs I thought were finished, and then Jeff was really great about taking them apart, adding something here, taking something away there,” says Trampled by Turtles frontman Dave Simonett. “He gave us fresh ears on songs and new ideas for how to present them. We all just sat in a circle and played. It’s scarier to record that way now, since it’s easy to fix everything or record everything separately so you can hear it all perfectly. But for me, it’s so much fun to just stick a few mics up and play. That’s where we’re at our best.”

Tweedy also brought one of his own songs, “A Lifetime to Find,” to the fold. Although Simonett has written a bulk of the songs recorded by Trampled by Turtles over the years, he welcomed the chance to include the composition. “It’s a really simple song, but also not simple in some ways,” says Simonett. “I love how Jeff uses language so much. It was a real honor for us to record one of Jeff’s songs. I love the story he tells and the way he tells it. A conversation with death — who hasn’t had one of those?”

Of course, Tweedy counts himself as a fan of Trampled by Turtles, too. He observes, “I enjoy TBT’s musicianship and ability to stick hard inside a genre, all the while stretching that same genre. It’s like you need to infiltrate it before you can pull it apart. They have a brotherly thing going on, too, which is always a great feel.”

Alpenglow is named for the effect of the sun setting over mountains, with the light tinting them pink and red. It’s only natural to pause and reflect at the splendor of such magnificent scenery, and the title hints at the introspection that may be found throughout the album, particularly after the pandemic put their touring plans on hold for a year or more.

Simonett says, “In your 40s with kids, not many people get to say, ‘Man, do I have the chance to do something completely different if I want to?’ I ended up finding out that I really enjoyed what I do. It was good for me to think about that and really appreciate it. So once we were back, it felt like a second go — and I think a lot of these songs came from that little feeling of renewal.”

The Bluegrass Situation is proud to reveal Trampled by Turtles as our BGS Artist of the Month for November. Look for an exclusive interview in the weeks ahead, along with some content from our archives (like this Cover Story from 2018). We’re pretty excited to see them on the Cayamo Cruise in 2023 as well. In the meantime, enjoy our BGS Essentials playlist for Trampled by Turtles.

Photo Credit: Zoe Prinds

BGS 5+5: The Lowest Pair

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Artist: The Lowest Pair
Hometown: Olympia, Washington
Latest Album: Horse Camp
Rejected Band Name: The Goodle Days

Answers by Palmer T. Lee

How often do you hide behind a character in a song or use “you” when it’s actually “me”?

Oh, this is very common practice in both directions. Sometimes a writer will take on a character as well, using “me” when its actually someone else. And that character could be a real person or quite frequently an amalgamation of people and experiences both real or concocted. Sometimes topics can feel a little too personal while they also feel relevant and powerful to write about and share so a new character is born of necessity. And of course, sometimes the most potent way to express this seems to be to keep it personal and use “me” when I mean “me” and yet the situation may not be 100% literal or accurate to the source. I mean, don’t let the truth get in the way of a good story, eh? The most important thing is to find what best serves the song, how the intention of the piece will be conveyed most effectively.

What other art forms — literature, film, dance, painting, etc. — inform your music?

I think it’s fair to say literature is the largest non-music art form that influences our music. While we have both always pursued musicianship, developing our technique and skill set, learning bluegrass and old time fiddle tunes, etc., we are songwriters first and musicianship is largely part of that toolbox. If someone were to deep dive into our lyricism they would likely find a lot of sampling and referencing of whoever we were reading or moved by at the time. And further, our styles are pretty influenced by writers as well. The playful word and phrase bending of e.e. cummings, the literary landscape paintings of Steinbeck, the psychospiritual paradigm twisting of Thich Nhat Hanh, to name a few.

If you had to write a mission statement for your career, what would it be?

It’s truly a blessing to find good work, to do something that feels important to both yourself and for others. On a personal level, we get to create these little tools that we can return to over time. Little devices we can process things through, both intellectually and emotionally. If a song doesn’t seem to be serving us (we’re not feeling it) it tends to gradually slink out of the set list. If it’s a song that has spent a lot of time with us there is probably a reason for that and these songs will likely return to rotation later with a whole new set of meanings and associations. The great bonus of this craft is that other people get to use them as well. Listening to a record can transport you to somewhere you didn’t know you needed to go, somewhere you forgot was there, somewhere you’ve been trying to figure out how to access. And in a live performance we all get to do that together, everyone on their own trip but also sharing the space and time with each other (a wonderful social experience for introverts! Ha!).

What rituals do you have, either in the studio or before a show?

Whenever possible I love to wash my hands before playing instruments, especially before a concert. There is something resetting and care-taking about it.

Which elements of nature do you spend the most time with and how do those impact your work?

A significant part of being a writer is spending time not writing, or at least not making anything, maybe thinking about writing, maybe not at all, maybe not even identifying as a writer for a while, maybe collecting notes from an overheard conversation or trying to describe the wind just for fun, or maybe just being quiet for a few days.

Kendl spends a lot of time hiking the Cascade and Olympic mountains and running through the densely forested parks of Olympia. I seem to frequently find myself living in the woods or an otherwise rough-and-tumble environment where you might need to walk fifty yards to do your business or cook and it’s quiet and the elements have a say in the flow of your day.

I think these influences can be both heard and intuited in our music. Place names will find their way into our stories, critters and plants, a sense of awe or isolation or reverence or a passing conversation with the colors and smells of a quiet dawn.

Photo Credit: Molley Gillispie

LISTEN: Glen Phillips, “Brand New Blue”

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Artist: Glen Phillips
Hometown: Santa Barbara, California
Song: “Brand New Blue”
Album: There Is So Much Here
Release Date: November 4, 2022
Label: Compass Records

In Their Words: “‘Brand New Blue’ was written as an assignment from Matt The Electrician’s songwriting game, as were many of the songs on this album, There Is So Much Here. I’d missed a week, and incorporated two weeks’ worth of prompts — Brand New Blue and The Next Room — into this song. What came out was something about the Groundhog Day aspect of lockdown, the particular doldrums of being in the same environment every day for months on end. The song ‘Sound of Drinking’ is about the silver linings of that time. This song is more about the boredom and depression of it all. Just because there was the one doesn’t mean there wasn’t also the other.” — Glen Phillips

Photo Credit: Chris Orwig

Rising Bluegrass Artists Hear Something Special in Yamaha Custom FG Guitars

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Bluegrass music is based in tradition, yet every guitarist brings their own touch to the genre. Among a new generation of acoustic musicians, Yamaha Custom FG guitars have become a welcome addition on stage and in the studio. From the design to the tone to the overall feel, Yamaha Custom FG guitars bring out the best in these players, who have been making their mark in bluegrass music. Within mere moments, they have noticed the attention to detail and craftsmanship of Yamaha’s Senior Acoustic Guitar Builder Andrew Enns and his team.

Fred Kosak of Stillhouse Junkies plays a custom Yamaha FG made to complement his musical approach in a variety of settings. Hailing from Durango, Colorado, the band won an IBMA Momentum Award for Band of the Year in 2021, and they have continued to build their fan base through touring, especially in Colorado and Utah.

“I’ve long believed in the power of the connection between instrument and player,” Kosak says, “and that’s why I’ve worked with custom builders over the years to imagine and build instruments that suit my individual attack, style, and taste and with which I feel an immediate bond. My custom Yamaha FG is no exception: from the first strum I knew that Andrew Enns had created something special. He captured a sonic signature and vibe that I could take on stage with me in any situation knowing it would respond exactly the way I wanted it to. Yamaha has taken a ground-up approach to design and rolling out this new line of acoustics that I think is very player-centric and unique for a larger manufacturer, and the results are easy to see in every instrument they’ve produced.”

West Virginia musician Jake Eddy, a 2022 IBMA Momentum Instrumentalist of the Year nominee, has played music professionally since he was a teenager. In addition to touring in bluegrass songwriter/fiddler Becky Buller’s band, he’s recorded an album of fiddle tunes on guitar. He played his new Yamaha custom FG prototype at the Fretboard Summit.

“The new guitars being built by Andrew Enns at Yamaha are great!” Eddy says. “My old D-18 will always be a part of my life, but this guitar has really squeezed its way into my musical world. It feels and sounds how a mahogany guitar should. Lightweight, and fast!”

Theo MacMillan had his heart set on acoustic music from an early age, playing in churches and local talent shows as a kid. He surrounded himself with bluegrass as a college student in Kentucky before moving to Nashville after graduation. The versatile musician (who also plays fiddle) presents his original music through performing as a solo singer-songwriter as well as singing with his younger sister in the Theo & Brenna Band. He says he’s been pleased with his Yamaha Custom FG for a variety of reasons.

“Since I got the FG from Yamaha, I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how great it sounds plugged in. This is a new experience for me (playing live with the pickup) and it has significantly affected my live performances. I’m a big fan of the tone that the FG is capable of even when it’s plugged in. Andrew and I talked about giving it extra low and high end (more of a scooped eq) — the result was a guitar very capable of acoustic lead and bass-y rhythm. I’m finding it to be my guitar of choice if I’m playing duo shows or solo for a songwriter round, although it definitely holds its own for pure bluegrass rhythm playing. In addition to the sound, the guitar is absolutely gorgeous. I get comments on its aesthetic all the time.”

 

 

 

Jordan Tice is a member of progressive bluegrass band Hawktail and also performs with Yola. His fifth album as a solo artist, Motivational Speakeasy, puts his voice and his guitar front and center. Based in Nashville, Tice is eagerly awaiting his Yamaha custom FG to be completed and delivered.

“I really enjoyed playing that new Yamaha FS model with mahogany back and sides for my Fretboard Summit show in Chicago,” Tice says. “It had the features I love from old Yamahas combined with high quality materials and modern boutique craftsmanship. It had quite a nice range but remained balanced and focused and I was also impressed with the depth of the tone — a good amount of low end without feeling muddy, tubby or unclear. It plays very nicely too — love the feel of the neck and it had a very nice string tension. A lot of great music has been made on Yamaha guitars over the years and hearing them take these styles to the next level is really cool. I would play that guitar all the time both live and at home if I had it.”

As a singer-songwriter, Isaac Horn from The Arcadian Wild believes that a guitar’s rosewood back and sides can “hug the voice and create this really wide, open area that you can sing into.” Upon first seeing the prototype of his own Yamaha custom FG, Horn noticed a design on the fret overlays that he had never seen before. He also admired the beauty and elegance of the rosette, the purfling, and even the pickguard. The Adirondack top of the guitar was also shaved down to allow for the quiet playing that Horn sometimes prefers.

“It was really reassuring because I knew that Andrew and the team were making choices that were really creative and intentional,” he says in a video interview about the guitar. “My expectations have been exceeded for sure.”

Editor’s Note: Read our Q&A with Senior Acoustic Guitar Builder Andrew Enns and see how Yamaha Guitars have guided numerous well-known musicians to their signature sound.

Loretta Lynn Receives a CMT Tribute by Brandi Carlile, Keith Urban, and More

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One of the most beloved performers in country music history earned an eloquent and emotional tribute in a live CMT taping titled Coal Miner’s Daughter: A Celebration of the Life & Music of Loretta Lynn. Presented without commercials at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville on Sunday night (October 30), the broadcast offered tributes from Little Big Town, Darius Rucker, and many other artists who admired her. Enjoy a few musical highlights below.

Editor’s Note: Two additional CMT commercial-free encore airings on Wed., Nov. 2 at 8p/7c & Sun., Nov. 6 at 11a/10c.

Brandi Carlile sings “She’s Got You,” which Loretta Lynn also recorded as a 1977 tribute to her late friend, Patsy Cline. Carlile returned to the stage to perform “Coal Miner’s Daughter” with The Highwomen and guest Brittney Spencer.

Alan Jackson sings “Where Her Heart Has Always Been,” a song he originally composed for his mother. He told the audience that Lynn always reminded him of his own mother, and that he felt the song’s message applied to Lynn, too.

Margo Price is one of many female artists who admired Loretta Lynn for her songwriting ability and tell-it-like-it-is approach to lyricism. With a pure country delivery, she sang one of Lynn’s most controversial hits, “The Pill.”

Lynn’s granddaughter Emmy Russell joined Lukas Nelson for “Lay Me Down.” Lynn recorded the ballad with Lukas’ dad, Willie Nelson, in 2016. Russell also recalled how Lynn would often bring her from side stage to sing a few songs.

George Strait, the King of Country Music, saluted a fellow member of country music royalty with “Don’t Come Home A-Drinkin’ (With Lovin’ on Your Mind).” The feisty single, which Lynn co-wrote, became her first No. 1 country hit in 1967.

Tanya Tucker kept it country for her homage to Loretta Lynn, singing “Blue Kentucky Girl.” Although Lynn didn’t write the song, it perfectly captured her own Kentucky roots, and became one of her earliest hits on Decca Records in 1965.

Keith Urban carried his Ganjo to the Grand Ole Opry stage to deliver a charming rendition of her 1971 hit, “You’re Lookin’ at Country.” Urban also shared a playful voicemail and reminisced about being her date at an awards show.

Jack White revived the title track of Van Lear Rose, one of Lynn’s best-loved and most acclaimed albums. As the 2005 project’s producer, White helped bring Lynn back into the spotlight and shared the Grammy for Best Country Album.

Photo Credit: Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for CMT

WATCH: Jill Barber, “Joint Account” (Feat. Slow Leaves)

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Artist: Jill Barber
Hometown: Vancouver, BC
Song: “Joint Account” (Feat. Slow Leaves)
Album: Homemaker
Release Date: February 10, 2022
Label: Outside Music

In Their Words: “The artist Slow Leaves is one that I have admired for a few years. We had never crossed paths in person, but I found his music very resonant and relatable. During the pandemic I reached out to him about the possibility of us co-writing a song remotely over Zoom, and thankfully he agreed. This duet playfully pulls back the curtain on a romantic proposition, exposing the inherent pragmatism in joining forces with another person. It explores love, marriage, and commitment through the lens of a contract.” — Jill Barber

WATCH: Sunny War, “No Reason”

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Artist: Sunny War
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “No Reason”
Album: Anarchist Gospel
Release Date: February 3, 2023
Label: New West Records

In Their Words: “I feel like there are two sides of me. One of them is very self-destructive, and the other is trying to work with that other half to keep things balanced. Everybody is a beast just trying their hardest to be good. That’s what it is to be human. You’re not really good or bad. You’re just trying to stay in the middle of those two things all the time, and you’re probably doing a shitty job of it. That’s ok, because we’re all just monsters.

“This album represents such a crazy period in my life, between the breakup and the move to Nashville and my dad dying. But now I feel like the worst parts are over. What I learned, I think, is that the best thing to do is just to feel everything and deal with it. Just feel everything.” — Sunny War

Photo Credit: Joshua Black Wilkins