Tag: Genesis

Basic Folk: Joy Oladokun (Reissue)

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

(Editor’s Note: Welcome to our Reissue series! For the next several weeks, Basic Folk is digging back into the archives and reposting some of our favorite episodes alongside new introductions commenting on what it’s like to listen back. Enjoy!

This episode featuring Lizzie No interviewing Joy Oladokun was originally posted on February 24, 2022.)

Joy Oladokun grew up in Arizona listening to her dad’s extensive record collection and falling in love with the wide and wondrous world of rock and roll. You can hear these diverse sonic influences, from Genesis to Tracy Chapman, in Joy’s rootsy, contemporary, and pop-savvy 2021 album, in defense of my own happiness. Of particular note are her superpowers for melody and smart repetition, which have made her a force to be reckoned with ever since she made the leap from LA to Nashville to make a life as a musician.

LISTEN: APPLE • SPOTIFY • AMAZON • MP3

Joy is not only a phenomenal songwriter, but she’s also fearless and hilarious on social media. Believe it or not, it was Twitter that brought us together and catalyzed this Basic Folk interview. It was fascinating to hear her talk about how she uses her platform as a rising star in indie pop and folk to create the kind of world she wants to see. She’s using emotional transparency as a tool for political change; she is healing in public and gently nudging others to heal as well. Her single, “keeping the light on,” is the perfect distillation of her radical softness.

 

LISTEN: Fireside Collective, “And the Rain Came Down”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Fireside Collective
Hometown: Asheville, North Carolina
Song: “And the Rain Came Down”
Release Date: September 24, 2021
Label: Mountain Home Music Company

In Their Words: “A few years back, I was listening to a story on NPR about some of the intensifying storms that had been hitting the coastal regions of the Southeast. At one point, the host said ‘the rain came down, and the rain came down…’ and for some reason it stuck with me. I jotted it down in my notebook and started thinking of ways to use it in a song. It didn’t hit me until about a month into COVID, when there was still so much uncertainty and nobody really knew what was going to happen. It just so happened that I had recently begun reading the Old Testament from a historical/analytical perspective and the story of the Great Flood in Genesis seemed to resonate with our current times. I started thinking of the whole experience as a paradigm shifting event, much like the events of Genesis. There were so many parallels between the never-ending storms of Noah’s time and the sociopolitical events that took place during the first few months of the pandemic.

“Despite the song’s somber overtones and the uncertainty of the story, there is still a message of hope. The sailor in the song seems to understand that despite the endless storms and the rising waters, behind the clouds the light still shines. He keeps pushing on despite the challenges he faces with hopes of a brighter day. Many people in the music industry were forced to find silver linings and to push through the storms in the last year and a half. Fireside Collective has found many ways to reinvent ourselves and to use the situation to better ourselves. Even though we still face unprecedented challenges, we are fortunate to be able to still create music and find ways to share our art with the world. We are beyond thrilled to release ‘And the Rain Came Down’ and we are so delighted to be able to record new music. We know there are brighter days ahead and we have never appreciated the ability to play music for a living as much as we do right now.” — Jesse Iaquinto, Fireside Collective

Photo credit: Jace Kartye

WATCH: Hayden Pedigo, “Carthage”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Hayden Pedigo
Hometown: Amarillo, Texas
Song: “Carthage”
Album: Letting Go
Release Date: September 24, 2021
Label: Mexican Summer

In Their Words: “‘Carthage’ is a track I wrote for 12-string guitar as a tribute to my hero Anthony Phillips, who was a founding member of Genesis. I really wanted to capture this angelic, ethereal feeling that Anthony’s music always brought to me. For this live video, Gilles [of video producers Rocco and Gilles] had the idea to record the song live to tape and on playback the tape had a weird, foggy, strange sound and at points almost started to fall apart like William Basinski’s The Disintegration Loops. The live tape audio really brought out the birds singing and the ambient sounds going on in the woods, and combined with the tape sound, I loved the way it turned out. It almost brings a completely different feel than the album version which is very maximalist!” — Hayden Pedigo

Photo credit: Jonathan Bergen