While much of the U.S. – and really, much of the Northern Hemisphere – has been plunged into the frigid throes of winter, let’s stroll back to balmy summer and to Falkenberg, Sweden. During Rootsy Summer Fest ’24 our videographer friends at I Know We Should were once again on hand to capture a few special live performances of artists and musicians from the festival lineup. Earlier this year, we featured an entire series of sessions from Rootsy Summer Fest ’23 (view those videos here), so we’re especially pleased to bring you these special encore performances captured this August.
For our latest session, we’re excited to introduce our BGS audience to indie-folk artist Judy Blank. Born and raised in the Netherlands – though now based in Nashville, Tennessee – Blank has her own sort of transatlantic style, combining textures and tones from Music City, Los Angeles, Europe, and beyond. Pop sensibilities combine with a raw earthiness that feels authentic and grounded, while simultaneously polished and highly conceptualized.
Her first number, “Karaoke,” is warm and charming in this solo context, accompanied solely by her well-loved and broken-in Gibson acoustic guitar. The original song is pulled from Blank’s 2022 EP, Saddies, where the production is something of a broken dreamscape dressed in acoustic alt-pop and lush, layered vocals. The song still shines in this stripped down, solo setting – especially with the beautiful Falkenberg riverside as a background.
Blank continues with her second selection, “No, Thank You,” which she introduces slightly mischeviously: “I wrote this song when I first came to turns with my mortality…” If that intro doesn’t hook you, the first lyric will.
I’m not going to die tonight/ If that’s alright?
I’ll just stay alive/ That would be better…
Still, the song isn’t gratuitous or morose, a deft balancing act by the singer-songwriter. Whether the song’s speaker is addressing herself, another, or the Grim Reaper in their flowing cloak, the message here is striking and resonant.
It’s been a number of years since Blank’s most recent EP or full-length releases, and “No, Thank You” appears as yet unrecorded, so hopefully this is an indicator of new music coming from the artist soon. It’s certain her songs and lyrics will stick with listeners, echoing with an aftertaste of the mortality she addresses in the song. As she questions, “Who’s to say I’m not allowed to live forever?”
(Editor’s Note: Explore more of our Rootsy Summer Sessions and our nearly endless supply of live performances here.)
Video Credit: Brad Wagner, I Know We Should
