Woody Guthrie once said, “It’s a folk singer’s job to comfort disturbed people and to disturb comfortable people.” I’ve kept that line with me, and often thought about it when I began writing the songs that would become my debut album, “Siren’s Song.”
One of the songs I wrote, in October of 2017, is a tribute to the folks dealing with the aftermath of gun violence. It’s something that has destroyed communities, broken up families, and traumatized countless numbers of people. We know these tragedies happen daily, and have almost normalized them because they occur so often. Too often.
After hearing about the Las Vegas shootings in 2017, I was devastated, walking around in a daze of grief and despair for several days. One of the things I do remember reading in the newspaper days after was that a young womin, who was a survivor of the massacre and had just turned 18, told a reporter, “This is not something I’m supposed to see. I am not supposed to enter into adulthood like this.” Her words, and that particular line, struck a chord with me and lingered in my mind for a long while. I began to write out some lyrics and started humming to myself, and soon, “When Will We Learn” was born. It has been a tremendously comforting song as well as a harrowing song for me to experience and perform.
“Siren’s Song” debuted on May 4th, 2019, a day after what would have been Pete Seeger’s centennial birthday. It is my privilege, on what would have been Woody Guthrie’s 109th birthday (July 14th, 2021) to present my song, “When Will We Learn.” My hope in writing this song and making this video is that, indeed, the message can comfort disturbed people and disturb comfortable people.
Thanks to my supportive cast and crew, especially Vanessa Moreno Gentry, who worked tirelessly and poured her heart into directing and editing this video. Thank you for the long hours, the many meetings, and for sticking with this project, even through a global pandemic. I am eternally grateful to have the opportunity to collaborate make this kind of art with you!
xoxo
