Gaelynn Lea is a violinist, singer-songwriter, disability rights advocate, author, and public speaker. Born with osteogenesis imperfecta, Gaelynn began her musical journey with the support of a childhood music teacher and her musical family. This transcript is linked to the podcast and video version as well as show notes. You’ll hear about how her big break happened when she won NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Contest in 2016, which led to a fascinating creative life which in the last few years has included international touring and  scoring Macbeth on Broadway, starring Daniel Craig and Ruth Negga.  Gaelynn is really open to trying new things, and this really came through as she talked to me about how she’ll never have enough time to explore all her curiosities, reflections on her first compositions and songs, how she collaborated with  mentors Alan Sparhawk, and Charlie Parr, and how she created a new musical fable for the stage called Invisible Fences with disabled storyteller Kevin Kling. 

You’ll be hearing clips from some of  Gaelynn’s albums during the podcast, and her Bandcamp is linked in the show notes for you. We begin with a look at her upcoming memoir—It Wasn’t Meant to Be Perfect— a warm, funny and deeply-felt exploration of disability, music, and the messy creativity of an artist’s life. I  plan to welcome Gaelynn back  for a future episode focused on that work. You can find the pre-order link in the show notes.

Martha Redbone Interview: A Creative Life Rooted in Afro-Indigenous Identity and Appalachian Traditions

Transcript: podcast, video linked

Martha Redbone is acclaimed for her powerful performances as a singer, as well as her prize-winning song-writing, composition and arranging. For over 30 years she’s been in a successful collaboration with her partner Aaron Whitby and we talked about some of their new theatrical projects including Black Mountain Women, The Sex Variants of 1941, and Guardian Spirit: The Words of bell hooks.  Throughout this episode you’ll be hearing clips from Martha’s powerful album The Garden of Love  which sets the poetry of William Blake to the diverse music of Appalachia, written with Aaron and John McEuen of The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Many people think of the music, culture and history of Appalachia in terms of the blend of white settlers in the area, but Martha’s family heritage from Harlan county Tennessee include African-American, Cherokee, and Choctaw. She shared her experiences growing up with her grandparents as part of a coal-mining family, as well as the dramatic changes she has witnessed in Brooklyn over several decades. 

In this wide-ranging episode, you’ll also hear Martha’s great advice for self-care, maintaining boundaries and working collaboratively.  

 We started this conversation with Martha’s collaborations with clarinettist Tasha Warren and cellist Dave Eggar and if you missed my interview with Tasha last year it’s linked