Ysa!
Ysa exploded on the scene here in town last spring when Chamomile and Whiskey held a competition for an emerging artist to open their St. Paddy's Day show at the Jefferson. Ysa won and she's been on a tear since, pulling the kinda G's most artists only dream of.
Let's set the dials for this conversation about this powerful new Cville singer/songwriter. And sorry if this takes a sec but it's important and Old Hank finished his diner breakfast and has Monday morning time on his hands.
We're swimming in Indie Folk these days.You can also call it Indie Rock depending on the artist's band configuration. Indie Folk often evolves into Indie Pop as success pushes the artist to collaborate with big name producers who take the bedroom and acoustics out of their sound and replace it with lavish, polished arrangement. Jack Antonoff has made bank identifying these up and coming artists, swooping them up and into the studio.
The modern form of the genre got it's lift from its Queen, Brandie Carlisle. And then booster rocket acceleration from the solo artists who make up the super group Boy Genius--Lucy Dacus, Julien Baker and Phoebe Bridgers.
A “love 'em or hate 'em” rogue asteroid of an Indie Folker who periodically enters our solar system with something weird and interesting is Lana Del Rey. With record titles like Norman Fucking Rockwell and Chemtrails over the Country Club, you know you are dealing with a talented alien here.
OK great. Some good music and a decade plus of giving voice to the concerns and emotions of their fans.
But like most any maturing era of a genre, it loses its ferocity. The rage and revenge fantasy of The Joke gives way to Planting Tomatoes. Money and estates and cars and fashion and watches and LA and the lack of panicking every morning when you wake up gives way to happiness.
It can happen fast. Listen to Clairo's "Sexy to Someone" and you can literally feel the emotion drained from an artist by a producer armed with a bag full of studio Prozac.
It's that sense of ferocity the early founders of the genre Joni Mitchell then Ani DeFranco and that jagged little pill, Alanis Morrisette, never lost.
And THOSE were the names that the Mysterious Chrissy and I were kicking around as we watched Cville’s own Ysa at the Southern last Friday night. The Mysterious Chrissy, it turns out, is one of those music fans that actually listens to lyrics (she rides with and rides herd over the Mysterious Jon who has logged some fine posts on this blog).
About halfway into the second or third song we turned to each other and I mouthed "Alanis" at the same time TMC barked "DeFranco".
I'm just going to shut up and back up the argument that Ysa is a standard bearer of Indie Folk lyrical ferocity for a new generation with her song Feed Me Honey:
Remember when we didn’t have to fight so hard to get to sleep?
Remember you sink i sink?
Even though you know the sea terrifies me
Kiss it better baby
Use me up and
Torture me then repeat
Examine how i’ll make myself bleed so you can paint your love
All over me
Did you know you really suck at painting?
And more at loving?
Well pour your love straight down my throat and feed me honey so don’t
Gag and choke on that aftertaste
Someone who loves to use and leave me alone
You know i’m exhibiting symptoms of someone who is just really not in control
I’m coming down with a case of i’m chronically addicted to your tongue
Kiss me like i’m the only one
Well now my minds gone numb and i fear that for you
I may have become
Just another boring bitch
So did i make your latest list of
People who just never understood
You know your grievance song is getting mighty long
At this point nobody is listening
After minute 70 the chorus
It gets old
It’s never crossed your mind somehow after verse 99
Maybe it’s just all your fault?
Well i think God i’m not the only one
So you can pour your love straight down my throat just
Feed me honey so i don’t choke
See what I mean?
We can't wait to watch as more fans and the music world at large discover the beauty of Ysa’s voice, the intricacy of her guitar work (she seems to change tunings from song to song) and the raw strength of her writing.
A couple of important notes.Ysa was really artfully supported by Michael Coleman (Free Union) on bass and Judah Brown (Jen Tal) on drums. There was a gorgeous moment on stage between Ysa and Michael when you felt her main character energy and so did that talented veteran. You could tell he adores her. It went something like…
Ysa: “Wait a minute, my bass player needs to say something to me…(pointed theatrical look to Michael)
MC: “(Laughs) Oh just shut up!”
Crowd: Laughter.
If you were there you felt the love and respect.
We're blessed with a handful of Indie Folkers in our little corner of the music world who bare the teeth that make this genre (or any) meaningful.
Erynn McLeod has spoken ferociously about the failure of family, the preening and all-consuming parental ego that burns houses down but also the strength they pass on that rebuilds them.
Sally Rose Monnes (if you only know them with Shagwuf their new solo work is Indie Folk and was featured at the Newport Folk Fest!) reminds us of Joni and her 60's cohorts who tirelessly fought the violent reactionary rot that, generation after generation, threatens to destroy our country and society from within.
Go see all 3 whenever you get the chance. Hell, we'd buy a ticket to a show that featured all 3!
Are you listening Southern Cafe and Music Hall?
