What is Folk Sustainability?

A few days ago, I took a moment to step off the Struggle Bus, the imaginary vehicle I feel like I’ve been trapped on lately, and assessed the situation. There are many factors in life we can’t control, but we can always take initiative in creating some sense of movement and change. Here is a wee bitty toy sailboat I’m sending across a lake; let’s see where the wind will take it. Regardless of where it ends up, it will have created some ripples.

These days, the word “sustainability” often pertains to saving the environment. But there are layers of meaning in this little word, “sustain,” and it can be applied to every aspect of life. To sustain means to endure, to bear the weight, to nourish, to validate. It is my mantra upon waking these days, “I can sustain this. I will get through this.” And what is this? This is quitting a job to help a seriously ailing parent and all of the feelings involved (my horror with our broken healthcare system grows daily).  With all that’s going on, I figure it’d be extremely good for morale to focus some energy on creating and documenting some positive, personal change. And lo, Laura’s Folk Sustainability Project is born!

Google tells me the term “Folk Sustainability” doesn’t exist. Well, it does now. I added “folk” for a couple of reasons. Obviously, I’m a folk musician. As agents of change and keepers of the people’s music, I think every folk artist should look into a sustainable lifestyle. But “folk” is also another word for traditional and ordinary. Folky things are common knowledge. They are totally accessible to everyone. I’m no expert in sustainability, but with a little exploration, I’d like to think I can find my own way down the righteous path of Sustainability, both as a musician and as a citizen of this planet.

Three types of sustainability will be covered in the Folk Sustainability Project:

1)      Sustainable Lifestyle: Minimizing This Musician’s Ecological Footprint.
2)      Sustainable Music: Making Money in Today’s Changing Music Industry.
3)      Sustainable Social Activism: Standing Up. Speaking Out. Taking Action.

All three are deeply interrelated, but separate topics. No doubt I will be grappling with that issue in future entries. I’ll be learning as I go, and I welcome your suggestions and comments. I hope this project will be a source of great information, healing and strength for everyone, not just me.

And look at that, it’s Chinese New Year. What a perfect day to start.

Who is Laura Joy?

Chicago-based singer-songwriter Laura Joy has been known to quell dark, angry bars full of ornery old Irishmen. Drawing comparisons that range from Joni Mitchell to Alison Krauss, Laura’s percussive finger picking and buoyant voice have graced audiences from as far as the Sun Belt to the streets of Manhattan.

Laura’s adventures in “Folk Sustainability” (a new endeavor for 2012) are regularly documented in her blog (www.laurajoymusic.com). Join her as she attempts to simultaneously minimize her carbon footprint while increasing musical output.

Backstory:

In third grade, Laura was the awkward new kid. With her lofty dreams of popularity shattered by unfashionable eye wear and a shy demeanor, Laura tried out for the school musical. She landed a solo and has been singing her way through life ever since. In college, Laura started playing guitar and writing songs because it was fun, and fun was necessary. Music didn’t come into her life as a vocation; it was just something that had always made her heart feel good. Guitar in tow, Laura received her BA in English, moved to New York City, fell madly in love, and got married.

Life moved fast in the city. On her way to work, Laura’s feet smeared a quote De La Vega had written on the sidewalk: “The pressure of survival in the big city will make you lose sight of your dream… Hang in there.” She was hanging in there, but her dream of making music was put on hold when her husband lost his job and they had to cover a newly acquired mortgage. At the same time, Laura’s mom’s health began to rapidly decline, forcing her to make frequent trips to Arizona while balancing life in New York. Music sat quietly, waiting, while Laura held up to three jobs at a time, including a few well-regarded positions in the arts as a project coordinator for high-profile jazz artists and as a manager of a small off-Broadway theatre on the East Village. She played gigs at night, doing shows across New York state and in Phoenix whenever she was able.

From 2007 – 2010, Laura was featured in the Jezebel Music Songwriter Showcase at Laila Lounge in Brooklyn and was a member of NY/NJ Port Authority’s exclusive “Tunes in the Terminal” program. She opened for Nedra Johnson and Staceyann Chin in Brooklyn (CattyShack, Michfest Halfway Soirée) and shared a night in Phoenix, AZ with Raina Rose and Namoli Brennet. For 3 years, Laura helped organize and host the successful Paradigm Shift Event Series highlighting feminist inspired art and performance at various venues across The Lower East Side in NYC.

When Laura’s marriage fell apart in 2010, she started gathering the materials for her latest CD. “What I Know” was released on June 30^th, 2011. It was recorded and mixed by Grammy-award winning engineer, Dae Bennett, and produced by Suzi Reynolds. The well-received album is a collection of songs about what Laura knows: love, laughter, and heartbreak. With the CD pressed and a new job lined up, Laura packed up her belongings and moved to Chicago to start over. From there, Laura continues to play gigs nationwide, splitting her time between Arizona, Chicago and New York.

REVIEWS

“When you listen to Laura Joy, it sparks a happy feeling deep inside of you… although most artists have a sound; Laura Joy has her sound.”
- Vernon Tart, CultureBomb.net

“Laura Joy is a breath of fresh air. With a percussive fingerstyle guitar reminiscent of Ani DiFranco and a songwriting flair that recalls the likes of Joni Mitchell and Rebecca Martin, Laura Joy crafts personal tales in song that are both touching and entertaining.”
- Wildy Haskell, Wildy’s World

“Folk music so pretty you’ll have to stop your ears from floating away. “
- TheFreeGeorge.com

Hello 2012

I am in New York City for the first time in a year. Last night, I played at a beautiful benefit event for Paradigm Shift on the Lower East Side. It was a friggin’ love-fest with some of my favorite people gathered together for a great cause. Hamell on Trial rocked our socks off. It was exactly what I needed.

Now, here I am drinking a cappuccino and eating a froufy salad. I’m trying to enjoy a two-day vacation before dealing with what’s next. But my brain won’t back off. “What’s next? What’s next? WHAT’S NEXT?!!” And the more I attempt to answer this question, the more I realize that I have no way of knowing or controlling what’s next. By day 12, I’ve raised a white flag and am calling 2012 “The Year of Surrender”.

Currently, I have a one-way ticket to Phoenix. I’ll be leaving on Saturday. This topic does a little tap dance on the line between public and private information. On the one hand, it’s extremely personal. On the other hand, it’s a very large part of my life and it is deeply tied to my relationship with music.

My mom is very sick. She has been sick for years with a disease that doctors have failed to identify or treat. It is a degenerative neurological condition without a name. They’ve called it CFS, Fibromyalgia, Parkinsons, MSA… Whatever it is, no matter what drugs they’ve pumped into her, mom’s body has remained locked in a process of slow shutdown since I was in 3rd grade.

I started writing songs because it was the one thing that felt right. Everything at home was wrong, but music was right. It actually had the power to make unhappy people feel happy again. That was magic to me. In the beginning, mom was always the first to hear my new songs. She hasn’t ever been able to see me play live outside of her living room, but she tells everyone with pride that her daughter is a musician.

So now, where do things stand? Have we finally reached the last stage of this illness? It is definitely a transition point where certain things need to be taken care of at home. Thus far, I’ve experienced nothing more painful than watching mom struggle without a cure for years. In the end, the best thing I can do is simply listen to what she has to say.

But in the name of sanity, I also have to listen to myself. This ends up being surprisingly difficult. My various little inner-voices, incessant inner-monologues, blahblahblah. And somewhere in that mess, my heart is whispering what I’m actually feeling or supposed to be doing. It’s so easy to just look to the outside world for guidance. But rarely does that actually get you where you need to be.

So I am sitting here poking at the leftover bits of my froufy salad (turns out there is such a thing as too much arugula), listening. And all I hear is, “Everything will work out.” Giving up my day job so I can go to Arizona for a little while to take care of some important things is what I need to do. Of course, I’m not thrilled with the scenario, but I’m also feeling extremely fortunate that things are falling into place so that I’m able to help. Lead the way, heart. Off we go, into 2012. I’m actually listening, for once.