On Saturday, October 18th, I was lying in bed, flipping through the TV channels, hoping to fall asleep. I stumbled across Austin City Limits on PBS. What I saw amazed me. I watched an electrifying performance by a musician named Valerie June. Her "organic moonshine roots music" is a mixture of R&B, Blues, Jazz, Blue Grass, and Country. She swirls it all together, adding a little bit of this and pinch of that, creating a sensuousness, hypnotic, hybrid marriage of folk rhythms and lyrics, serenading and captivating our imaginations and souls.
A master at the guitar, banjo, and other string instruments, Valerie spins her musical tales while tossing about her dreadlocks, up-swept into a curly coif. "Working Woman Blues" is one of my favorites by her. Here's video of Valerie performing the song in the Music Lounge at the Bumbershoot Music Festival in Seattle:
Another favorite was "Pushing Against A Stone" at the AFROPUNK Fest:
Valerie will be playing Carnegie Hall on February 13, 2015. For ticket information, please click here.
To learn more about Valerie and her music, please visit her website at valeriejune.com.
