Folk Alliance 2008: Janet Reno, Eliza Gilkyson Deliver Keynote

When I heard Janet Reno would be not only presenting an award, but also delivering a keynote address at the 20th Annual Folk Alliance conference this year, I was more than a little surprised. However, Reno has helped produce an album called Song of America (Buy Direct), which has celebrated some of the greatest Americana and folk songs throughout our history, updated and performed by contemporary artists.

Her address was somewhat brief, but outlined the importance of preserving traditional music. She addressed the imperative nature of folk music, how continuing to perform these songs is important, not only to pay tribute to our past, but to honor it and to keep the culture of folk music alive. She called Folk Alliance "one of the great contributors to America's strength at this time."

Also making a keynote address was celebrated folksinger/songwriter Eliza Gilkyson. She started her speech saying she'd "always wanted to open for Janet Reno. Think of the ways it could expand my fanbase." The job of folksingers, she said is to "take a simple thing and elaborate on it until it becomes....a jewel."

She performed a beautiful rendition of her song "Through the Looking Glass," which silenced the room. Later, she also addressed the role of politics in contemporary folk music, saying, "if ever there were a time to bring politics into folk music, now would be the time." She championed music as "the greatest language of our time," and encouraged songwriters to write message songs. But, she cautioned against the propensity for folksingers to sound preachy, or to become charicatures of themselves (ala A Mighty Wind). She suggested artists wishing to make statement songs first admit that they are plagued by the same racist, sexist, patriarchal ideologies against which they sing. "How can we write about something," she asked, "if we consider ourselves above it....[this] is a humbling process."

photo of Eliza Gilkyson © Kim Ruehl, licensed to About.com