In June, luminary guitarist Marisa Anderson shared ‘Waking‘, the lead single from her forthcoming solo album Still, Here, which will be released on September 23rd, 2022. For her second album single, she turns to an early Mexican folk song for inspiration with “La Llorona” – a story of a vengeful spirit who roams waterfront areas (translated as “The Weeping Woman”). If this sounds familiar, then it may be because English folk singer Jackie Oates was also recently inspired by the very same legend with her new single that shares the same name.
However, the comparisons end there as musically, they are poles apart. Anderson’s rendition has a clear Mexican influence and pairs the physical sound of a nylon string acoustic guitar with a hazy, otherworldly electric guitar, taking inspiration from Mexican guitarist Antonio Bribiesca.
She says:
“I’ve loved this song for a long time, I don’t know where I first heard it. Like many traditional songs there are multiple versions, different origin stories. I’m indebted to Antonio Bribiesca for my version of “La Llorona”. He was an incredible Mexican guitarist, extremely prolific and strangely quite unknown. He does a great instrumental version of this song, and he also accompanied the singer Chavela Vargas for a long time. Dozens of people have recorded this song, Chavela’s later versions are probably my favorite.”
The results are beautifully nuanced and masterful, but anyone familiar with Anderson, one of America’s most interesting and talented guitar players and composers, will hardly be surprised. As her label Thrill Jockey so eloquently put it: “Her music is inviting and candid, beckoning the listener into sprawling ecosystems and intimate corners alike, from barren landscapes to verdant thickets, impassioned communal experiences to pensive reclusions. As a master of her instrument, Anderson translates abstractions into undeniably moving music, tracing through traditional folk tunes, imagined Sci-Fi films, and foggy sanctuaries of sound. Still, Here is Anderson at her most direct, laying bare her practice of processing and understanding the world through music and distilling that practice into pieces as expressive as they are transfixing.”
Listen via Spotify | Apple Music
Pre-order Marisa Anderson’s Still, Here:
https://thrilljockey.com/products/still-here
Marisa Anderson 2022 Tour Date
Jul. 9 – Saugatuck, MI – Ox-Bow Meadow w/ Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, Joan Shelley, Bitchin’ Bajas [tickets]
Aug. 19 – Glasgow, UK – Glad Cafe *
Aug. 20 – Crickhowell, UK – Green Man Festival * [tickets]
Aug. 21 – Bristol, UK – The Cube *
Aug. 22 – London, UK – Cafe Oto ^ [tickets]
Aug. 24-26 – Aarhus, DK – Alter Festival * [tickets]
Aug. 28 – Antwerp, BE – De Nor Events * [tickets]
Aug. 31 – Koln, DE – venue TBC *
Sep. 1-2 Eupen, BE – Meakusma Festival * [tickets]
Sept. 15 – Belfast, UK – venue TBC
Sept. 16-17 – Cork, IE – Clonakilty International Guitar Festival [tickets]
Sept. 20 – Lausanne, CH – Cinema Oblò
Sept. 21 – Geneva, CH – Cave 12
Sep. 29 – Brussels, BE – AB
Oct. 1 – Nantes, FR – Le Lieu Unique Room, Le Grand Atelier
Oct. 23 – Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios
* William Tyler duo shows
^ William Tyler duo show, plus solo sets