In the Community

Kristen Ford, queer singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, kicked off her North American tour for her latest album “Pinto” at the Crystal Saloon on August 30. Delivering a blend of indie rock and folk, the show was the first in her eight-stop tour spanning Alaska, Washington, Oregon and California.

Originally inspired by acts like Ani DeFranco and Blink-182, Ford picked up the guitar at 14 and has been crafting her own genre since.

In an interview with KXLL ahead of her show, Ford described her work.

“It is really freeing to be a solo artist. I do live looping, and a lot of different effects pedals to layer harmonies and guitar effects,” Ford said. “I don’t want to be one of those people that say ‘You can’t define my music,’ but I just like music.”

? Listen back to the full conversation below.

The 40^th annual Alaska Folk Festival is now in its fifth day. This year’s dance band, the Gallus Brothers, will play tonight at the Juneau Arts and Culture Center. Here’s an audio postcard about the band.

Tune in to every concert of the 40th Annual Alaska Folk Festival, Monday – Sunday. Evening concerts begin at 7 and Afternoon concerts begin at Noon on Saturday & Sunday.

The 40^th annual Alaska Folk Festival is underway in Juneau. Tonight, Folk Fest veteran Jack Fontanella plays with Collette Costa in “Costa’s Second Line Jamboree” at 8pm at Centennial Hall.

I recently caught up with him for ideas on how to enjoy the festival the most.

Christy NaMee Eriksen may be best known in the Juneau arts community as an organizer of the Woosh Kinaadeiyi open mic and poetry slam. She also teaches poetry and spoken word, or performance poetry, in Juneau schools and community organizations. Eriksen identifies as a writer, multidisciplinary artist, and community activist, and recently combined these passions to produce a CD called “How to tell if a Korean Woman Loves You.” Eriksen is throwing a release party tonight, Friday, which will include live music and performance. KTOO’s Scott Burton spoke with Eriksen to learn about the motivation for her art and the project.

 

Rachael Juzeler’s show, “Favorite Things,” opens this Friday, March 7th at the Juneau Arts and Culture Center. KTOO’s Scott Burton sat down with her early in the week to talk about her process and what to expect on Friday.