← All Of It with Alison Stewart
All Of It with Alison Stewart
Valerie June Performs 'Owls, Omens and Oracles' Live from CR5
00:26:32
Valerie June performs live in WNYC's studio five.
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- [00:00]
Alison Stewart
Foreign.
- [00:10]
Host/Interviewer
This is all of it on wnyc. I'm Alison Stewart. Singer songwriter Valerie June built a reputation for weaving folk, blues, gospel and soul into her music. Her latest album is titled Owls, Omens and Oracles. Produced by folk musician m. Ward, the 14 track album features vocals from the Blind Boys of Alabama to Nora Jones. It also features an excerpt from Valerie's book Maps for the Modern World, which is a collection of poems and original illustrations about cultivating community. Owls, Omens and Oracles is out now. So Malik, what did you think of the album?
- [00:48]
Elle Malik Anderson
Alison I thought the album was fantastic and I am so glad I got to produce this segment. I was actually supposed to see Valerie June perform before the segment at a party for a conference of radio professionals, but I got there late and I missed the whole thing. I know, scold me, it's okay, I still got to meet her. But something that sticks out about her is her personality. She's kind and sort of has this ethereal presence. It's almost cosmic. And when you listen to her sing, you hope a little bit of that attitude and positivity just rubs off on you. In your conversation with her, she discussed the album's inspiration, which involved meditating on peace and expressing feelings of joy. I think that's the perfect conversation to wrap up today's show. So let's take a listen.
- [01:48]
Host/Interviewer
Tell us about the first song we're going to hear, Endless Tree.
- [01:51]
Valerie June
Endless Tree is a song of togetherness. Trees have a hidden language that connects them to one another, whether they be a cypress, a willow, an oak, or an elm. And I think that we can learn a lot from nature. We can learn a lot from plants. They're old, they're wise, they're gorgeous, they're beautiful. And so they guided me to this song and I'm sharing the message with you.
- [02:12]
Host/Interviewer
This is Valerie June with Endless Tree.
- [02:18]
Alison Stewart
Are you ready to see? But why would we could all be free as branches of an endless tree May you seek and find it Although we may not all agree still live together peacefully Watching the news almost every night Telling the stories of all that ain't right but what could be done From a house and on sink on the sofa and feel so alone Getting the courage to do something small within this spirits of all that you saw Feeling the tiniest spark in your heart Cause only an anvil can light up the dawn Are you ready to see oh wow. We could all be free as branches Living in the tree and may you seek and find it Although we may not all agree still live together Peacefully Are you ready? Are you ready? People get it People get it People keep ready no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
- [03:57]
Valerie June
No, no, no, no, no.
- [03:58]
Alison Stewart
Tell me, my brother how love goes round Never too deep A recreated town City to country.
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Valerie June
Kindness is born There.
- [04:13]
Alison Stewart
Is a beauty indeed number one Just like the moo if you're on the couch and you're feeling alone May you feel Are you ready? To see where we could all be Free as branches Living in the street and maybe she can find it Although we may not all agree still live together peacefully Are you ready? Are you ready? People get it People get it People keep reading, say are you ready? I wanna be ready I wanna be ready I wanna be ready Ready to see a world where we could all be free as branches of an endless.
- [06:07]
Valerie June
Tree.
- [06:10]
Alison Stewart
And may we seek and find it Although we may not all agree still live together peacefully.
- [06:28]
Host/Interviewer
That was beautiful. That was Valerie June off her new album, Owls, Omens and Oracles with Endless Tree. You started telling us before you performed that about how we could learn so much from the trees. When you think about nature and you think about it as an inspiration, what is it about nature that's inspiring to you?
- [06:48]
Valerie June
Well, first off, beauty. And, you know, my aunt ran for Congress a few years ago in Indiana. She didn't win, but I was invited out to be a singer at a fundraiser for her. And she was asking me about politics in my music. And I said, well, really, my number one way of being political is singing about beautiful things. And I don't really, like, do much besides that. And she said, well, everything's political. Beauty is political. Everything. And it kind of like hit me that, yes, beauty is political, especially in this time where we face so much with the environment and the climate and everything, you know, trees and nature. Just simply being a gorgeous daffodil or a tulip on the street is an act of beauty, but also a political force. And so learning that from my great aunt helps me to see how beauty connects to the way we interact with each other and how we can learn a lot from our wise teachers, these ancient trees that are around us all the time. So I like to visit forests up and down the coast and all over the world wherever I go to learn from them.
- [08:02]
Host/Interviewer
It also sounds like your aunt's a great mentor.
- [08:04]
Valerie June
She is, believe it or not. She's so gentle. Thank God for that. But she's a great mentor.
- [08:11]
Host/Interviewer
The album's title is Owls, Omens and Oracles. It sounds sort of mystical, a little bit spiritual. If you like that? What's behind the album's title?
- [08:23]
Valerie June
Well, in Tennessee, I have a place on my family land and we've been there for 30 years. My family and I see all kinds of animals because there's a pond behind our house and we have like muskrats and snakes and frogs and everything you can imagine. Never have I seen an owl until the last year and a half. I'm talking 30 years and no owl. But the last year and a half, three times I was visited by an owl and I was just like, okay, I have to figure out what is this owl messenger trying to tell me? So I looked it up in many different ways and the first thing is that they represent wisdom and then they represent being able to see in the darkness and they carry a mystery, they have excellent vision and. And so I started to like, really see. What, what does that mean for me personally, but what does it also mean for us as human beings and the way that we can move through or navigate any dark times we might be facing collectively and individually. So that's what the owl represents.
- [09:24]
Host/Interviewer
It's so interesting. My late mom, in her college yearbook had a little owl, a little pen drawn owl underneath her. And people have given me owls.
- [09:35]
Valerie June
I loved it.
- [09:36]
Host/Interviewer
I have an owl on my bookshelf. I have them all over my house. It's so interesting to hear that it went to you. You saw it three times?
- [09:43]
Valerie June
Yes, three times. And by the third time I was like, okay, when I see something three times, because I do follow signs in my life, from a rainbow to a butterfly to sometimes bad omens too, like that mojo and juju from old blues singers. They got the hoodoo and the mojo working. I'm all about studying that. And so when I saw it three times, I was like, okay, I have a lesson here. And then this weekend I was touring in Richmond, Virginia and I walked into a vintage shop because I like to do that when I'm on the road. And there were all these owl necklaces and rings and stuff. And the lady was like, yeah, what do you call a group of owls? And. And I couldn't think of it off the top of my head, but it's called a wisdom. Isn't that cool? I mean, it's just the simplest thing, but it matters new every day.
- [10:34]
Host/Interviewer
My guest is Valerie June. Her new album is Owls, Omens and Oracles. When you sat down to think about this album, what challenges did you make for yourself? This album I'm going to.
- [10:49]
Valerie June
What?
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Host/Interviewer
I'm going to challenge myself.
- [10:51]
Valerie June
How well I'm gonna challenge myself to finally be brave enough to reach out to a musician that I admire and respect and have been a fan of for years. M. Ward. And if he says no, he says no, but if he says yes, he says yes. So the first time I mentioned it to him was at Newport Folk Festival. We were both on the same day on the same bill. And I said, em, I would love for you to produce the record for me sometime. And he said, oh, yeah, I'm down. And he very well could have said no, because I've received a lot of rejections from collaborations in the past. So I was scared, even with Nora. Nora Jones is on the record, and she's very good friends with Emme, and I could have asked her myself, but I was nervous, so I said, em, do you mind asking Nora if she'll sing on this song? And she said, absolutely, I'll sing on Sweet Things.
- [11:44]
Host/Interviewer
So what did you learn about yourself from those two lessons?
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Valerie June
Don't be afraid to ask. Even if the person says no, just go for it. Because it doesn't end a friendship or anything. People are busy, and maybe. I don't know why I was so nervous about receiving a yes or a no.
- [12:00]
Host/Interviewer
A lot of music critics use the word warm or sincere. In your singing voice, how did you develop comfort in singing the way you do, in your warmth, in your sincerity? How did you develop comfort and confidence?
- [12:18]
Valerie June
Really, I feel the most confident in my voice now than I ever have. Many years were spent when I first started singing in public, just trying to fit my voice into what was heard on the radio or what was acceptable for people or palatable. And I then started to really notice what voices I gravitated toward. And I gravitated toward people like Tom Waits or Karen Dalton or Joanna Newsome or Memphis Minnie. And they have, like, shrill, kind of squeaky, kind of edgy, kind of make you feel something voices. Even my favorite songs from Etta James aren't the polished ones. They're the gritty ones. And so I think we need beautiful, polished, gorgeous voices. I love those. I have a lot of them, even on this record with Blind Boys and Minnie. But we. Voices that, like, reflect the imperfections and emotion and just make us feel some rawness and make it break our hearts open sometimes make us ask the question, do I like that or don't I like that? How do I feel? Do I feel something today? And just being really in our feelings and our emotions in a song is something that takes me away and captivates me. So I Felt like, okay, I'm not gonna sound like everybody on the radio. I'm probably not gonna get played much on mainstream radio. I don't mind that. But, you know, I'm gonna be me. And I just fully walked into it with this record and I just said, you know what? On a song like trust the path I'm singing, we took everything live, and there's a crack and a break in my breath and in my voice, and we didn't throw it out. We actually absolutely love that. I cannot repeat it ever again. That moment is just like this photograph in time, vocally. And so having those moments is what really I an album. And I like about voices.
- [14:15]
Host/Interviewer
You also have the confidence to just be you.
- [14:19]
Valerie June
Yeah, right. Yeah.
- [14:20]
Host/Interviewer
When you're young, kind of, you sort of shift. You try to fit in, but as you get older, you understand, like, I'm me. And if you like it, great.
- [14:28]
Alison Stewart
Right.
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Host/Interviewer
If you don't, there's other stuff.
- [14:30]
Valerie June
There's true. That's why there's so much great music in the world for people to enjoy.
- [14:35]
Host/Interviewer
Stay with us. Singer songwriter Valerie June performs more songs from her new album, Owls, Omens, and Oracles. This is all of it from wnyc. We'll be right back. This is all of it on wnyc. I'm Alison Stewart. Valerie June's latest album, Owls, Omens and Oracles, is all about celebrating joy and positivity in the face of adversity. Here she is performing live. Let's hear another tune. We'd like to hear. Joy. Tell us a little bit about this before we hear it.
- [15:16]
Valerie June
Well, I really enjoy singing Joy, Joy because it's kind of like a mantra for me these days. I need to. I wake up in the morning mean whoo. I wake up mean Til I get my 10 cups of tea. You don't want to see me now. Grumpy and grouchy. But then as I go through the day, I realize joy is a practice and we have to have joy in our day. It doesn't necessarily mean you're happy, but it means you got joy in your heart.
- [15:55]
Alison Stewart
There is daylight. You can see that he's wanting to be free and light Deep inside our nutritious be gaddari you can find if you start to take the time to when it's right Rise and shine. The seas will part, the stars align. Will you find that joy? Joy in your soul? You find that joy? Joy in your soul? You find that joy? Joy in your soul?
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Valerie June
Will you find it?
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Alison Stewart
Joy dead Joy. Dad. Joy. Dad. Joy dad. Dad. Joy. Dad. Joy. And when you feel you're not enough as you sophur been hard and rough A golden seed beneath dark soul to seek the sun is often rough and when you flower no, not the air Never present superpower never vessels from below no one can tear Just trust and grow May you find that joy Joy in your soul May you find.
- [17:12]
Valerie June
When.
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Alison Stewart
You find that joy Joy in your soul where you find it you find that joy Joy in your soul.
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Valerie June
You.
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Alison Stewart
Find that joy that joy that joy that joy that joy that joy that joy that was a day not long ago when I thought I'd lost my glow. Tries looking out at everything Turns on a tight roof Wendy came and knocked me off Then I feel in each dream the weeds reflect my inner glow I found that joy Joy in my soul I found that joy Joy in my soul May you find it Found that joy Joy in my soul when you find it, you find that joy Joy in your. And so there is a light you can see that he's falling to be free.
- [18:36]
Host/Interviewer
Where do you call home now?
- [18:38]
Valerie June
I call home Brooklyn and Tennessee. I go back and forth and I have for the last decade between Bed Stuy and Humboldt, Tennessee, my little shack by the pond.
- [18:51]
Host/Interviewer
What happens to you in your little shack by the pond in Humboldt, Tennessee?
- [18:55]
Valerie June
Well, really, it's so tiny, you know, sharecropping shacks where like, you know, they kind of look like they've fallen apart and have shotgun, you know, one railroad style. So in there, there's not really much room to do anything but play my guitar and make tea and look out the window at all the animals that come to visit.
- [19:18]
Host/Interviewer
What's that like for you, living in such a city environment and a country environment?
- [19:23]
Valerie June
I love it. It's been a while actually that my life has been divided like that pretty much since I moved to New York. I've had kept my life separated in the countryside and. And I need it. I found I need it because I love fashion and I love, like just being able to walk out on the street in New York and be inspired just from looking at people. And also the accessibility of, oh my God, I need something that color right now. Socks, a ring, something and going and finding something that's got a magical color to it that we don't always have in my area. So it's really nice to have that. But in the area I'm at, I can go out and collect clovers, which I have a nice four leaf clover collection. I can grow the plants that I want to grow in the Actual ground and put my fingers in the ground, which doesn't really happen much up here, But I do have a lot of plants up here, too. I have a lot of plants. I love plants. Plants are kind of like my animals, because people are like, do you have pets? I'm like, no. I go on the road too much. I have plants, and I put bottles in there to feed them. And I have a partner and my mom that helped me with the plants as well.
- [20:39]
Host/Interviewer
So you're gonna be on tour. You're gonna be at the town hall on May 6. Tell me a little bit about the tour.
- [20:45]
Valerie June
Well, I cannot wait to be at Town hall because that venue is gorgeous. It's one of the most gorgeous venues that I have ever performed at. And I love the history of it being the lecture hall and all the musicians who've come through there. So when I go there, this will be, I think, my second or third time at Town Hall. I. Oh, my God. I think I'm almost famous. You know that movie, Almost Famous? I feel like that when I go up in there, and it's so exciting. And then from there, we're going to go up north, and we'll be all in Maine and Connecticut in different areas. And then we'll come back and we'll go to the middle of, like, to Chicago, Detroit, all the way down to Louisville, Nashville, Iowa, and all in the middle. And then we'll go on the west coast, and we'll start in San Diego and end in Seattle. And I love that west coast drive. That is. That, to me, is my nature connection. I go to Muir woods when I'm out there. I go visit all of the redwood trees. I go visit Douglas firs over there on the West Coast. And I just love watching the plants change as I move across the country and the world. And so that's pretty much been the joy of my life for the last, I would say, maybe a little more than a decade. I've been able to tour and explore live out of my suitcase. You're like, where do you live? I'm like, three days on the road. I'm all over this place.
- [22:14]
Host/Interviewer
The name of the album is Owls, Omens and Oracles. My guest has been Valerie June. You're gonna play us out on a song. What are we gonna hear?
- [22:22]
Valerie June
Wow. Well, I guess I'll play you another one. I played you Joy. Joy. I played you Endless Tree and Love.
- [22:32]
Host/Interviewer
Me Any Old Way.
- [22:33]
Alison Stewart
Yep. Doing it. All right on it.
- [22:35]
Host/Interviewer
She's doing it.
- [22:36]
Valerie June
And at Town hall, we're gonna have the horn showing out on this one. We got the best horn players in the world.
- [22:52]
Alison Stewart
Night or day no matter what f may say Just love me any.
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Host/Interviewer
Love.
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Alison Stewart
Me when I am down Love me when I am Especially when I'm in need don't pack your bags or try to leave Just love me any Any reason you the mini alley mmm.
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Valerie June
Just.
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Alison Stewart
A small gallery tree don't try to make it all just right.
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Valerie June
Don'T shine.
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Alison Stewart
The rust to hide the light Just.
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Valerie June
Be true and keep it real.
- [24:15]
Alison Stewart
Oh a heart that aches it is a heart that feels Love me when I am broke When I'm lost and seeking out in the darkness hold my hand tell you and it's pain Just love me anyway that you feel Lo Min Just long as we free she Love me anyway that you feel the manner of it as long as it's real as you as a street.
- [25:57]
Host/Interviewer
And that is all of it for this week. All of it is produced by Andrea Duncan Mao, Kate Hines, Jordan Loff, Simon Close, Zach Goderer Cohen, Elle Malik Anderson and Luke Green. Megan Ryan is the head of Live radio. Our engineers are Juliana Fonda, Amber Bruce and Irene Trudell. Luscious Jackson does our music. If you missed any segments this week, catch up by listening to our podcast, available on your podcast platform of choice. If you like what you hear, please leave us a great rating. I'm Alison Stewart. I appreciate you listening. I appreciate you and I'll meet you back here next time.
- [26:33]
Valerie June
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- [26:52]
Host/Interviewer
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- [26:54]
Valerie June
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