UPDATE: September 22, 2019: Anna Tivel just won the No Depression Singer-Songwriter award for 2019. We would like to extend a congratulations to her, as well as the other winners and finalists. Scroll below for a live version of the title track from her award-winning album, produced by Shane Leonard.

So of course, I heard about Anna Tivel in the folksiest possible way: my wife’s best friend, who also sings with me, was once roommate with Anna’s sister. I can’t even.

She happened to mention that Anna was coming through town, so I found her on Spotify, and immediately placed her on our top playlist. She’s that good. So, because her songs are great, and because her producer is someone who’s work I am familiar with, I brought my new camera over and took some video from the first set. It was a wonderful performance, and although in some ways music preferences are splintering wildly right now around the world, occasionally we can all find something to agree on. The music of Anna Tivel presents the best of what folk music has to offer, blended with a unique attitude of the Pacific Northwest that creates a quintessential sort of synergy. It is that relationship between an artistic soul, a connection with a sense of home, and the itinerant schedule of a touring musician that can yield such rich rewards in the emotional space between longing and satisfaction. With the sweetness of her vocal punch, the beautiful language of her melodies, and the dulcet tones of her effortless narratives, we are given entrée to the inner workings of a spiritual and deeply poetic worldview.

As you can see from the video below, her shows are full of wonderful interactions between Anna and the audience. With recent support from NPR and No Depression, 2019 is set to be Anna Tivel’s biggest year yet.

Anna Tivel is a folk musician based in Portland. This song is featured on our Roots Collection playlist. This performance was in Ashland, OR on May 12, 2019.