Area woman to perform at fest

July 24, 2008 06:42 pm

— Hailing from the state that birthed The Flaming Lips and Woody Guthrie, Samantha Crain of Okemah will return to her home state and to Tulsa to perform at Dfest at 9 p.m. Saturday on Dirty’s Tavern stage.
Crain comes from a folk tradition indebted to Radiohead as much as Bob Dylan, and a literary sense more in keeping with Carson McCullers and Flannery O’Connor than her songwriting contemporaries, according to a media release. At only 21 years of age, the Choctaw Indian singer-songwriter has released “Confiscation,” out July 22 on Ramseur Records, home to the Avett Brothers, the Everybodyfields, Carolina Chocolate Drops and more.
“Every second, everybody is being fulfilled or robbed, and when that happens, there is a story,” Crain said. “Everybody has a story and they are stories of redemption or they are stories of betrayal.”
Like fellow Native American folk singer Karen Dalton, onetime muse to Bob Dylan who has been rediscovered by artists ranging from Devendra Banhart to Nick Cave, Crain is earthy and spiritual at the same time.
Her lyrics are about disaster and dark times peacefully coexisting.
Traditional folk arrangements have the help of drumming by Jacob Edwards and the beating bass of Andrew Tanz.
She completed dozens of self-releases and several national tours before signing to Ramseur Records and booking agency Concerted Efforts. Listen to music at www.myspace.com/samanthacrain and catch Crain and her backing band, The Midnight Shivers.

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