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Photo Courtesy Of: Giant Eye Photography
Named after a town of 19 in the Northern Great Plains, Ismay represents the work of singer/songwriter Avery Hellman. Just as with the name, Ismay seeks to uncover ways in which the place we live changes us, and how the natural world provides deeper meaning. For Ismay, a life lived in rural California connects them with the landscape, providing a freedom to express gender identity, and the space to create music. Mystical lyricism, ethereal vocals, and dynamic fingerpicking on guitar are the defining features of their music. With works covering wild horses to wildfire, Ismay’s sound is unmistakably connected to the landscape in which they live.
Ismay performs as both a solo artist, duo, and a full band, with a combination of electric fingerpicking guitar drums, bass, cello, and violin. Additionally, Ismay plays a unique set combining storytelling and songs, which debuted at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass in October 2019.
Today we’re thrilled to premiere her new song “The Stones” – streaming below! The track is from her new album Songs of Sonoma Mountain, coming out in February 2020. “The Stones” begins with beautiful guitar-work and unfolds into a captivating narrative that does a great job of painting a picture for the listener. Fantastic song – short but sweet…very happy we get to share this one!
On the song:
“While on the Klamath River, I was out trying to record oral histories, and heard about this nylon string guitar player Rex. We drove down a dirt road on a cliff to what must have been one of the most remote towns in California, and all the while I was thinking about all of the questions I’d ask. We arrived to his house was which was hand-built, and waited patiently for several hours while he talked. Only after those hours of listening did he share that he wouldn’t be willing to talk on tape. But, he was willing to show us something very few people had seen. So he brought us into the bedroom, and opened a box. There were a few plain looking rocks, and he explained he had found this unique rock right here on the Klamath, and then revealed what was so special–after turning on a special light, you could see what looked like galaxies of stars there in the stones.”
On the importance & impact of the Klamath River:
I first found out about the Klamath River when I read a book in college about Food Justice. The issues surrounding indigenous people and their access to culturally appropriate foods really made me reflect on the complexity of or food system, as well as the continuing issues indigenous people face to this day. I had forgotten about that book after leaving college, until I was on tour and drove over a bridge with two golden bears on both ends, high above the Klamath River. At that time, it felt like fate–like many people in their early twenties I was looking for a way to define my purpose, and that river gave me purpose.
After pouring over maps and traveling to the Klamath many times over a couple of years, I found a route from the beginning of the river to the end, about 300 miles. If you want to find out what happened after I decided to try and follow the rivers entire length, check out a little video I made called Songs of the Klamath. It came to mean something very different from the end than in the beginning.
Stream the track below and be sure to connect online for more!
Ismay on Facebook | Instagram | Official Site
