The legacy of Woody Guthrie stretches from the wind-swept fields of his native Oklahoma to the redwood forests to the gulf stream waters. His impact on American music is perpetually resonant and influences a new generation of musicians every decade.
Carrying on Guthrie's work are four guitar-wielding troubadours making their way across the land, playing to common men and women wherever they might be. The Ribbon of Highway-Endless Skyway tour brings together Jimmy LaFave, Ellis Paul, Slaid Cleaves and Eliza Gilkyson, mainstays on the folk scene. This tour promotes Guthrie's work through a collaboration of committed musicians recapturing the spirit of an enduring American icon. The Daily Cardinal recently spoke with tour organizer and musician Jimmy LaFave.
How's the tour going?
We're just pulling off the freeway, looking for a place to eat. You know, it's life on the road, just like Woody would have liked it. There's a train to the right of us, rattling down the rails.
What made you put together and be part of a Woody Guthrie tribute tour?
I just always really loved his music and all the performers on the show are into his music. The idea came up when we were playing at the Woody Guthrie Festival down in Oklahoma. We sing a few of his songs and read from his books in between.
Do you perform covers of only Guthrie's work?
It's definitely 95 percent Woody's work, from 'Pastures of Plenty' to 'This Land is Your Land.' We're certainly open to do something in the spirit of his work.
Are there any surprises coming out of the tour?
I wouldn't say there are any surprises, I'd just say that there's a great response. I think people really respond to not only the music, but especially the words. We have this really great narrator, Bob Childers, who's from down in Oklahoma, where Woody's from. So he's kind of like the voice of Oklahoma. We have some narratives ranging from Woody's thoughts on homeless people to a great piece about what Woody feels about the futility of war and how war's not good for anybody. He says that kids are kids and bombs are bombs and that soldiers should lay down their weapons. That seems to be getting quite a bit of applause when we get to that part of the narrative.
There are some interesting twists and turns in the script. We're not trying to do things exactly like Woody did them. Some things are a little more rock, some are a little more folk. There's a big variety just in the instrumentation.
What's it like, playing with your fellow musicians Eliza, Slaid and Ellis?
It's a lot of fun. It gives us all a chance to get out of our regular gigs. Everybody gets so far into that that it can't help but be a good time. It gives us a way to speak out a little bit. Each artist, by himself, will only play three or four songs. It's a good break from sitting on stage by yourself for 20 to 25 songs. Instead we play a few really powerful Woody songs by ourselves. We do a lot of singalongs and a lot of audience participation.
What do you think of Arlo and Sarah Lee Guthrie carrying on the family name?
I think it's great. She's not playing on this leg of the tour, but on the third leg she'll be playing with her husband Jonny [Irion]. I think it's great that they're carrying on the name in music. They're just a great American family.
Where do you think the road song fits into today's music scene?
Most musicians have a lot of songs about the highway. And definitely Woody had that sense of rambling in his work. Maybe it just carried on. It carried on through Dylan and a lot of people. I figured that the road just frees your mind to create songs, just to get on the road and see the country. I think a lot of people like road songs because a lot of them don't have that freedom to move around. They like to go to a concert and hear about the open road. We're really lucky to run around in the church of Woody Guthrie, out on the road.
You mentioned Dylan, and frequently cover him. Why, exactly?
Dylan, to me, is just my favorite songwriter. That's how I got into Woody, because I was so into Dylan. Dylan came directly from Woody. Coming from Oklahoma, I just had to see what Guthrie was all about. Dylan captures everything I like about songwriting and music in general. People make fun of Dylan's singing, but I think he's one of the best vocalists that was ever produced. His phrasing is right up there with Sinatra. The more I've got into Woody and read all his books, I got more in touch with Dylan. Dylan was almost like a carbon copy at first. He really emulated him down to a T. In his first show at Gerty's in Greenwich Village, they gave Dylan some of Woody's clothes to wear. There's some pretty mystical stuff that went on back then.
How did you get through the song 'On the Road to Rock 'n' Roll' without mentioning Highway 51?
That's funny because the town I grew up in Oklahoma has a Highway 51 running through it. It's just a state highway though. That song, when I first wrote it, had three or four other verses and they just sort of got lost in the editing.
Do you have any big expectations for the tour?
We're just out here, hoping it brings attention to Woody's music. We don't have any big expectations. We just enjoy bringing music back to the people, just like Woody did. In these days of homogenized radio and only one or two companies owning the airwaves, it's nice to go back to the people.
There was one show sponsored by a school district in California where we did a show for 400 elementary school kids. They were all singing 'This Land is Your Land.' There's a power in taking the music back to the people. In part of our script where Pete Seeger's father said that the musicality of a nation shouldn't be judged by its virtuosos, but should be judged by how the common man sings together. We're out there to have some fun and get Woody's music across.
What future projects do you have in mind yourself?
I was thinking about doing a record of Bob Childers' songs. Down in Oklahoma he's called the Dylan of the Dutch. He's got this extensive catalogue of hundreds of songs. I thought about doing an album of his songs.
