by Troy Aldrich
Pieta Brown’s show on March 24 at the Mill included friends and family on stage in order to share a common message: “This land is your music.”
Brown’s message became clear, as she brought friends, and frequent collaborators Michael Rossetto and David Huckfelt from The Pines to play with her.
“Music is a noncompetitive zone,” said Huckfelt, who was also Brown’s opener. “It comes so naturally when you’re on the same page.”
This understanding was clear during both sets, as lyrical subject matter from both artists largely infused their experience in the natural world.
While Brown’s writing is a collection of observations acquired during her international touring, Huckfelt’s set consisted entirely of new music that was written during a residency spent on Lake Superior.
Huckfelt is also a native Iowan and has toured extensively throughout the Midwest during his time with The Pines.
“Jazz has its sound, the blues sound different from jazz, and Iowa has its own sound and voice,” Huckfelt said.
This furthers Brown’s idea that the geography that surrounds musicians shapes the music they make, particularly when analyzing folk musicians.
“I’m an Iowan, and I have developed a fascination with land and where you come from,” she said.
Aside from the geography that continues to inspire Brown’s writing, she made a paean to those individuals who have inspired her by bringing them to the stage.
Longtime collaborator and partner Bo Ramsey joined Brown’s set, playing subtle leads on guitar, some on a 12-string.
Brown also brought up father Greg Brown, who has also extensively played with Ramsey.
“This land is your music, join in,” said Greg Brown with a point to the audience that implied participation during the set.
With Huckfelt, Rossetto, and Ramsey on stage, Brown pulled loose papers off the stage that held some of her original poetry.
The three-part string trio serenaded Brown as she read poems, which described landscapes and memories that have brought her to where she is geographically and as an artist.
Brown seemed hesitant as she began reading, but the Mill’s audience was as quiet as an empty room, and the trio that surrounded her accepted her as a fourth member, watching as they shared the understanding of the lyrical poetry.
During the tail end of Brown’s set, the stage now holding six musicians, a piece of paper with lyrics to a Woody Guthrie song was passed around.
The folk tune chronicled the message they both, Brown and Huckfelt, came to share with the Mill’s audience, while the preface Brown shared gave a slightly political impression.
The message shifted after the tune, as Brown told a story about popular country artist Billy Joe Shaver and his history in gun violence.
The story was inspired by the weekend’s protests around the country surrounding gun violence in schools.
This was an unexpected but powerful ending to Brown’s set, eliciting cheers from the audience as she voiced her support for the protests both locally and afar.
Before she exited the stage with her impromptu band mates, she announced the dates for the remaining events in the This Land is Your Music series.
