Caroline Aiken - Atlanta, GA
Unshaken
by Pat Ferris

A couple of years ago I met one of the hardest working acoustic artists actively touring the United States. Her music has a timeless quality; almost familiar but uniquely fresh.

For more than 15 years, Caroline Aiken has toured constantly, becoming a regular at all of the major folk festivals in the United States, and nationally recognized as Atlanta's 'folk' troubadour.

"It's funny that people classify me as 'folk' because I play acoustic guitar", laughs Aiken. "I think of my music as it's own style".

Her style of fingerpicking acoustic guitar, silky vocals and excellent songwriting have earned her performances with greats such as: Bonnie Raitt, Muddy Waters, Randy Newman, Allen Toussaint, Leo Kottke, Taj Mahal, John Prine, Hot Tuna, Janis Ian, Rory Block, Indigo Girls, Sea Island Singers, Art Garfunkle, John Hammond Jr., Mother's Finest, David Bromberg, Louden Wainwright III, 38 Special, Little Feat Reunion, Doc Watson, Dave Mason, and Arlo Guthrie.

Caroline just released her sixth CD entitled UNSHAKEN and is gearing up for another coast-to-coast tour to support the CD. I've seen Caroline a couple of times and her acoustic solo performances have never been short of electrifying.

Caroline took some time to exchange emails with me to conduct a 'virtual' interview:

<HotBands> Let's start at the beginning. When did you figure out that music was what you wanted to do with your life, and what was/were some of the most influential moments that guided you?

<Caroline> From the beginning. Honestly. I played the piano before I could reach the pedals. My mom sang in the choir of a very old church. Gregorian chants in Latin, mixed songs from the woman who worked for my parents, Emma Lee Ramsey. When I heard Emma Lee's voice, it woke a sleeping giant in me. The love that she showed me, and the way she worked endlessly without complaint and always with a song on her breath, transformed me. I watched her heal hurt birds on the beach. We would bring them home, and she would heal their wings, and we'd set them free together. She sang all the time.

I saw Jimi Hendrix open for the Monkees at the Jacksonville Coliseum when I was 11. Around the same time (1966) my brother (15, me at 10) had a band. He played guitar and sang all of those great early Stones tunes. I took his electric guitar up the street and played with an older boy when I was 11. I moved to Long Island age 13 and joined my first band at age 14. They were practicing and would let us listen. I helped them with their harmonies of "Celebrate" and they asked me to be in the band! My (then) bass player, Richie L'Hommedieu is now the leader of a blues society in Long Island, and he sent me pictures last August that are from 68/69.

<HotBands> I met you a couple of years ago and you had already had a notable career. You have a new CD out...how many does that bring total, and what was the inspiration for the CD?

<Caroline> Unshaken makes the 6th CD, and was four years in the making. It has lots of songs that I have written over the years, sang with friends, but mostly my own songs that are closest to me right now...something that I would most likely play in a concert. The CD name was Crit's intuition (Crit Harmon, the producer - Martin Sexton's Black Sheep) to call it Unshaken. Crit is a music reader...instead of a mind reader...he reads people's individual music real well. It's like he's a music psychic. The name is very full of meaning, and he just said it in one word.

I recorded Unshaken in Boston and finished it on September 9th. The irony about the CD name is that I sat right next to two of the terrorist hijackers on the 6:30 flight out of Logan airport that morning. They must have been on their 'trial run' prior to the attack. The one with the wired rim glasses sat right next to me, and was antagonistic with me and the other passengers. I knew something wasn't right with them.

<HotBands> WOW! That's incredible! I'm so glad that you weren't hurt!

<Caroline> I realize now that it could just as easily have happend that morning instead of two days later.

<HotBands> Where from here?

<Caroline> Good question. I am putting together a team to promote and publicize the tour for this. I have a healthy start, headlining at Kerrville Folk Festival May 24th with Freebo (Bonnie Raitt) on bass, Steve Saddler on dobro and steel (played on Shawn Mullins CDs) and Crit Harmon on guitar. I have had a release party at Eddie's with standing room only, and it was the finest gathering of friends you've ever seen. Makes me proud to know these people.

<HotBands> Do you have a national tour planned for promotion of the CD?

<Caroline> Working on it. I have a dream team, and since people have heard the CD, there is some support being offered, and we are in the dancing around each other stage. It’s all good. I have booked NYC MARCH 14TH at MAKOR ( 35 W 67th street) opening for Groovelily and April I have the Dogwood Festival that I book, and oversee. We have three stages in a city ark, with 250 fine arts, and many other attractions, all to raise money for charity ( it's free to the public) Last year we had 300,000 people over three days. Drivin and Cryin, Merle Saunders, Shawn Mullins, Michelle Malone, Freebo, Kate Campbell, Dayna Kurtz...oh there are so many great people out there... May-June will be TX/SE/NYC again, July is California, North Carolina (to teach guitar at the Swanannoa http://www.swangathering.org/ Gathering, Warren Wilson College) then back to California for a tour from LA to Seattle and Back. In September I’ll be through Texas, Georgia, and up into the Northeast and Michigan. Colorado is in there somewhere too.

<HotBands> Will you be getting over to Europe (have you been there before?)

<Caroline> I was in Europe in 84...played in Switzerland for two months...got to see Paris for two days and Germany for two weeks. I would love to go back.