116: Karen Jonas

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I'm joined by singer-songwriter Karen Jonas for Episode 116. Jonas just recently released The Southwest Sky and Other Dreams this past Friday (August 28). As the title alludes, 10 songs of The Southwest Sky are character-driven vignettes largely inspired by the vast landscapes, small Interstate towns, and hardened individuals who claim the land as their home. Songs such as "Farmer John," "Pink Leather Boots," and the opening "The Last Cowboy (at the Bowling Alley)" feel like snapshot stories. Jonas lets her imagination run wild as she's counting up the mile marker signs, letting these robust characters come to life with engaging storytelling and encounters. Anyone who has been bored on a long trek of highway knows, a strange billboard, abandoned building, or roadside stops can set your mind to wander as you try and fill in background settings. Jonas very much does the same as she leads you through this traveling album.

During this interview, Jonas and I discuss the songs and stories that make up The Southwest Sky and Other Dreams, knowing when inspiration hits, our mutual love of coffee, Bob Dylan, reading, & daydreaming, releasing an album in the midst of a pandemic (and adapting to our current situation), finding space and time to let songs and stories come to life, and how she's grown and evolved as an artist.

This episode's presenting partner is Desert Door Texas Sotol and The Blue Light Live.

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