Hope In Paige Anderson’s “Greed & Lust”

paige-anderson-fearless-kinYou don’t understand, this is not about taste, and it really isn’t even about music. We have an obligation to ourselves as humans to seek out the best and brightest of any pursuit or vocation, and shine a bright light on them in hopes that their achievement will inspire us seek out our true calling and bravely pursue it until it reaches its fulfilling end. When we celebrate mediocrity as a society, we celebrate our weaknesses, giving rise to them until they become precedence. And becoming disconnected with our dreams breeds the seeking out of ill things to fill the hole created by the vanquishing of our true callings.

I say all of this to introduce you to Paige Anderson, and her sibling cohorts known as The Fearless Kin. Many independent, unsigned artists we all love may have little shot at making music even as a sustainable, low income career. Others we discover seem to be marked by the inevitability of great things. Sometimes life and the cold, soulless music industry has other plans though, yet let’s not lose sight that nothing tends to oppress the individual more than the individual themselves, and musicians are no different, if not even more prone to this tendency. Still, sometimes the talent in an artist is so striking, even when it is still in development, it’s not a stretch to call it a sin when that talent is not recognized or supported.

Paige Anderson & The Fearless Kin released an EP called Wild Rabbitt (read review) just a little over a month ago, and even in the short period since its release you can see development in artists that were already developed way beyond their years. But forget about discounting young performers because of there age; music is not a skills competition. Music is the language of the soul, and Paige Anderson’s dialect is graced with both depth and eloquence.

“Greed & Lust” features Paige Anderson playing her other instrument in the banjo, and doing so in the clawhammer style. Truth be known, Paige is one of the preeminent female flatpicking guitar players in the country with only 18 years behind her. But this song is about the story, and “Greed & Lust” highlights Paige’s budding songwriting and her adeptness with composition, story craft, and moral. It is about the broken promises of the material world, and once again calls upon the unique darkness Paige brings to her music. Sister Aimee plays a flawless, tasteful solo, while blending harmonies with the effortlessness only siblings can perfect. Young brother Ethan on bass knows all the right notes to play.

Where the noises coming from the radio these days sound like a funeral dirge for the future of music, Paige Anderson and the Fearless Kin offer hope.

Two guns up!

And an excellent job on the videos as well.

BONUS: Long Black Vail featuring youngest sister Daisy on dobro.

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