Can you please introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your musical journey and Background?
I’m Elexa Dawson and I was born singing. My family was musical and I got into songwriting as a young adult. I’ve always felt at home on a stage and as I performed with various groups, I began to get feedback about how my voice makes people feel emotional, and I decided to lean into that as a calling. I’ve been playing with Weda Skirts since 2008, and Heyleon since 2012. In 2019 I got a grant to produce my first solo album, Music is Medicine, and that began my journey as a full-time artist. I’ve since formed a label, Turns Out Records and I’m enjoying learning the publishing world while still making time to write and perform.
Who are some of your biggest musical influences, and how have they shaped your sound and style?
My Nana and Papa bought me my first guitar, took me to lessons, and paid my way to my first Walnut Valley Festival, which changed my life forever, so without them and their influence, I truly would not be who I am today. They introduced me to Peter, Paul, and Mary, Carole King, and sang me old Hank Snow songs to sleep at night. I’ve carried that old folk and country voice and instrumentation throughout my career.
Can you share a specific artist or album that has had a significant impact on your music?
After growing up singing in church and school, I listened to a lot of Grateful Dead and Janis Joplin in my young adult years. There was something about the raw energy and vulnerability that seemed so much more impactful than the polished performances I was used to giving. Then, of course, the Walnut Valley Festival brought me Split Lip Rayfield and Kirk Rundstrom, who also had this larger-than-life raw energy with a lot of confidence. I have recognized that confidence and humility can coexist and are powerful on stage thanks to these artists and so many others.
What’s your creative process like when you’re composing or writing a new song?
It’s never the same twice, but a failproof method I’ve found is to learn to play a song that I like, then play around with the progression until a different groove or melody arises, and then scour my notebooks for something I’ve jotted down that matches the mood. I’ve written a lot of songs that way, either taking one progression and riffing on it or channeling a songwriter I like and writing a song that I imagine is in their style. The most important thing, to me, about a new song, is to give a voice to a feeling or experience that I haven’t heard anyone else talk about yet. Jason Isbell says that songwriting is a process of noticing, and I identify with that quite a bit. I think noticing underrepresented phenomena in the range of human emotion is my wheelhouse, so when I notice a juxtaposition of conflicting emotions or I’m looking for a solution to a relational problem, and I don’t think it’s talked about enough, I get inspired to write about it.
Among all the songs you’ve created, do you have a personal favorite? If so, what makes it special to you?
“Glad We Came” is probably my favorite, although it’s hard to choose.
Can you share the story or inspiration behind that particular song?
Sure, it was written after a Heyleon studio session. We went to Moonflower Studios in Taos, NM to record with Peter Oviatt, who is a dear friend and who also recorded and is featured on Music is Medicine, and on our way home, the Kansas folks were all in one car weaving through the Carson National Forest. I wrote the lyrics down in a matter of just a couple minutes, and with Brandon Allai’s help, polished it off as a poem. It was a couple of months later that the music came to me. It speaks to the relationships I’ve developed with fellow musicians and the blessing of being in the same place at the same time as some truly beautiful souls. Working with them is a treasure. There are so many love songs about romantic love, but not a lot about this platonic passion I feel for them, and I think that the purpose I carry to put words to an underrepresented feeling was fulfilled in that song.
Let’s talk about your latest song. What’s the title, and what’s the story or message behind it?
“Answer” came to me as a channeled message. It was during the shutdown, and I had thought to myself that I wanted to write a song that was from the ancestors to us at a time of trouble. I went about my day and honestly forgot about the intention I had set earlier in the day when I began to play my guitar. The music was a droning chord, and words started to flow so I set my audio recorder and just started singing. That’s the only song I’ve ever written without writing anything down. It was truly a stream-of-consciousness song. As I listened back and began writing the lyrics down, I wondered about the voice, thinking “Is this from the Mother? No. Is it from the water? No…” and then it occurred to me that I had been given this song from the ancestors. What Stanley Hotel did with it is magical and I’m incredibly grateful to them for the care they put into the soundscape. I’m unreasonably proud of how it turned out.
Share a memorable or unique experience from one of your live performances.
I had been going to Winfield (Walnut Valley Festival) for 20 years before I played on one of the main stages. The campground community is so close-knit, so the first time I played on a main stage as a New Song Showcase winner and saw the crowd of friends, some I’d known for 20 years, I was overcome with a sense of accomplishment. I started as a dirty hippie kid playing in the street jams of that festival and making it to the main stage for a song I’d written was a huge moment. The next year, Weda Skirts got officially booked for the festival and our first appearance on Stage I was also incredibly memorable.
Beyond music, do you have any hobbies or interests that you’re passionate about? How do they influence your music?
I’ve always been interested in food and gardening, and during the pandemic, I went back to school and got a degree in Sustainable Agriculture. I then founded a non–profit, Good Way Gardens which is a land-based arts organization that produces events in outdoor spaces. We just completed a successful first year of operation. The themes in my music have always been earthy, and I think the fulfillment of this need in our community is inspiring me to write even more earth-centered music. I just wrote a song titled “Roots Grow” that celebrates the creative qualities of darkness, metaphorically comparing a night of the soul with the darkness of the earth, where roots grow. “Sweet Sisters” was written by Adam Stanley and Isaac Nelson of Stanley Hotel, and it’s about the Indigenous method of three sisters gardening, which we’ve been practicing at Good Way Gardens. I was so thrilled to be able to put that song on Wanderlust because it is right in step with where my life’s work has been centered over the last few years.
Is there a dream collaboration you’d like to pursue in the future?
I’m so lucky to have already worked with the people that I have, but yes, there are a couple of people I’d love to collaborate with in the future. The first that comes to mind is Raye Zaragoza, as she’s been a mentor to me for the past few years, and I think it would be amazing to compose and sing with her. Another huge inspiration and dream collaboration would be with Samantha Crain. She’s from Oklahoma like me, and has such an amazing and unique voice and style. I think it’d be lovely to work with her.
What advice would you give to aspiring musicians who are just starting their journey in the music industry?
My strongest advice would be to identify your values and begin to build your career around those. There are many ways to be successful in this industry, and ultimately success is subjective to your experience. Decide what success means to you, identify the values that you want to promote, and then the steps to achieving success become a little clearer. Also, get involved in industry organizations and volunteer wherever you can. My involvement with Folk Alliance International and Folk Alliance Region Midwest has helped me form crucial relationships with industry professionals who edify my career in practical and personal ways.
Can you give us a sneak peek into any upcoming projects or new music you have in the works? What can your fans and listeners look forward to from you in the near future?
Yes! I’m already scheduling time to return to Moonflower Sounds in Taos and work with Peter Oviatt again. Besides having an astute ear for production, I think he’s the best banjo player in the world and sometimes you just need a beautiful banjo on a track. The next album will go back to my roots and will be recorded mostly live, hopefully with Kelby and Melissa joining me again. Wanderlust is so wonderfully complex and was a completely different method of production than everything else I’ve done. Adam, Isaac, and Doug took their time and created this masterpiece, but it took a couple of years to complete. In that time I’ve written another album, so I want to create something simple and beautiful that will be ready to be out in early 2025. Wanderlust is a brand-new sound for me, so I’m interested to hear how the folk community responds to it. I have fans who are just going to want that bluegrass-derived sound, and that’s okay. It’s lovely to have these options, and I’ll have tunes that will deserve the Stanley Hotel treatment in the future.