Closure, Aawakening & Rebirth - Part I - Eki Shola, Kayatta and Lenkadu 3 women inside the Music in Sonoma County
One of the most remarkable things to me about living in Sonoma County is the serendipity. For this month’s column, I was originally going to write about “alternative holiday music”, but I wasn’t having much luck with it. My friend Kathleen McCallum put me in touch with a remarkable woman. Eki Shola is a Cornell University-trained physician turned musician (more on that in Part II). She was born in London and given a Nigerian name by Jamaican parents. Her family emigrated to New York in the late 1980s and since 2010 she has called Sonoma County home. On her website (EkiShola.com) she writes “I feel that Jamaica is my cultural roots; London the place where I remember my childhood memories; and New York City the place that offered amazing gritty life adventures. For now, California is my current abode – a beautiful place with an abundance of glorious weather.”
As soon as we began talking, she said that “This time right now—the closure of 2020—feels like an awakening and rebirth.” I instantly knew that needed to be what this month’s column was about. It was just wonderfully perfect to me how two people from such diverse backgrounds could come together at this moment—it’s a perfect metaphor for what this column (and life in Sonoma County) is all about.
Eki Shola then introduced me to Kayatta and Lenkadu. These three women are fresh voices that you may not yet have heard yet, but they have things to say that we all need to hear. My interviews were quite extensive, with more great content than I can fit in just one column—so this will be continued in our January edition.
Kayatta is a rapper, poet, producer and teacher who grew up in the heavy drug-fueled streets of West Oakland and now lives in Petaluma. She was recently awarded Best Hip Hop Artist in Sonoma. On her website (KayattaMusic.com), she writes about “Effortlessly fusing poetry with drums and bass to create sonic goodness that seethes with musical audacious honey.” That is totally on target. And she is a FABulous woman to talk with.
Lenka Chludová was born in the Czech Republic and goes by the name Lenkadu. She now lives in Forestville and is an eclectic, inspired electronica performer and video artist—and last year won a Next Level grant from Creative Sonoma. Her website [http://lenkadu.com/] describes how she samples her field recordings, makes beats, plays drums and processes her voice as well as a range of instruments, while controlling music software with her feet. She is also a new Mom, her baby boy was born in March, and she is experiencing rebirth through him. “I call him my little guide to a better version of myself. It’s like an upgrade. It’s super-humbling. It directly relates to my work. I’m learning so much, watching him observe and then taking that back into how I look at things.”
When Kayatta came to Petaluma in 2013, she had her own rebirth. “I didn’t have hardly any money, I started from scratch. I didn’t think I wanted to do music anymore, so for me Sonoma County represents a rebirth in me. I love Sonoma County. There are so many beautiful things that resonate with my soul. I never met so many talented artists and musicians.” But for all of SoCo’s liberal leanings, racism is still an issue that we need to recognize. “Some parts of Sonoma County have been pretty racist for a black woman, a queer woman in the midst of liberal and racist people. I see that kind of thing up close and personal. For me it’s like a tale of two cities. When you see Trump caravans driving up and down the street, you like, ‘oh I’ve been living here the whole time, you don’t really accept me the way I thought you did.’ I’ve experienced racism firsthand, particularly in Petaluma. But I think being an artist, having the connections that I do, and being in this environment around people, I think we do have the ability to change people’s minds. We get to see the heart of a person, as opposed to where we from, our demographic, our culture. That’s when people start humbling themselves.”
Everyone knows we are living through historic times—at so many levels. Between the Covid pandemic, a hostile political environment, fires and evacuations, there is more than enough heartache and confusion to go around. At times like this people often turn to musicians and other creative souls for respite, and for connection. Connection to the parts of ourselves that get left behind when our world gets hard. Connection to the spark of light and power inside all of us that we forget to recognize when everything seems so hazy and crazy. Connection that reminds us of deeper truths we already know but need to remember. THIS is the power of music, of lyrics, of the artist.
