Gillian Welch writes songs that can sound old fashioned -- at first. But Welch doesn't think of her songs an escape from the troubles of the present. The characters in her songs live hard lives. They are fruit pickers, failed moonshiners, orphan girls. Her song "Caleb Meyer" is told from the point of view of a woman who uses a broken bottle to defend herself against a rapist. In this feature, Welch describes the sense of harsh reality that she loves in old folk and country music, and lays down a pointed challenge to modern country. As in all the pieces in David Schulman's CPB-supported Musicians in their own words series, the story is told through a mix of the performer's voice and music. There is no reporter's voice heard, allowing the feature to be seamlessly incorporated into station news, talk, or music programming. Scripts for intro and outro are attached, and may be edited at will. This piece works well in advance of local performances. Upcoming dates include: 10/01 Hollywood, CA The Avalon 10/03 San Francisco, CA, Golden Gate Park ? 10/08 San Francisco, CA, The Fillmore ? 10/09 San Francisco CA The Fillmore ? 10/10 Chico CA,California State University ? 10/12 Arcata CA, Kate Buchanan Room ? 10/13 Eugene OR, McDonald Theatre ? 10/15 Portland OR, Crystal Ballroom 10/16 Seattle WA, Moore Theatre ? 10/17 Olympia WA, Capitol Theatre This piece first aired on WBUR, Boston.

Gillian Welch writes songs that can sound old fashioned -- at first. But Welch doesn't think of her songs an escape from the troubles of the present. The characters in her songs live hard lives. They are fruit pickers, failed moonshiners, orphan girls. Her song "Caleb Meyer" is told from the point of view of a woman who uses a broken bottle to defend herself against a rapist. In this feature, Welch describes the sense of harsh reality that she loves in old folk and country music, and lays down a pointed challenge to modern country. As in all the pieces in David Schulman's CPB-supported Musicians in their own words series, the story is told through a mix of the performer's voice and music. There is no reporter's voice heard, allowing the feature to be seamlessly incorporated into station news, talk, or music programming. Scripts for intro and outro are attached, and may be edited at will. This piece works well in advance of local performances. Upcoming dates include: 10/01 Hollywood, CA The Avalon 10/03 San Francisco, CA, Golden Gate Park ? 10/08 San Francisco, CA, The Fillmore ? 10/09 San Francisco CA The Fillmore ? 10/10 Chico CA,California State University ? 10/12 Arcata CA, Kate Buchanan Room ? 10/13 Eugene OR, McDonald Theatre ? 10/15 Portland OR, Crystal Ballroom 10/16 Seattle WA, Moore Theatre ? 10/17 Olympia WA, Capitol Theatre This piece first aired on WBUR, Boston.