TRIPTYCH
The Triptych festival is a gathering of the cream of the contemporary underground and the artists who inspired them. Unsurprisingly, a few of them have taken long, rocky paths to reach their creative nirvana. Here we present three artists resolutely doing their own thing, all of whom show up in Scotland this fortnight with different stories to tell but a shared philosophy. Mark Robertson, Camilla Pia and Mark Edmundson speak to them.
ODETTA
ithout guxhing o\ er the l‘oruard thinking nature of the 'l'ript}eh l'exthal it doe~ do a line job of ehampioning the promixing
)oung thing\ of tomorrou \xhile eaxting a light on thoxe \\ ho ha\ e helped to \hape thetn. l-‘alling into the latter eategor). ()detta \\Ll\ an underxtated hut ne\erthele\\ \hining heaeon to the de rigeur folk and hluex \et ol‘ the Mk. Amongxt the first female blaek artixtx to gain international prominenee. \he inl‘lueneed eountle“ aeelaitned ;tl1i\l\ from Bob 1)) Ian. Joan Raw and Janix .loplin through to 'l‘rae} (‘hapman and Joan .-\rtnatrading and marehed alongside Dr. Martin Luther King iii the hlaek civil rights mmement.
Still reeording and performing li\ e. \he hm al\\a_\~ earried a \torldl} charm and deepl} emotional presence. .\'o\\ in her se\enties. \he feels her mewage ix as rele\ant to the dixenehanted ol' toda}. ‘l we the
20 THE LIST 3“ Atari ‘ Ma. .‘t‘f'f
Go your own way
\trugglex are the mute. l we the language hax heen changed. The had people are \till the had people \\ itlt a ne\\ t\\ ixt attd | feel that for Iilnxc that are eoneerned on the lace ol' thix liatth thet'e\ a lot ol' \\ttl‘k \\ e'\ e got to do. So I don't we mueh improtement thank _\ou \er} mueh. But _\ou ean't gi\e it oxer to the rotterx )ou knouf
()detta \till \tandx lirm on the po\\ er of muxie to hring people together. to inxtigate empath} and undeNanding. 'll‘ there “ax met an} demoerae} in thix eountr) it\ been \ia the muxie' \he muxex \then eonxidering the prmpeet ol‘ \ixiting Seotland and tasting a little of our eulture. '\\'e didn't imite eaeh other to our ehurehex. our moutuex or our x} nagogttex our palaeex or our ho\el~. hut \omehou the muxie hax gone through and eaeh of u\ ha\ eolleeted from the other thoxe thing that \\e hax e ettjo} ed in the other\ mu\ie. lt'x e\eiting. it reall} ix. htm thexe dil'l'erent
areax ha\ e informed other area\ and hon the llllhle‘ Itax eltattged a\ a t'exult.' 1 Mill
19905
Not man} handx ean hoaxt that a ('an memher hrought them together. hut then lWllx are no ot‘dittat'} hand. .‘\l'ter )ear\ of t't‘iendxhtp and an old muxieal projeet in eommon ttlte influential )e‘t mainxtream-xh} Yumm} liuri .lohn \leKeoun and Jamie .\le.\lorro\t u ere hooked to p|a_\ \xith one-time ('an lrontman l)amo Sit/uki. axked along Miehael .\le(iaughrin \\ ho the} kite\\ lrom pod-()ptimo \hindig\ and \oon realixed the} \ounded hetter making mu\ie on their own. .-\ hi/arre \\a} to \tat‘t a hand. ax \oealixt/guitat‘ixt MeKeottn agreex: 'lt i\ quite \tt'ange. hut alter the l)amo \hou \te rea|i\ed \te \ounded real!) good playing together and men though tne and Miehael had been \triting lWlls \ongx unol‘t‘ieiall} at \Ltrltllh partiex l'or tthx \H.‘