Gaelynn Lea

Biography

Paul. Before the Coronavirus hit, she had toured in 45 states and 9 countries, captivating audiences around the world with her unique mix of haunting original songs and traditional fiddle tunes. Gaelynn Lea has appeared in several major festivals, including SXSW, Winnipeg Folk Festival, and Reykjavik Arts Festival.

She’s also opened for well-known bands such as Wilco, The Decemberists, LOW, The Jayhawks, and even the industrial rock super group Pigface. Gaelynn Lea has shared her perspective as a disabled touring artist on PBS NewsHour, OnBeing with Krista Tippett, The Moth Radio Hour, The Science of Happiness Podcast, and through two widely-viewed TEDx Talks. Gaelynn Lea has also performed several times as an Arts Envoy Artist with the U.S. Department of State, and has presented at the State Department in Washington, D.C. on two different occasions. Needless to say, Gaelynn Lea was certainly a songstress on the go!

Obviously the COVID-19 pandemic threw quite a spanner in the works. Gaelynn and her husband were halfway out to a tour in Colorado when they had to turn the van around and head back to Minnesota for lock-down. Like all other musicians around the world, her in-person concerts have been paused indefinitely. But Gaelynn Lea is not easily discouraged. She quickly pivoted to online shows; starting March 22nd, she began performing a concert on YouTube every Sunday to fans who join her from all over the world. This series, aptly named “Quarantine Concerts” has evolved over the months to include not only Gaelynn’s original songs, but improvisational violin pieces based on prompts from the virtual audience, and (most recently) a different guest artist each week. Guests include some well-known folks like Bob Boilen and Jeff Tweedy from Wilco, as well as a wide variety of songwriters, photographers, painters and writers from around the country (and occasionally other countries). Real-time captions are provided for Deaf and hard of- hearing audience members. These performances are free to the audience, although tips are encouraged (and are split with the guest artist each week). In addition to her Sunday live-streamed concerts, Gaelynn Lea is currently working on a memoir about her touring adventures and disability advocacy that she plans to release in 2022. You can support her work on Patreon (gaining access to all her new material & monthly Zoom sessions), and check out the full archive of Quarantine Concerts at the playlist on her YouTube page.