Lonnie Holley :: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview

On Lonnie Holley’s Oh Me Oh My, the visionary bluesman unearths surreal experiences in hallucinatory, stream of consciousness poetry, backed by feverish, impressionistic jazz, funk and gospel music. Jacknife Lee, the acclaimed Irish producer, assembled the musical backing and incorporated contributions from guest artists, giving Holley’s music a shimmering dreamlike depth. A diverse group of collaborators, including Moor Mother, Michael Stipe, Justin Vernon, Sharon van Etten and Rokia Koné added their voices to these revelatory songs. Today, he joins us to discuss.

Lonnie Holley :: I Went a Little Too Far (Mistreating Love)

Taking the form of a cosmic lament, Lonnie Holley’s “I Went a Little Too Far (Mistreating Love)” aches with Anthropocene remorse, and like all of the Atlanta-based artists’s best work, is imbued with an emotional resonance that’s as mournful as it is beautiful. “In this video I fell in love with the image of him as a sort of prophet, wandering the planet, warning the inhabitants to change our ways,” says director Ethan Payne. “To ‘repent’ of how we harm each other and the earth.”

Lonnie Holley :: In the Gardens at Pulp

Lonnie Holley is no stranger to collaboration. From Richard Swift to Matthew E. White and many more, his improvisatory spirit shines when working with simpatico artists. Here, he’s presented with a small acoustic combo at Pulp Arts, a multidisciplinary arts and fabrication space in Gainesville, Florida.