A confident-but-endearing Pura Fé seduced an almost full house at the Liberty Theatre in Hailey last Saturday evening. With a unique blend of Southern blues, folk music infused with her own Tuscarora Nation legacy, Pura Fé brought a lively freshness to the roots music she is most known to perform, but it was her range of vocals that captivated the audience. Simple folk lyrics about her Tuscarora people culminating into acappella chanting revealed the connection Pura Fé makes of the past to the present through her music. In songs such as "Della Blackman-Pick and Choose," in which she tells the story of a woman in her family whose choice to marry a white man changed the course of their lineage, Pura Fé finds a certain redemption for a relative who was forced to live in shame. Many of Pura Fé's songs reflect the elements of what her people endured to keep their heritage but the songs also celebrate Tuscaroran Native Americans and their North Carolina home. In addition, Pura Fé invited the audience into her life as a female singer and songwriter who falls for guitar players and holds a deep respect for musicians. Joined on stage by accomplished Seattle guitarist Danny Godinez, the lap-style bottleneck guitar of Pura Fé was well complimented by Godinez's melodic and soulful accompaniment. Godinez added a richer element to the Native American tone with electronic looping giving a broader range of sound and style to the performance. Godinez's looping was also a powerful element to his own solo that Pura Fé insisted he perform.
Photo by Willy Cook
