Oklahoma singer-songwriter is featured in 'Twisters,' 'Reservation Dogs' — and this year, WoodyFest
Ken Pomeroy's admiration for Woody Guthrie goes back at least as far as eighth grade, when she penned a nine-minute song about the late, great Oklahoma folk troubadour and performed it in Washington, D.C., as part of a national contest.
The Moore native was still in middle school the first time she seized an open mic slot at the Rocky Road Tavern during the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival in Okemah, and she was just a 15-year-old aspiring musician about to start her sophomore year at Norman North High School when she was officially added to the lineup for the first time at the Okfuskee County event affectionately known as WoodyFest,
Now a 21-year-old singer, songwriter and session musician based in Tulsa, Pomeroy will play her first WoodyFest headlining set during this year's 27th Annual Woody Guthrie Folk Festival, slated for July 10-14 at multiple venues in Guthrie's hometown of Okemah.
"I feel like in Oklahoma, we have limited festivals like it, and I think that is a really special one, because it is centered around songwriting and the greater good of songwriting and bringing people together," Pomeroy said.
The Cherokee alt-folk songbird and guitarist will play a WoodyFest full-band set at 9:30 p.m. July 12 at the outdoor Pastures of Plenty main stage. Other acts slated to perform at the Pastures of Plenty this year include the Red Dirt Rangers, Willi Carlilse, Jamie Lin Wilson, The Deslondes, John Fullbright, James McMurtry, Beat Root Revival and Sad Daddy.
"This has been the most excited I've been about doing something — and I've got to do some pretty cool stuff this year," she told The Oklahoman. "It's been a goal of mine forever. I've always thought it was the coolest thing to play the Pastures of Plenty."
Ahead of her WoodyFest headlining set, Pomeroy spoke with The Oklahoman about several of the exciting recent developments in her career, including her contribution to the soundtrack for the upcoming movie "Twisters," her work on the trailblazing Cherokee-language album "Anvdvnelisgi," the spotlight that "Reservation Dogs" put on two of her songs and more:
Q: What do you like about playing WoodyFest?
I'm always surprised going to WoodyFest seeing how genre-less it is. Even though it is a folk festival, I feel like a lot of people push the bounds, and I think it's a really good thing for Oklahoma to have. I'm really excited and honored to be playing it ... this many times, and now having a headliner slot is pretty cool. ...
I've seen so many showcases of really, really young artists doing the open mics and stuff. I think the youngest artist that I've seen perform was with her dad, and she was like 10 or something like that. So, they're absolutely very supportive of young musicians and aspiring writers. I totally think it's made me more appreciative of festivals like WoodyFest, because not all festivals are like that at all.
Q: What are the advantage and disadvantages of being a young, but experienced musician?
I feel like most people who I talk to don't think I'm 21, which is great. I just want to get by and not be perceived as a 21-year-old.
But I feel like the main advantage is that I see a lot of my peers that are similar in age that get into the spotlight and blow up, and then they are like, 'I don't know what to do.' They're touring so much that it's taking a toll on their mental health, and it's just intense. I can't even imagine being thrown into a job like this — because at the end of the day, it is totally a job, and it's a lot of work, so it's taxing — after having no touring experience. ... I feel like I have an advantage just because I have been doing it for so long. ...
The disadvantages are that people assume a lot. If they don't know me, especially being a woman — that's a whole thing in and of itself — they can be dismissive about the things that I want to do. I've got pretty lucky because I haven't had too many experiences like that.
But I feel like I'm a pretty stern person sometimes, when I need to be. ... I also feel like I have to prove myself a lot of the time — which I obviously don't, but a lot of the time, I do. I have to put on the best of the best performance that we can do, and a lot of the time, people then treat me differently after.
Q: From touring with Kaitlin Butts to recording with Wilderado, how has it been working a lot with fellow Oklahoma musicians?
It's all been very, very organic. I feel like every single time it's just snowballed into the really cool thing. Me and Kaitlin are pretty good buddies, and her guitar player I toured with in Kyle Nix's band. So, me and Adam (Duran) are really good friends. So, it's always really fun to hang out with that group, just hanging out. So, of course, touring is going to be super fun.
But with the Wilderado thing, Max (Rainer, the Tulsa alt-folk band's frontman) and I were in 'Twisters,' the new tornado movie coming out. We sang a song for that movie and then ended up being cameoed in it. And that was the first time I ever met Max — like, ever — and it was the craziest experience. Then, we ended up doing the 'In Between' song together.
Q: How did you, Wilderado and James McAlister end up on the 'Twisters' soundtrack with a song called 'Wall of Death?'
I was playing Stagecoach (festival) with Kyle Nix's band, I was in California, and I get a call from Chad Copelin, who I had worked with worked with before a few times recording and stuff. And he was like, 'I'm gonna have my friend James call you, if you are down for this. They're looking for a female vocalist, and I was super heavy on using you.' ...
None of us really understood how big of a production this was. But I met James and Max on set in some goofy-looking outfits that they put us in. ... I'm very thankful for all these weird, happenstance scenarios that lead to something really cool. But yeah, it is always just like, 'What in the world? How did this happen?'
Q: You got to work on the Cherokee-language album 'Anvdvnelisgi.' What was that experience like?
That was one of the most fun things that I got to be a part of last year, and I also got to meet a lot of family.
My mamaw is like 96 years old, and she's been a huge part of my life ever since I was a little kid. She was the one who made my regalia and all this stuff. She gifted me my first pair of moccasins and everything like that. So, she's been really influential just growing up as a Native person and a Native musician. She has always been incredibly supportive of my music and everything. But I have a lot of family on that side that I just haven't gotten to meet just because they live in Tahlequah. ... Then, when I got to do this language revitalization project, I worked with a translator that ended up being my cousin. So, that was cool.
Q: How did it come about that two of your new songs, 'Pareidolia' and 'Cicadas,' were included on the final season of 'Reservation Dogs?'
(Tulsa-based showrunner) Sterlin Harjo reached out to me, and he was like, 'You working on a new music?' And I was like, 'Yeah, let me send you some stuff,' and I sent him demos that were just not done at all. I sent him three songs, and he got back to me and he's like 'Great. I am going to use two of the three for the show, if that's OK.' And I was like, 'Oh my God. Yeah, that's totally OK with me — just let me finish them first.' So, we rush finished them, rush mix and mastered them, and got them done within two weeks, then had to hand them over.
Then the 'Reservation Dogs' episode 'Elora's Dad' aired, which was the episode those two songs were in, and it all just blew up. It went viral on Reddit, which was insane. ... We opened up for Iron & Wine recently, and I had one lady come up to me. She was like, 'I'm gonna be honest with you, I have never listened to Iron & Wine. But I heard your song on 'Reservation Dogs.' And I was like, 'What? What are we talking about right now?' That blew my mind.
Q: Are you planning to release a new album soon?
There's going to be a few more single rollouts ... but spring 2025 is the goal.
WOODY GUTHRIE FOLK FESTIVAL
When: July 10-14.
Where: Multiple venues in Okemah.
Tickets and information: woodyfest.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Ken Pomeroy, known for 'Twisters,' 'Reservation Dogs,' to play WoodyFest
