A new year, a new audio newsletter.

Annie and Shanai sat down on New Year’s Eve to record a little audio newsletter. Grab a cup of coffee and have a listen. As always, reach out if you want to connect!

 Annie: Hey everybody, this is Annie Humphrey from Fire in the Village. I'm here with Shanai Matteson.

Shanai: Hey! We’re trying something new. We're gonna try doing our monthly updates via audio. Because it's a little bit easier, and we can be in conversation. So Annie, this is the first time we've done this. This is New Year's Eve.

Looking back, this is a big year for Fire in the Village since it was the year that we created the organization. Any thoughts as you're looking ahead about why now?

Annie: It's blurry. It's foggy. I'm in a fog, feeling my way through. But I think that we're onto something and I think that … If I didn't think we were, I'd be like, let's just quit.

But I think that the work that we're doing … people are approaching us and I'm having fun! I mean the work is good. So for me, I guess the why is trying to find out how to reach the powerless or, people who think they are the powerless. And so, all of this art and all the music and all this creating and all this sewing and all this stuff is really about that. That's really the mission.

Shanai: Yeah. And I should say a little bit about where we are, because we're recording this right now in the attic of the Old Central School in downtown Grand Rapids, which is where Fire in the Village has had a little studio for the last Six months. Wow. Time just really flies. So what are you working on today? And this week?

Annie: Um, well today I'm printing some patches of our crow and I am making hats out of old sweaters and sweatshirts. And after I cut two hats out of the body, we have these cool super crops. So we'll be selling super crops. Out of one garment, one shirt, we get two hats and a super crop. So that's what I'm working on.

Shanai: This was the first year that you really dove into this fashion project. How's that been going? And how was the tour?

Annie: I was really surprised that, you know, the fashion show was a big hit, I think. We just kind of threw it on at the last minute because I was sewing some stuff in my basement, but now I'm up here in the attic sewing again!

I think that it's an expression for me, but I think other people are inspired by it too, because you know, what can you do to help? You can help by making yourself some really cool shit to wear. So you kind of get this .. This, what do you call it? Two birds with one stone? It's actually Doing Something and it's doing something.

Shanai: Yeah, that was really the first time that I had thought a whole lot about fast fashion and about the waste that's created and the pollution. When you explained that at that first fashion show, which was back in … ?

Annie: September 12th?

Shanai: Oh, was that?

Annie: Oh no, the fashion show in at MacRostie?

Shanai: Yeah. That was like in springtime, right?

Annie: Oh, that was in May. It was May 10th or something. Right.

Shanai: But you took that whole concept and you folded it into the fall tour. And it was super cool. I mean, I was kind of outside… I did model! I did model once. But to see so many different people try on the outfits that you've made, and the way that Geezis got everybody excited and lined up and ready to walk.

Do you have any, More reflections from what the tour, what the fashion show part of the tour, was like?

Annie: Well, I think it was really cool. Remember we were at Macalester College and we were really uptight about finding models before the event that night. We took pictures of everything and it was like, “Hey, can you sign up for this? And if you like a garment, sign up and we'll get you scheduled.”

I think like by the second or third show, we realized we could use the print table, as community members are walking in. Then we say, “Hey. Would you be willing?” So we always got a great number of people from that community, which was really important and more spontaneous, and they didn't have to think about it and be nervous for a week.

It was just like, yeah, I'll do it. And then they just jumped in and did it. And the energy in the dressing rooms and after the model walk or whatever you wanna call it was just, it was really freeing, liberating. To the people that took part, which was a whole nother element of this fashion show.

Shanai: Yeah, and I thought that was part of the tour overall that was really cool, getting people to get out of that mindset that they're there just to watch and listen. It is important to listen. And watch, but, you know, to get them more involved. So when people came in the door, we had the print table set up and they got invited to learn how to make a block print, make and take something cool.

There were cookies that David's mom had made and then they were invited if they wanted to be part of the fashion show. And throughout the fashion show and the concert, you're always teaching, telling stories, sharing between the songs.

I think overall that just makes it such an interactive experience. It's really not a concert at all, but really a gathering of the village.

Annie: Yeah, I totally felt that too. The other thing that we found out at the end of the tour was having that slideshow was cool because people milling around after they made the print, they could sit there and watch images of all the stuff we've been doing, which I think gets them even more engaged.

Shanai: Yeah, they end up seeing lots of different faces, lots of places. It was really cool.

So we didn't start fire in the village earlier this year with an exact idea of everything that we were going to do or how we were going to do it.

It's just been kind of organic, and I've really appreciated getting a chance to try things and learn, and then see who it connects with.

What’s coming up? What are you excited about as you look ahead to the new year? You're working on the fashion stuff, you're still making cool stuff.

Annie: Yes, I'm changing seasons. So last fall was a lot of heavy wool and cashmere and puffer stuff. And now I'm starting to do more cottons and long dresses and things for spring and summer.

And then I am going, Fire in the Village will be going, on a mini tour February 6th, 7th and 8th with Sean Carey, who is a member of the Bon Iver band, group, or whatever...

Shanai: Family?

Annie: Yeah, the familia! And then Jeremy Ylvisaker, who's produced my last two records, and he plays guitar with me. And I love… they're just… we were talking about them earlier. There's no ego and they're so good at what they do! And they're fun to be around.

Shanai: And you all have been out on tour before?

Annie: Yeah, last April, I think we did four dates with Amy and Emily, the Indigo Girls, and it was super fun. And that's kinda why we're doing this, because we miss each other.

Shanai: So if people hear this or they see our posts, and they're curious how they can host a show or if they want to have Fire in the Village come to their community, they can just reach out and you'll think about what fits and when?

Annie: Yeah, they can reach out either just to me on my email, for now. Um, we're building our website. We're so new, you guys, that everything's so new. We don't even know if anyone's going to listen to this, but if you do, say, “Hey, we heard you guys talking on your little 10 minute thingy!”

And then if nobody writes to us, it's just crickets chirping, we'll find another way to talk to you all.

Shanai: Something that I'm pretty excited about is we're going to be moving from the attic down to a bigger space on the second floor of the Old Central School. You know, like everything, we're gonna let it evolve. But I think that'll be a place where if people want to stop in and visit, we'll have regular open hours.

And you'll be able to buy some of the cool sh*t that we've been making. We'll have little workshops. I don't know how frequently or what the workshops will be. We might teach about printmaking, but we might try some new stuff [laughs]. We don't know yet.

Annie: Come visit us. And buy stuff. Cause Shanai and me, and maybe a lot of artists out there, we tend to do things for free. I've done a lot of benefit shows, and I have not been paid, and we're so accepting of that. Like we did the tour with no money. The money caught up eventually, but there was no money being made. And the first fashion show no money was made by anybody. Nobody had to pay for anything either, which is really cool, but you know, there comes a time when we do need to raise U.S. dollars.

So buying our merchandise will help the nonprofit and help Shanai and I get paid for our time and also our support people who are super supportive. That'd be awesome.

Shanai: And you know, we're not just doing concerts and art gatherings.

We're also working with schools and community groups, we're developing some opportunities for young artists to discover their gifts through Fire in the Village programs. Annie's been out to a number of schools already with the fashion project. We did a day at the Brainerd High School where we did block printing workshops and kids got a chance to play music with Annie and David. So I think this year we're hoping to continue that with some schools in our community, our are here around Leech Lake and rural Aitkin County.

Annie: I think it's important that we're staying local. We're not trying to reach out too far from our little radius here. I think that if we can concentrate on where we are, we can make a bigger difference in, you know, in the environment and the vibe that we all live in.

So, uh, yeah, the school work's super important. The community events are super important and getting this news space downstairs is really important. Those are the big things I think that are on our horizon.

Shanai: So we're going to try to keep folks updated once a month with a little dispatch like this. We'll send things out in a few different ways.

But if you want to be more involved, you can visit our website. Visit us on social media. You can sign up to get those messages or to follow along.

Annie, do you want to close by just talking a little bit about this idea that you've had about people who give a sh*t? This is a fun thing that's coming up…

Annie: Yeah, you guys! I wish I could just read it. I want to find 100 people that give a sh*t. And those 100 people commit to donating $100 for an event. We're going to have a fundraising event in the fall. So we would raise $10, 000 instantly. But you 100 people would also look around you and identify and kind of nominate people in your community who have always done community work. Who have been selfless.

Shanai: We all know those people. We are those people sometimes.

Annie: Yeah, yeah, yeah! People who are short on resources for themselves, but they still manage to help around them in any way they can. So, finding those people, nominating them, and then at our fundraising event, those 100 people that give a sh*t will be the ones voting and selecting two people who will receive an unrestricted gift of $5000.

And in that way, they are helping. Those 100 people are helping the village.

It's hard to invest time and energy, I know, but if you have 100 bucks laying around, you could actually do something really great with it and reward a person. And we know, because of the work they've been doing all these years, they're just going to pay it forward anyway.

So we are developing that into our website after the new year, so please watch for the give a sh*t button.

Shanai: And even the process of thinking about the people in your village and in your community who are the ones tending to those little fires, hopefully it inspires you to just think about how important those folks are.

And if you are one of those people, keep on doing it. You know, it really does matter. Small. Local, wherever you are, is really, really powerful and important.

And that's one of the things that I think we're trying to lift up with all this Fire in the Village organizing work. So thank you for hanging out.

Annie: Feel free just to email me directly at Annie Humphrey music about anything.

Shanai: Cause you're still going out and talking to people playing shows, and you want to do more of that this year too.

Annie: Yeah, stay in touch.

Shanai: Thanks everybody. Okay, bye.