At the RiffRaff Arts Collective in Princeton, West Virginia they are using music and art to bring about change. Lori McKinney of RiffRaff has set upon a vision with her team of creating visuals coupled with music to spark conversations that will inspire others to lend a hand and voice to creating sustainable progress that will transform lives and their community through their We Need To Talk Series.
McKinney and Madison took time to talk to to Born & Bred about the next installment of their series, happening November 30th at the Stages Music School located in the Mercer Street Roots District.
BB: What was the impetus behind the We Need To Talk series?
LM: For years, we had been pondering, “How do we amplify the creative voices that are in everyone’s backyard? There are artists and poets that have a deep drive to speak about things that matter. How can we see to it that these voices are heard beyond the corporate influences on music?” We imagine how enriched lives could be if everyone, especially young people, had access to this uplifting, meaningful content and a connection to these creators.
BB: How did you get started?
LM: We’ve been working for the past 20 years bringing people together through music and the arts, using creativity to bring about transformative change. In 2020, when the world was shut down, we had a chance to sit down and design the We Need to Talk project; we submitted to National Endowment for the Arts, and were awarded. Our team here at RiffRaff is producing sweeping, cinematic music videos and docushorts and using them to stoke community dialogue.
BB: Why was this important to you and the community at RiffRaff?
LM: We want to create a culture of listening, for people to look beyond their own perspective to truly appreciate the lived experience of others. We know that music and art are powerful tools for this. We believe that when local people see these beautiful pieces created by the community for the community, featuring local faces and places, this will open hearts and minds. We also just know how important it is to provide opportunities for real connection, especially in times like these.
BB: Your next series features a song from musician Je’dah Madison called “Wild and Wonderful” What is the conversation you’re wanting to facilitate around this track?
LM: Je’dah has been an integral part of the transformation of our town, as a young artist. She’s seen firsthand how change is possible. A lot of young people feel disillusioned because they don’t realize we can shape the world around us. Also, it’s easy to take the beauty of our state for granted, and the assets we do have available. Together, we hope to inspire folks, especially young ones, to love the place we live, and get involved in shaping it in the ways we all want to see it grow.
BB: Je’dah, what caused you to realize the value of home?
JM: I was 20 when I wrote this song; I was in an all female funk band that traveled the east coast. I always had the itch to get out, but anytime I was in a different state exploring, I would think, hey, that would be so awesome to have in our home state! That’s really important to me, to bring things like that back. I have these moments of awareness, of just appreciating everything that’s around me, the community here, my friends and family play a big part in why I’ve decided to stay. I wanted the scenes in the video to represent the beauty of this place and what makes it so important to me.
BB: What do you hope others take from this song?
JM: I want to show WV from my perspective. I want people to be able to see the beauty in our state and appreciate it. For the conversations, it doesn’t matter if you have something negative or positive, we need both ends of the conversation to improve and to make changes. I especially hope to get the youth in our town involved. No matter your walk of life, we can all come together and talk about how to improve, get people to stay or come back.
Check out the song Wild And Wonderful below and make plans to attend the conversation this Thursday at 7:30 PM
From RiffRaff Arts Collective website: Join us for a screening of the music video “Wild and Wonderful,” by Je’dah Madison, and the premiere of the documentary piece, featuring a Behind The Scenes look at the making of and meaning behind the piece. Watch the videos, enjoy complimentary coffee & snacks from local businesses in our neighborhood, share reflections, share your story if you feel compelled, meet new friends and join in the conversation! We need to Talk is a movement using music videos and docushorts to build bridges and catalyze community healing. RiffRaff Arts Collective is creating sweeping, cinematic music videos featuring original music by artists within our community that have written songs about issues they are passionate about, or ways they see the world that they wish the community could open their hearts to. We are using these videos to stoke community dialogue, build relationships, and cultivate a culture of listening. The project aims to empower community members to tell their stories and raise their voices. Featured songs include themes of change and empowerment, and docu-shorts explore issues that inspired their creation.
