Eliza Gilkyson Premieres Stop-Motion Video for 'Promises to Keep'

Eliza Gilkyson, the two-time GRAMMY-nominated (2006/2014) folk singer, songwriter and activist is one of the most respected musicians in Folk Roots/Americana music today. Her release earlier this year, 2020, is a collection of politically charged anthems designed to motivate, reflect and inspire action. The album topped the Folk Radio charts for months and was universally acclaimed -- No Depression wrote: "Gilkyson stands alongside Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, and Woody Guthrie in steering us through the moral complacency of a too-often callous society," and Billboard wrote that "Eliza Gilkyson is ready to be part of the election year discussion with her charged new album, 2020." Now with a pandemic still raging, climate change still being debated and an election win that's still being debated, Eliza enlists fellow songwriter Antje Duvecot for a video for "Promises to Keep," a love letter to our planet and a reminder to keep continuing to fight the good fight. The video is premiering today with Folk Radio UK.

Eliza says: "'Promises to Keep' was written as an affirmation of my commitment to get involved in the struggle for human decency at a critical time in history, utilizing the imagery of fire to describe our drought-ridden and dangerously polarized world, to inspire like-minded souls into action, to fire ourselves up to form strong bonds and community so that we can resist complacency and demagoguery and rise above the worst aspects of human nature. Although we bought ourselves some time with this latest election, much will be required of us in the immediate future to affect real systemic change."

Antje Duvecot, who's made stop-motion videos for Toad The Wet Sprocket, Martyn Joseph, Eliot Bronson with Lori McKenna, and Dar Williams, says that the ideas for the visuals were drawn from the song's lyrics and inspired by the tumultuous year we have been living through. "The images give a nod to social isolation, anxiety about Covid and loved ones, the giant political challenges of this year, the natural disasters like the fires out West and global warming, the battle for social justice. The video seeks to mirror the song as it turn the concept of 'fire' from a symbol for chaos and a world spun out-of-control to the 'fire of the heart' that represents passion, love and bravery in the face of immense challenge. The main character draws strength from music, nature, and her community to rise up in the fight against the many destructive forces."

Produced by Eliza's son, Cisco Ryder, 2020 features songs that are designed to be audience sing-a-longs in the Pete Seeger tradition of motivational political anthems, from the call for unity of "Peace in Our Hearts," to blistering condemnations of the current regime's policies with "Sooner or Later" and "My Heart Aches." Featured artists include Eliza's tried and true band of beloved Austin musicians: Mike Hardwick (Jon Dee Graham, Jerry Jeff Walker, Charlie Sexton) on pedal steel, slide and electric guitars, Chris Maresh (Eric Johnson) on bass, Bukka Allen (Alejandro Escovedo, Joe Ely, Terry Allen) on keyboards, Warren Hood on fiddle, mandolinist Kym Warner (Green Cards) and producer Cisco Ryder on drums, with cameo appearances by rising star Jaimee Harris, folksinger Betty Soo and the WEWIM Choir of Austin, a support group co-founded by Eliza and singer Charlie Faye to nurture local female musicians working to get their careers off the ground.

Gilkyson, daughter of folk artist Terry Gilkyson and sister of LA-based artist Tony Gilkyson, is held in high regard by critics and her fellow songwriters alike; she recently supported Richard Thompson on his fall 2019 U.S. and had her song "The Great Correction" covered in 2018 by Joan Baez.

Gilkyson says: "2020 was born out of a visceral impulse to promote unity, commitment and action during this epic and critical showdown of power versus people in the USA and our world today.

Watch the video for "Promises to Keep" here:

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