For acoustic folk singer-songwriter Alberto Kanost, his project Bear in the Forest bridges his love of environmentalism and music. With his songs, the Milwaukee-born Madison resident embraces conversation between self and the land, and how that relationship can teach us to live with purpose, grace and harmony.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
Why is folk the right genre for you?
What I do is spiritualism through music. The solemnness of a folk song is almost a prayer – you’re in conversation with yourself, or you’re sharing pain or joy with another person. It’s very intimate. … Folk music just had this real softness that opened up this spiritual door to process things.
Why do you sing about the natural world?
A lot of people want to be connected and understand the natural world. I played Earth Sessions this past summer at UW-Madison, and they had Native people speaking about … reciprocity with the land – the essence of what the spiritualism in my music is tapping into. I’m singing to that tune in the wind that’s there for everyone.
The full interview is available via the “State of Sound” podcast at radiomilwaukee.org or wherever you get your podcasts.
