I first heard Anais Mitchell last Thursday at Bon Iver’s concert and have been listening to her music on YouTube every day since. Born and raised in Vermont, Mitchell moved to Boston at the age of 18 to pursue her dream as a folk artist. During the day she worked to get her sound out to people and at night she worked the graveyard shift at a diner in Southie (just a couple blocks away from the Bank of America Pavilion she was performing at on Thursday). My friend who was also at the concert summed up Mitchell perfectly: a folk version of Fleetwood Mac. The best moment of her performance, “Why We Build The Wall,” left me motionless in my seat, mesmerized by her story. “Why We Build The Wall” is off of her Hadestown album which Mitchell created to be a Folk Opera. Also featured on the album is Justine Vernon (aka Bon Iver) who takes the part of Orpheus in “Wedding Song”. Check out both songs below and then go see her in person.
