About That Song: Elexa Dawson
About That Song #116
In our special series, singer-songwriter Sarah Morris interviews artists about the songs that shaped them.
Hi! I’m Sarah Morris. I’m wildly in love with songs and the people who write them. There have been a few songs in my life that have been total gamechangers—songs that made me want to be a songwriter and songs I’ve written that made me feel like I am a songwriter. About That Song is a space where I can learn more about those pivotal songs in other writers’ lives.
For our 116th edition, I was thrilled to connect with the amazing singer songwriter Elexa Dawson, a citizen of the Potawatomi Nation in Oklahoma who currently resides in Kansas. In addition to releasing acclaimed solo albums, she’s the lead songwriter of the Kansas-based folk group Weda Skirts. In 2022, she founded Good Way Gardens in Emporia, Kansas—a land-based arts organization providing a concert series and educational community garden. We talked about influential music and moments and tracks from her most recent album.
Elexa Dawson. Photo credit: Jordan Storrer, Lifeleak Visuals.
Sarah: Hi Elexa! Over the last few years, I’ve had the annual good fortune to say hi to you within the meandering hotel hallways of the Folk Alliance Regional Midwest Conference. Your 2025 release Stay Put reached #9 on the Folk International Chart and #14 on the NACC Folk Chart. Congratulations! In celebration of all of this goodness, and of the fact that the annual FARM conference is just around the corner, I’d love to learn a bit more about you and the songs that have brought you to where you are on your musical journey.
Do you remember the song you heard that made you want to be a songwriter? Tell us about that song.
Elexa: This is a tough question! I was raised around music, so songs were a part of everyday life from day one. My nana was always singing in the car, in the kitchen, on the front porch. Her favorites were songs she learned from Peter, Paul and Mary; Judy Collins; and Carole King, so I grew up with a lot of great songwriting influences, but I don’t know that I ever had a day when I decided I wanted to be a songwriter. I think I’ve always known it was a possibility, because I had that strong, encouraging influence from the beginning.
Sarah: What a list of The Greats! Way to go, Nana! Once you began writing, did you feel like a writer immediately? It took me a few years of writing before I believed it—was there a song that gave you that “a-HA! I AM a songwriter!” moment? Tell us about that song.
Elexa: When I started writing, I was going to this multiracial, multicultural apostolic and charismatic church. I was on the praise team, and having grown up Baptist and knowing a hundred hymns by heart, I was fascinated by the more contemporary songs we sang by mostly Black praise and worship artists. So, influenced by that, I started writing songs to perform in church with the rock band that backed the praise team, and the first song I wrote was based on 1 Corinthians 13, which is known as the “love chapter.” I called it “The Love Song.” The community immediately received it, and I got so much praise and encouragement; it flipped a switch that this is something I can do that a lot of people can’t, or don’t, so it was worth my time to pursue.
Elexa Dawson. Photo credit: Jordan Storrer, Lifeleak Visuals.
Sarah: To have your first songwriting affirmed by a crowd of people sounds … pretty special. And fortunate for all of us listeners, because here you are—still pursuing it.
“Do what you do and take up your space / there are many roads to the high place.” These lyrics are from the empowering anthem “High Place” off of your 2019 debut album, Music Is Medicine. Musically, the song starts with a playful moment around the idea of “being free,” before the primary melody begins—inviting the listener all the way in. There are harmonies to join in on, as well as vibrant oohs. Can you tell us about that song?
Elexa: Yes! So, I’m a citizen of the Potawatomi Nation, and all my adult life I’ve been on a journey of reclaiming my indigeneity and learning more about my ancestors’ beliefs and how they differ from the colonial-Christian beliefs I was educated in as a child. One resource I was given to learn more is a book called The Mishomis Book by Edward Benton-Banai. In it, Mishomis, or the grandfather, teaches about Anishinaabe ways, and one point he makes is that everyone has to walk their own road to the high place; even if you don't understand it, you can respect and support that person’s walk. This was incredibly freeing and refreshing for me, as I've always been an overthinker who fretted over whether I believed the absolute right things about every little spiritual and moral matter.
This song was incomplete when we went into the studio, so it’s a bit mystical for me that it ended up being one of the best tunes on the record. Peter Oviatt engineered this one (as well as Stay Put), and we work really well together; his influence is all over this song, along with his incredible banjo playing throughout the album. Then there’s Melissa Tastove, the harmony singer, who’s been singing with me in Weda Skirts for almost 20 years now. And Kelby Kimberlin, my sweetheart, on bass. So it came together that way, with a bit of studio-vibes magic.
Sarah: The studio-vibes magic is palpable. Being surrounded by people who are so dear to you, and trusting them with your unfinished song—especially a song that reflects such an important part of your story—paid off in a big way (according to my ears and heart!).
On the title track from your new release, you sing, “Only I know why I get restless / If I could tell it all to you you know I would / But I can say with all the certainty I’m given I’d never write no songs if I stayed put.” Featuring the full-bodied singing of three vocalists, the song offers a wholehearted explanation of why the road feels necessary to your writerly heart. What can you tell us about that song?
Elexa: I actually wrote that song on the way to FARM 2022, on the train to Naperville. My aforementioned sweetheart, Kelby, is my safe place, my rock, and he’s hard to leave. We have a comfortable home, our beloved pets, my garden; so it’s hard to leave sometimes, but travel is one of my biggest crutches for writing songs. There’s something about getting out of my house, away from my day-to-day, that lets my brain disengage from autopilot and articulate feelings in a way I haven’t heard anyone do before, which is really what motivates me to write. I don’t want to say things that have been said already.
Sarah: En route to FARM! Oh, I love that. I’ve written in the van and while running, but never on a train. I’m going to put that in the “someday” file.
In the liner notes for Stay Put, you reference the Martin 1956 D18 you were lent for the duration of the recording process. Can you tell us about that guitar? Were any of the songs written on it?
Elexa: No, and I've never met the owner of that guitar! Peter had it ready for me to record with in the studio. He was the matchmaker there. I had a bridge problem with the Eastman that I normally play, and Peter thought that guitar would be a good fit for my voice. I’m honored I got to play it, but I haven’t written anything on it.
Really, my guitar with a story came after Stay Put came out. I have always played dreadnoughts, and I wanted to have something lighter for backpacking at conferences and festivals. I was shopping around and found this Furch at Guitar House of Tulsa. I had never heard of Furch, but it had a solid cedar top, and I loved the tone and how it sounded. The gal at the shop said they were well-built and based in the Czech Republic. So I bought it for myself as a kind of “congrats on finishing this album” prize.
Right after the album came out, I got a message from a guy who lives in the Czech Republic, who did a video of “Where Have All The Flowers Gone” in the Czech language, sung to the tune that I wrote for the song—the first song on the album. I was blown away at getting a response like that from halfway around the world, and so I sent it to Peter, who responded to my text with “Jamming with Czech bands that didn’t speak English”—which is a line from “Man Mountain,” also on the album. That blew my mind … then I found out that the guy who did the video knows the founder of Furch Guitars! Anyway, it’s a small world.
Sarah: WHOA. It is a small—and magical—world. I’m so glad that I asked about the Martin, because that means we got to learn about the Furch.
You’ll be in Minneapolis for the FARM conference next weekend (where you serve as Board president). Additionally, you will be performing at a special FARM edition of the Minnesota Songwriter Showcase at Aster Cafe. So, bonus question—can you tell us about that Folk Conference?
Elexa: Haha, yes, I’d love to tell you about FARM! I came into the community via FAI, and my first in-person conference was when I joined as a newly elected board member, so I’ve been deeply involved since 2022, and I can tell you it’s an honor to be part of this organization. In 2021, I was an official showcase artist in the virtual FARM conference, and that little appearance connected me to the Midwest folk community in innumerable ways. So many great venues and promoters are in the Midwest, and I’m excited to dig deeper into Minnesota and learn more about your home! But to be clear: FARM has become such a huge part of my career; I don’t think I’d be anywhere close to where I am without it.
Sarah: I’m glad that FAI led you to FARM—and I’m very much looking forward to seeing you soon. Thank you for taking the time to talk to me about that song. And that guitar! And that festival … Safe travels!
Whether or not you make it to FARM, you can find other chances to see Elexa Dawson live—including in the Twin Cities before and after the conference!
Listen to “Stay Put”
Stay Put Album Credits
Musicians: Elexa Dawson, Kelby Kimberlin, Peter Oviatt, Melissa Tastove
Special Guests on “Roots Grow”: Sarah Bays (melodica), John Depew (mandolin)
Special Guest on “Man Mountain”: Rosemary Dawson (vocals)
Photography: Jordan Storrer
Artwork: Sarah Hart
Radio Promotion: Art Menius Radio
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sarah Morris. Photo credit: Tom Smouse.
Sarah Morris is a superfan of songs and the people who write them, and a believer that certain songs can change your life. A singer-songwriter / mama / bread maker / coffee drinker who recently released her fifth album of original material, she’s been known to joyfully sing with people in her Big Green Bathroom.
