Ken Pomeroy, known for “Twisters” and “Reservation Dogs”, plays at WoodyFest
Ken Pomeroy’s admiration for Woody Guthrie goes back at least to eighth grade, when she wrote a nine-minute song about the late, great Oklahoma folk troubadour and performed it in a national competition in Washington, DC.
The Moore native was still in middle school when she first secured a spot at an open mic concert at the Rocky Road Tavern during the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival in Okemah, and she was just a 15-year-old aspiring musician about to begin her sophomore year at Norman North High School when she was first officially added to the lineup of the Okfuskee County event affectionately known as WoodyFest.
Pomeroy, a 21-year-old singer, songwriter and session musician from Tulsa, will play her first WoodyFest headlining gig during this year’s 27th annual Woody Guthrie Folk Festival, scheduled for July 10-14 at several venues in Guthrie’s hometown of Okemah.
“I feel like there are very few festivals like this in Oklahoma, and I think this one is really special because it’s about songwriting and the higher purpose of songwriting and bringing people together,” says Pomeroy, who has long preferred to be called Ken, a shortened form of her first name, McKena.
The Cherokee alt-folk singer and guitarist will play a full-band WoodyFest set on July 12 at 9:30 p.m. on the outdoor Pastures of Plenty main stage. Other acts set to perform at Pastures of Plenty this year include the Red Dirt Rangers, Willi Carlilse, Jamie Lin Wilson, The Deslondes, John Fullbright, James McMurtry, Beat Root Revival and Sad Daddy.
“I’ve never been so excited to do anything – and I have some pretty cool things to do this year,” she told the Oklahoman. “That’s always been my goal. I always thought playing at Pastures of Plenty was the coolest thing.”
Ahead of her headlining performance at WoodyFest, Pomeroy spoke with The Oklahoman about some of the exciting recent developments in her career, including her contribution to the soundtrack of the upcoming film “Twisters,” her work on the groundbreaking Cherokee-language album “Anvdvnelisgi,” the spotlight that “Reservation Dogs” shone on two of her songs, and more:
Q: What do you like about playing at WoodyFest?
I’m always surprised when I go to WoodyFest and see how genreless it is. Even though it’s a folk festival, I feel like a lot of people are pushing the boundaries and I think that’s a really good thing for Oklahoma. I’m really excited and honored to have played there so many times and to now be headlining is pretty cool. …
I’ve seen so many showcases of really, really young artists at open mics and stuff. I think the youngest artist I saw perform was with her dad and she was like 10 or something. So they’re very supportive of young musicians and aspiring writers. I think that’s made me appreciate festivals like WoodyFest more, because not all festivals are like that.
Q: What are the advantages and disadvantages of being a young but experienced musician?
I feel like most people I talk to don’t think I’m 21, which is great. I just want to get by and not be perceived as a 21-year-old.
But I think the main advantage is that I see a lot of my peers of a similar age get into the spotlight and go crazy and then say, “I don’t know what to do.” They’re on tour so much that it affects their mental health and it’s just intense. I can’t even imagine being pushed into a job like that – because at the end of the day, it’s a job and it’s a lot of work, so it’s exhausting – without any touring experience. … I feel like I have an advantage just because I’ve been doing this for so long. …
The downside is that people make a lot of assumptions. If they don’t know me, especially because I’m a woman – that’s another thing – they can be dismissive of the things I want to do. I’ve been pretty lucky because I haven’t had too many experiences like that.
But I sometimes feel like I’m a pretty strict person when I have to be. … I also feel like I have to prove myself a lot – which of course I don’t have to, but I often do. I have to give the best performance we can and often people treat me differently afterwards.
Q: From touring with Kaitlin Butts to recording with Wilderado, what was it like collaborating with other Oklahoma musicians?
It’s all been very, very organic. I feel like it’s become a really cool thing every time. Kaitlin and I are pretty good friends and I toured with her guitarist in Kyle Nix’s band. So Adam (Duran) and I are really good friends. So it’s always really fun to hang out with that group, just hang out. So obviously the tour is going to be super fun.
But with the Wilderado thing, Max (Rainer, the frontman of the Tulsa alt-folk band) and I were in “Twisters,” the new Tornado movie that came out. We sang a song for that movie and then had a cameo in it. And that was the first time I ever met Max — like, ever — and it was the craziest experience. Then we ended up doing the song “In Between” together.
Q: How did you, Wilderado and James McAlister end up on the Twisters soundtrack with a song called “Wall of Death”?
I was playing with Kyle Nix’s band at Stagecoach (Festival), I was in California, and I got a call from Chad Copelin, who I’d worked with a few times before, on recordings and stuff. And he said, “I’m going to ask my friend James to call you if you want to. They’re looking for a singer, and I really wanted to hire you.” …
None of us really understood what a big production this was. But I met James and Max on set in some silly-looking outfits that they had dressed us in. … I’m very grateful for all these weird, random scenarios that lead to something really cool. But yeah, it’s always like, “What in the world? How did that happen?”
Q: You had the opportunity to work on the Cherokee-language album “Anvdvnelisgi.” What was that experience like?
This was one of the most fun things I was able to do last year and I got to meet a lot of family members too.
My Mamaw is about 96 years old, and she’s been a big part of my life since I was a little kid. She was the one that made my regalia and all that stuff. She gave me my first pair of moccasins and all that. So she was really influential just because I grew up as a Native American and an Indigenous musician. She’s always been incredibly supportive of my music and everything else. But I have a lot of relatives on that side that I just didn’t get to meet just because they live in Tahlequah. … Then when I got to do this language revitalization project, I worked with a translator who ended up being my cousin. So that was cool.
Q: How did two of your new songs, “Pareidolia” and “Cicadas,” end up being included in the final season of “Reservation Dogs”?
(Tulsa showrunner) Sterlin Harjo contacted me and asked, “Are you working on new music?” And I was like, “Yeah, I’ll send you some stuff,” and I sent him demos that weren’t even finished yet. I sent him three songs and he said, “Great. I’ll use two of the three in the show if that’s OK.” And I was like, “Oh my God. Yes, that’s totally fine with me – just let me finish them first.” So we rushed them out, rushed them out and mastered them, and we finished them in two weeks, then we had to turn them over.
Then the episode of Reservation Dogs, “Elora’s Dad,” aired and featured those two songs, and it all went viral. It went viral on Reddit, which was crazy. … We recently opened for Iron & Wine, and a woman came up to me. She was like, “I’ll be honest, I’ve never heard Iron & Wine. But I heard your song on ‘Reservation Dogs.'” And I was like, “What? What are we talking about?” That blew my mind.
Q: Are you planning to release a new album soon?
There will be a few more individual rollouts… but the goal is spring 2025.
WOODY GUTHRIE FOLK FESTIVAL
- When: 10-14 July.
- Where: Multiple venues in Okemah.
- Tickets and information: woodyfest.com.
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