Just a heads up: There's going to be some chainsaw action, tree-dropping sounds and reversing of a crane thing during this chat. An arborist decided mid-interview was the perfect time for some timber work above our heads. An example of living and working on an ever-evolving site in the middle of a valley.
"Everything we do in a modern society is to pull us away. So we forget how much we're just truly... a piece of the puzzle."
Harley sits down with Joe H. Henry, a Métis musician from Nova Scotia who's returned to Australia for the Festival of Small Halls tour after falling in love with Woodfordia at our last Folk Festival.
Joe's story is steeped in the Red River Valley, where his grandparents walked 260 miles with oxen and Red River carts to settle. He grew up between two worlds – his father's Métis community of fiddle music, trapping, and self-sustaining bush life, and his mother's world of horses. Music isn't just what Joe does; it's "the Henry curse," running through generations of riders, singers, and instrumentalists.
He left home young with just his dog and his guitar, busking outside liquor stores and bars to survive. But that transient lifestyle was embedded in his DNA – the Métis people were always the storytellers, carrying songs and poems from community to community.
The conversation moves between the profound and the practical, from raising five kids (aged 17 to 3) without screens dominating their lives, to the trapping industry keeping remote communities alive, to why we all need to feel our insignificance in nature.
Joe explains why Woodford showed him the consciousness level of all Australians, how technology is changing the valley he once knew, and why he makes music.
This episode is for:
- Anyone who needs reminding that we're magnificently insignificant
- People interested in Indigenous culture, storytelling traditions, and how communities preserve identity
- Parents navigating the wilderness of raising teenagers in the digital age
- Musicians and artists wondering if following their frequency is actually a viable life choice
Dive in to hear about why:
- Feeling small in nature might be the most important thing we can do
- Woodford just might be proof of who we all can be in the "real world"
- Sometimes the best parenting advice is "be water" and ALSO know your kid's best friend's parents
Keen to come to Woodford: https://www.woodfordfolkfestival.com
For more Joe H. Henry: https://joehhenry.com/
FOR MORE: Harley Breen: https://www.harleybreen.com.au/
CREDITS:
Host: Harley Breen
Guest: Joe H. Henry
Producer: Benny Wallington
Executive Producers: Cameron Scurrah & Bree Hickson-Jamieson
Audio mastering: Kieron Atkinson
Music by: The East Pointers Recorded on Jinibara Country
#RadioWoodfordia #WoodfordFolkFestival #JoeHHenry #MetisMusic #FestivalOfSmallHalls #IndigenousStories #metis #canada #novascotia
Join the Woodfordian Citizens:
Perks -
- Bi-Monthly emails sharing the ins and outs of the world of Woodfordia and the people who keep the heart beating.
- Special invites to special events on site at Woodfordia. Super special.
- Bonus podcast content
- Early early bird access to Woodford Folk Festival tickets
- Early access to workshop bookings at Woodford Folk Festival
Visit: woodfordia.org/woodfordia/become-a-citizen
More information at www.woodfordia.org
For the festival: www.woodfordfolkfestival.com
For Harley: https://www.harleybreen.com.au/
Credits:
Host: Harley Breen
Producer: Benny Wallington
Executive Producers: Cameron Scurrah & Bree Hickson-Jameison
Audio mastering: Kieron Atkinson
Music by: The East Pointers
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