(O)utpost Hillevåg Fall 2026
OH – SHIT (Outpost Hillevåg – Stavanger Hillevåg Internasjonale Teater) @ Flintegata 4
Marisa Anderson performs from The Anthology of UnAmerican Folk Music
20 November @ 20:00
Acclaimed guitarist Marisa Anderson presents a solo concert featuring music from her recent release, The Anthology of UnAmerican Folk Music Vol. 1 (Thrill Jockey, 2026), following her stunning performance at Outpost Flørli in 2025.
Marisa Anderson draws on the history of the guitar while pushing the boundaries of tradition. Her playing is fluid, emotional and masterful, combining compositions and improvisations that reimagine the landscape of American music. The New Yorker describes Anderson as “one of the most distinctive guitar players of her generation”, while NPR calls her one of “this era’s most powerful players”.
The Anthology of UnAmerican Folk Music is a collection of nearly 1,000 songs drawn from the private record collection of the late Harry Smith. After a chance encounter gave Anderson the opportunity to study and explore this remarkable musical treasure trove, she developed the Anthology around music from places with which the United States has been in conflict since 1970: Southeast Asia, the USSR, and the Arab and Islamic regions of the world.
On Volume 1, Anderson presents her deeply personal interpretations of nine songs from the Anthology. Developed through trial and error, deep listening and research, the arrangements trace a musical journey from Afghanistan to Vietnam via Yemen, Cambodia and Turkmenistan. From Pakistani qawwali to Syrian taqsim, Anderson brings each piece to life through her distinctive guitar playing. Each track becomes a dialogue between Anderson and the original recording, refracted through her unique musical perspective.
Alongside her solo work, Anderson has recently released two duo albums with legendary drummer Jim White. She has also collaborated with William Tyler on Lost Futures (2021) and contributed to recordings by Matmos, Tara Jane O’Neil, Beth Ditto, Sharon Van Etten and Circuit des Yeux, among others.
About the Anthology
The ongoing Anthology project is driven by curiosity and a commitment to deep listening, seeking to build bridges with communities and cultural practices from around the world. Anderson openly acknowledges the limitations of her research, including the historical lack of access to traditions outside US markets and frames of reference, inaccuracies in the source material, and the limited time available to explore vast cultural traditions.
For Anderson, these limitations are an important part of the dialogue. As she puts it: “I am a musician, not an ethnomusicologist, or an anthropologist.” Her interest lies in how music is made, organised and shared, and in how people and music move across the world. She explores how war, migration, nomadism, colonisation and economic forces shape music and musicians, asking what happens to our relationship with place when borders shift or conflicts force people to migrate.
What do we carry with us when we leave home, and what do we bring home from faraway places?
“One of the best emotional mediums in the field of solo guitar, Anderson is a master of lovely melancholy.” – Pitchfork
More information:
Marisa Anderson’s official website
The Anthology of UnAmerican Folk Music on Bandcamp
