Michael K. Anderson
Lea: “I don’t see my body as a disability.”
Gaelynn Lea is a rising music star who happens to have a disability.
Ushered into the national spotlight in March, the Duluth resident beat out 6,100 entrants, including several from Madison, to win NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert Contest. The energetic 32-year-old is a classically trained violinist who, with the help of a middle school teacher, learned to hold her instrument like a cello to accommodate for effects of brittle bone disease, a congenital disorder that requires her to use a wheelchair.
In addition to her solo act, Lea released an EP in 2012 with Alan Sparhawk of Duluth-based indie rock trio Low. Sparhawk introduced her to the looping pedal, which helps Lea create layers of soaring, ethereal strings and vocals. Lea will perform her singular blend of Celtic fiddle, infused with haunting indie rock influences, at the fourth annual Disability Pride Festival on July 30 at Brittingham Park. The event is hosted by Disability Pride Madison, a group that strives to promote positive engagement with people with disabilities.
The recent interest in Lea’s music has given her the opportunity to offer her perspective on the challenges people with disabilities face. She speaks publicly on disability awareness, overcoming obstacles, entrepreneurship and the importance of music.
Lea says disability rights lag behind other civil rights, often because of the financial costs associated with accommodating people with disabilities. “The worst thing about the disability itself is not the physical body or the disability itself — it’s the barriers you face,” Lea says.
Lea has had to enter restaurants through the kitchen or be carried onstage during the Tiny Desk Concert tour because spaces lack wheelchair accessibility. In some cases, simply adding an automatic door would make a world of difference.
Lea says allies of people with disabilities can help by learning about disability issues while also avoiding defining people by their disabilities: They’re not disabled people — they’re people with disabilities.
“I don’t see my body as a disability. It’s given me a perspective that’s positive,” Lea says. “It gets distorted when people use negative language about disability.”
Lea is releasing a six-song EP in mid-August with Minneapolis guitarist Al Church called The Songs We Sing Along the Way, and she plans to record again with Sparhawk after completing an upcoming tour.
The Disability Pride Festival, which runs from noon to 5 p.m., also features Tani Diakite & the Afrofunkstars and Johnny T-Bird & the MPs.