Joshua tree singer/songwriter Wildlife Freeway doesn’t play music — “I use music,” says Wildlife Freeway (aka Sunny Atema). “For now, I perform all my own songs. Some I’ve been writing since I was a kid, others I’m finding now. I never took piano lessons. My relationship with piano was too personal to share or negotiate with someone telling me to say it differently.”
With her latest song, “Flea” is a meditative track, with Wildlife Freeway reaching, reaching, reaching towards connection and understanding. In our interview, Atema reflects on her musical journey and the artistic communities she has helped to weave.
Does your album have an overarching theme?
My musical name is Wildlife Freeway. Do you know what that is?
It is a bridge for the Animals to safely cross over busy roads, so when we humans are rushing off in cars to our parties, the Animals can get to their forest fairy parties too. I get to talk about this all the time now at my shows. And people send me articles of where they are being built all over the country and world.
And the Animals, from miles around go out of their way to use them. The name also speaks of wildness and freedom and life on the road.
The title of the album is SUNNY. That’s my name.
I am Sunny.
The overarching theme of the album is impossible intimacy with nature and the Earth and Earth beings and our inner selves
Tell us about your favorite show you’ve ever played.
I can’t even tell you about it. Perfect magic. Awake in time.
Do you play covers at your shows? Why or Why not?
Yea covers. No. I don’t really. I write and compose all my own music. I’m self taught and I have songs flowing out of me. I’m pushing one aside right now just to write this here! I’ve played only a handful of covers ever — all on piano except the Tritt song with guitar.
Leadbelly – Midnight Special
Travis Tritt – Country Club
Junior Byles -Curly Locks
Janis Joplin – Woman Left Lonely
And if I ever cover a song, I really make it my own. I don’t imitate, I just sing and play my way. It is cool to get into another musician’s head. Covering a song is super intimate. But I’m not short on inspiration. My cup runs over with songs pouring out of me, so it’s hard to find the time to learn other people’s songs as much as I enjoy listening them.
How are you using your platform to support marginalized people?
I hope in various ways, through giving, learning, creations and inclusive events. Four different but connected creations come to mind here:
Wildlife Freeway’s “Family” is a holy song that widens our hearts and vision of what family is. It shows that family can take many different forms. We are strings, each of us woven together in this colorful tapestry. Some of us are born into difficult situations. “Family” reminds us that family is created through friendships, love and helping each other out. If people at a shopping mall, people of various wealth, color, gender, ability and preferences can hear this song over the loud speaker while grocery shopping or whatever, if the lyrics sneak into their consciousness, their hearts will open under the influence. The music gently pushes a path to inclusion.
I handmade and self publish an oracle deck called Animal Medicine Cards. I donate to various organizations for fundraiser fodder. When I offer card readings to the public, it is always for Free, so no one is left out of the offering. Being without money in our society cuts us out of so much opportunity and healing. I never want a person to feel like they need to possess that stuff to be worthy of some Animal advise. And I sell the Animal Medicine Cards sliding scale for all in person readings too.
Before the pandemic, I taught free/donation yoga classes as well. No one ever turned away for lack of funds or attire. (I would bring extra yoga pants to class in case ppl needed ) And classes were always in random accessible places like parks, desert
slabs, city rooftops. The last time I taught free yoga classes was in Brooklyn at the 360 record shop. We would push the records aside and practice before they opened, just for homies in the neighborhood who would likely never set foot in a fancy yoga studio.
And I’ll finally mention the Art Music Tea Parties. Years ago I created a series of intimate sharing events called ‘Art Music Tea Party’: Gatherings of diverse magical people, where we could and would be heard. I hosted these events all over the country for a decade. There needs to be a place for music that isn’t a capitalist competition. The whole idea of good enough often means white enough or male enough or rich enough. What about true enough, kind enough?
Competition itself is defeating. Who’s making those rules, and moreover who is keeping them in place? That attitude takes so many people out of the room. It is a construct that we can dismantle like so many others. Art Music Tea Party was a place and a night where folks share their voices in a safe sacred space, folks who get talked over and folks who were waiting for the invitation to get to share. And we listen to each other, reveling in the diversity and similarities of our experiences. I’ll probably have to start creating Art Music Tea Parties again once the pandemic subsides, just to have this experience of deep listening and sharing.
In whatever small way I can, organizing or getting out of the way, my job is to weave, with music, art and gatherings, the family of Earth beings into a rainbow tapestry of sharing, listening and love.
What’s the first concert you ever attended? What do you remember about it?
Besides growing up with classical music concerts.. Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers !! 11 years old. It was great great great. Kids don’t get that same kind of freedom anymore with their phone tracking devices. Sometimes I laugh at what awesome taste and fortitude I tapped into as a young girl. By 15 and 16 I snuck into Bad Brains, Fugazi (no one had to sneak into Fugazi bc they only played all ages shows bless their souls), Lee Perry, Slayer, Toots. Then I got into Daniel Johnston and flew to Austin, Texas just to buy his cassettes! and hundreds more… I snuck into sick shows across genres when I was a kid. I was a rebel and I was relentless finding and enjoying music.
Then, home in private, I made music that sounded nothing like what was around me. It was secret. It was the music of a young woman who didn’t mimic those shows, those dudes. I didn’t even suppose there was a place for me. I conversed with the piano when no one was home and sang filling the house. Still this was all secret music. It took years to find my way in front of people. And now I’ll play my family song for anyone. I’ll play for your mom and dad, that cool guy musician bro, for a hundred thousand in a stadium, for live radio. Just like the dudes that were standing on that stage when I was kid a million miles away in the back row.
Wildlife Freeway — Instagram