Marisa Anderson

Marisa Anderson is one of the most eminent guitarists working today. Her lucid, eloquent approach has established her as an unparalleled artist and a coveted collaborator.

Throughout her career, Anderson has channelled the history of the guitar and stretched the boundaries of tradition. Her deeply original approach applies elements of minimalism, electronic, drone and 20th century classical music to compositions based on blues, jazz, gospel and country music. To surmise, Marisa has re-imagined the landscape of American music.

Her latest release, The Anthology of UnAmerican Folk Music Volume 1 (Thrill Jockey Records, 2026), pulls from a collection of nearly one thousand songs culled from the private record collection of the late archivist Harry Smith after a chance encounter led to Anderson studying and exploring this treasure trove of music. The Anthology focuses on music from places that the United States has been in conflict with since 1970: Southeast Asia, the USSR and the Arabic and Islamic regions of the world.

In Volume 1 of The Anthology, Anderson presents her own deeply personal iterations of nine songs from the archive. Composed, transcribed and arranged through a process of trial and error, deep listening and research, Anderson charts a musical course from Afghanistan to Vietnam via Yemen, Cambodia and Turkmenistan.

Featuring - Marisa Anderson