Songwriter brings authenticity to her music

Rita Hosking, 2008 winner of the Sisters Folk Festival's Dave Carter Memorial Songwriting Contest, grew up in the mountains of Shasta County, California.

She would sing into the morning air while she waited for the school bus, no one but the birds listening in. "I sang to keep myself company," she said. One day she thought, hey, this sounds pretty good. She knew then that she had a voice, but wasn't in any hurry to let the world know.

At age 14, she was in an old-time band called the "Farmerettes," organized by the school cook. Hosking played the washboard and accompanied on vocals, performing at local events. Her debut solo occurred when the cook tricked her into it, handing her the mike during a performance and saying, "You sing."

Hosking's great-grandfather, who died before she was born, was a singer who had some of his music recorded. She grew up hearing stories about him and the family would bring the records out at Christmas.

"Folk music became sacred (to us) because of him," she said.

Her mother loved the old-time female country singers, and there were plenty of those tunes in the house too.

Hosking, who now hails from Davis, California, entered three bluegrass tunes in the Sisters Folk Festival contest, and she sang them accompanied by her husband, Shawn Feder, playing banjo. Her Saturday evening performance on the main stage included bass player Bill Dakin. In a home-town twist, Dakin's parents, Bill and Gretchen, live just out of Sisters.

Feder is a professional musician, a percussionist, and Hosking accompanies him on occasion. Davis has a vibrant music scene, with plenty of opportunities to play.

This was Hosking's first visit to Sisters, but it won't be her last, she said. In a happy coincidence, she'd arranged to take a year's leave of absence from her part-time teaching job, and winning the song contest gives her great momentum. She'll be recording her third album in Austin, and hopes to play at more folk and bluegrass festivals.

Hosking and Feder have two daughters, Kora, age 13, and Hava, age nine. They are keeping the Hosking-Feder music tradition alive, playing the fiddle and singing.