We last caught up with San Francisco based singer songwriter Liz Kennedy this time last year, with the release of her track, ‘Everyone Knows How It Goes‘. Now she’s hiking up her socks in a love letter to San Francisco – in particular Telegraph Hill, historic North Beach, and the steep and spectacular slopes that say so much about the city. She presents herself as a woman who is more than just enchanted by her community and surroundings, she is also deeply invested in her neighbourhood, with the message of her song clearly saying, “a life well lived is one that’s deeply rooted in the local community”.
In part, ‘Hike Up Your Socks’ was inspired by Liz’s late husband, who was very much a good citizen and neighbour, and who had an incredible passion for North Beach, and the many relationships he’d formed there. It’s also a powerful re-affirmation of something her fans have always known: she is as much a genuine part of San Francisco and a standard-bearer of her city’s folk tradition. The lyrics namecheck local landmarks, such as Mario’s Bohemian Cigars, and Stella’s Pastry, and encourages you to get out and walk about, and greet passersby with warmth.
The video, shot by Eric Peltier, follows Liz from the stone stairs and landings of Telegraph Hill to Washington Square, to the independent shops on Columbus Avenue. Some of the landmarks, like the Transamerica Pyramid, the Powell and Market cable car, and the City Lights Bookshop, are internationally recognized symbols of the Bay Area that happen to be right there in the singer’s backyard. Yet the video also immerses the viewer in North Beach, the oldest Italian American neighborhood in the city, and its quotidian sights: restaurants, pastry shops, churches and parks, locals walking dogs and taking in the sunshine. Most of all, it shows Liz Kennedy interacting with her friends and neighbors – smiling, talking, joking, living a life in full in a place as wondrous as San Francisco.
You can find out more about this incredible artist online from her official website.
