by Kim Wiesner
So, the Winnipeg Folk Fest is such a highlight for us here. How was your first one?
It was amazing. I totally understand. I think it’s a highlight for everyone. We had been playing a few festivals earlier in the past two weeks. And to be honest, I was feeling really low energy, drained, the traveling, playing, the being in crowds. I’m not so much of a like festival-goer type. And then I ended up being in festivals a lot. But then I got to the Winnipeg Folk Fest, and it was just the most like, you know, kind of generative, energy-giving, sweet, soft experience. And, I’m just gonna say it on the record. I don’t think I’ve been treated that well. You know what I mean? The organization here is so efficient, and everything is thought out. And as soon as you meet something as an artist, it’s like you’re like, you just have to rub the magic bottle, and the genie appears and here’s a beautiful meal and your transportation.
I’m really glad you had a great time. I noticed everyone on stage, and you guys are all smiling at each other and looking like you’re having fun. How important is it to be close with the people you play and make music with?
I don’t think it’s a prerequisite, but I think it’s lucky. It’s something to try to make happen, but you know, I think it’s like in life, it’s lucky when you find people you really mesh with and get along with and you feel comfortable with. I’ve known everybody in the band for almost a decade now so it hasn’t always been this easy, this is our peak so far right so like enjoying each other’s company which is really like a great effect of spending a lot of time together because it could have it could go the other way too but like yeah it’s just like total trust and total gratitude and so that’s really special.
So, did you all know each other when you first started making music?
No, that’s a thing, three of the four I met through music and the other woman on stage was a friend before, but she is a classical pianist. She just made the jump from classical to more pop or popular music, so it’s a recent thing that she’s available. The other three I met through music, and it took a long time, and it was also so intense, you know, like you tour together or you’re rooming together, you’re trying to be aware of everyone’s needs at all points, and yeah, that could go many ways you know.
Absolutely. I don’t make music but I’m always at shows and it’s just really cool to see how music can connect people. I loved your Folk Fest set and thought you had a pretty distinct sound. How did you find and develop your artistic voice?
Great question. I think it’s like a never-ending quest. I was, for a long time, very comforted by the Miles Davis quote that is like, “It takes a long time to find your voice,” because for a long time, I was like I definitely haven’t yet, now I don’t worry about it. As much as I know what I like in terms of other music, the music I make just happens kind of. I don’t think one album will ever be really similar to the other, well maybe it will, you know, but in terms of voice, I think what I have the most control over is the lyrics and that I’m really taking more and more pleasure in venturing off of the path I’ve maybe been trudging before, and that just took time and confidence. For the longest time, I didn’t know whether I could make it in music, and very recently, I became financially more secure, which is a whole conversation in and of itself, and it’s so relative. Now I can relax into it a little bit, and that really helps. I think I’m in one zone; I guess, like that Virginia Woolf concept is, like, some things you need to know you can focus on it, and you need to know that you can do it alone, that you have space and the fun.
Right, for sure. So, what drives you creatively?
I guess it changes, but I think the thing that remains the same is, like, distilling a situation or feeling into something that is new to me in terms of expression and hoping that people relate to that version of it because, obviously, love is a common theme, friendship is a common theme, grief, we all care about the same things at the end of the day, and it’s about finding a way to express that that feels playful at least in its novelty, I guess. I say this humbly; I’m not saying I’m reinventing the love song. I think, for me, I’m just seeking to be a little bit surprised and hoping that others find something new in that too.
I love that. You released an album last year. What’s next for you?
Well, we’re working on an album right now. Actually, that is coming together at a really crazy speed; knock on wood. I’m very grateful for it. I think because the last album, I lost my mom almost three years ago, and that really sidetracked my whole life, obviously, and also my creative intentions. I made an album mostly for her and in honour of my grief and my family’s grief. And so, it turns out I had a lot of other things to say that kind of remained latent for that time, I think, and so has the speed at which the other album is happening, you know because a lot of things were put on hold.
