Getting to Know . . . Corinne West
 by Kathy S-B  ·  8 February 2008

It’s been a real thrill to get to know Corinne West’s music recently. She mixes and matches styles and her voice is something so very special that it’s nearly impossible not to enjoy the entire palette of her talents from cut to cut to cut on her newest CD, Second Sight. Corinne has been making a name for herself and starting to develop pockets of diehard fans from all over the country and is heading across the ocean to Europe later this year. Check out Corinne’s music on her MySpace page and on her own website. If you enjoy a little bit country, and a little bit rock, and maybe a little bit bluegrass, Corinne is your woman!

It’s always fascinating to learn about musicians’ first musical experiences. It sounds like some of your early memories revolve around hanging out with your grandfather in some music joints. Were those early live shows a pivotal moment in your musical life?

I wasn’t aware of it when it was happening, but in retrospect, yes going to the honky-tonk with my Grandfather (Aldo), was a key element in my life. I was a young girl on a big dance floor under bright colored lights, moving to the beat of a live band amidst a lot of people who were having a great time. Everyone wanted a dance with my Grandfather. Those folks were friendly people who knew how to have fun. Grandpa Aldo taught me the basics on how to two-step and I was caught up in the magic dust of moving to live music with my Grandfather who to this day is my champion. It was a great thing to offer a child and it stuck.

You had a pretty unconventional adolescence; you actually left home at age 15 and toured with some artists on a bus with them. What kind of artists were they? Musical artists or “art” artists? How did you manage to survive those days? Is it true that this is when you first picked up the guitar?

The folks that came on and off that bus were from all walks of life and talent. Some people were visual artists, some poets, some musicians and others made sculpture. The cast of characters changed a lot. It was an ongoing creative riddle to figure out how to keep things moving. I thought of a lot of ways to solve that puzzle, but my favorite was busking.

Performing on the street is one of the most difficult forms of entertaining. A street performer is in the midst of people in motion. The environment is unpredictable ~ there are elements like wind, loud unexpected noises like sirens and horns and random things, like dogs or upset children. For those reasons and more it is an entire art-form to harness the attention of people on the street. I did visit the musician’s school of hard-knocks during my first few attempts to sing with an open guitar case in front of the world. I did not become a great street performer at all, but I certainly have a ton of respect for those that are.

I didn’t pick up my first guitar while traveling. My mother had bought me a guitar from the owner of the Folk Music Center in Claremont for my birthday. That was the guitar I took with me.

Would you categorize your style of music as “mountain music?” And how does mountain music that originates in the Sierras differ than that of … say…..the Appalachian or Blue Ridge Mountains? Or is good ole mountain music….just good ole mountain music?

I am very comfortable in wild places, be it on the sea, or in the mountains. I know that my music is informed and inspired by such places, but it’s a stretch for me to say that what I write is mountain music. Now to get a little outside of the question, I think that if the Appalachian Mountains and the Sierra Mountains each broke into song, those songs would be very different, but kindred.

One of the descriptions of your style is “Americana with a kick.” That’s a good description. You’ve got a little bit of this and a little bit of that and it all adds up to a big musical kick. It’s hard, if not impossible, to listen to your music and not appreciate all the variations in the styles you present. “Roses to Rust,” for instance includes some tasty R&B sounding organ riffs. How do your more traditional bluegrass type fans react to a tune like that?

There certainly is a kick in the sauce. I am inspired by many music forms and genres — from blues to bluegrass to rock to country to ancient ballads. On this latest recording, Second Sight I did get inspired by bluegrass to the point of paying tribute and nodding to the forms on a few songs like “Second Sight,” “Diamonds to the Wind,” and “Gandy Dancer.” But I am not a “Bluegrass” artist. On the recording there is also a blues tune and something of an Irish drinking song in 6/8 time etc. My guess is that a hardcore traditional bluegrass fan would see my ‘hats off’ to bluegrass and know that I was dancing with those forms for a few songs because they are so awesome. I am by no means an authority on bluegrass, but I sure do love it and it’s big fun to be in that soup.

I always like to ask about “road stories.” Care to tell us about any of the more … interesting venues you’ve played in the past? Do you have any road trip “paying your dues” type stories?

In 2007 I toured for a month in England and Ireland. At the close of each night I would play the traditional song “Swing Low,” as many people know the tune and it’s great when everyone chimes in at the end of a show. In England, I was especially surprised at how much enthusiasm was put into singing the song by the audience. I mean, it was fun in America, but it was really fun in England! On the third week of the tour we went into Wales for a gig. At the end of the night I asked the audience to sing along, and I kicked into “Swing Low.” The crowd became strange to me… shifting and not singing very much and looking side to side a bit. I was quite confused, as I felt the show had gone very well and this seemed a strange note to leave on. After the song there was no encore. I left the stage feeling bewildered. At that moment a woman from the audience approached me and asked me why I asked everyone to sing “Swing Low.” I explained that having everyone sing a little is usually a good way to end the night and folks have always enjoyed that. She said “Dearie, there is something you should know for when you return to Wales. “Swing Low” is the Anthem of the English Rugby team. The Welsh Rugby team is not the English Rugby team… in fact, they are longstanding rivals. “

I laughed at my own naivety, felt embarrassed and thanked her. Never get between a people and their sports!