Quick Q and A with Edie Carey
 by Kathy S-B  ·  13 March 2010

It’s easy to understand why one music journalist has called Edie Carey “the Shawn Colvin of her generation.” Edie’s songs are smart, just like Colvin’s. She sings with credibility and force and just enough vulnerability to make you want to hear more and more.

To learn more about Edie, go to her website Here’s a video of Edie singing “If I Start to Cry.”

Your biography reads as a kind of magical fairy tale about how you ended up becoming a singer-songwriter. Do you ever regret taking that road less traveled?

Not for a second. This year marks the 11th year of doing this as my full-time job, and I truly can’t fathom doing anything else. It would be hard to imagine a better job than singer-songwriter — and I can’t think of anything that would make me feel equally challenged and inspired.

Your time studying in Italy gave you an opportunity to acquaint yourself with the guitar and to develop a repertoire or sorts. Was that a real turning point in your life?

Absolutely. For the first time in my life as an “adult” (I was 20), I had lots of free time to do with whatever I pleased. In Italy, you only go to class a few hours a day,so I was able devote a ton of time to learning to play guitar and starting to write songs . . . and then eventually busking on the streets there. It was a crash course in singer-songwritering that I might never have gotten at college in the states. It’s also a lot less scary to play your own songs for folks who don’t speak English.

I’ve got to ask — what’s this about being on TV with Ed McMahon? Were you on “Star Search”?

In 2001, I competed on a show on the PAX channel called “Ed McMahon’s Next Big Star.” The producers were trying to bring Star Search back under this new name, but then American Idol showed up, and it just kind of squashed the notion. It was a really cool experience which involved scary amounts of lip gloss :) I competed against a trio of very cute 15-year-olds and I did not win. When I saw the voting audience consisted of tweens and grandmothers, I pretty much knew it was a done deal :) Ed McMahon was really nice, very tall, and he knew who Ani DiFranco was, which I thought was totally badass.

According to your bio, it says that you performed at the 2002 Winter Olympics. How did that come about?

A fan of mine was on the entertainment committee, and he set me up with the shows. It was a really fun experience, especially for someone as seriously un-sporty as I am :) I hung out with a lot of Irish athletes. They like this sensitive singer-songwriter stuff.

You’ve had the opportunity to do shows on fan cruises. What’s that like?

So much fun — and such a great way to connect with folks who are passionate about music. I just finished my 2nd Cayamo cruise with Lyle Lovett, Emmylou Harris, Brandi Carlile…and about 30 other great musicians. It’s especially at gigs like those that I find it hard to believe that I get paid to do this. I actually forgot to get paid, I was having so much fun :)

What’s in store for Edie Carey in the near future?

I have a new record coming out in the fall of 2010, so I will be touring behind that a good deal over the next year. I wouldn’t be surprised if a baby were on the horizon in the 2–3 years. CDs, babies — it’s all the same, right?? :)

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