Quick Q and A with Anne Heaton
 by Kathy S-B  ·  8 May 2010

Anne Heaton is a hard-working songwriter. She’s been a welcome addition to the Boston music scene for a few years and always puts on a thought-provoking yet entertaining show. Anne’s latest CD, “Blazing Red” oozes honesty and raw emotion. It’s impossible to listen to it without being moved by the exquisite sounds. To learn more about Anne, visit her website and Check out this promotional video which includes an interview and song clips.

I am totally fascinated (and impressed) by your Life Is Alchemy project. Can you explain the concept and how you got involved with this activity?

I am particularly fascinated by stories of transformation. I love hearing about how people have overcome obstacles and met different challenges in their lives. A few summers back, I had the opportunity to visit Bogota, Colombia where there are a lot of children and teenagers living on the streets. I was introduced to a man named Papa Jaime who runs several centers/schools that help get kids off the streets and back on track. I was able to interview several of these children and find out their stories.

I’ve also written a handful of custom made songs for a few fans of mine over the last 3 years . . . songs uniquely crafted for particular occasions such as engagements, weddings, anniversaries, etc. because I do love getting inside of and telling other peoples’ stories. So when I had the chance to interview these kids, I realized that I wanted to turn their stories into songs as well. I’ve continued to interview all sorts of folks in the US as well - from fans at shows, to illegal immigrants, to police officers, to veterans etc. about their stories of transformation. I expect to compile a group of songs around these themes.

Your list of influences is quite broad but I’m especially intrigued by the following. Care to comment?

Joseph Campbell?

— I love the book “The Power of Myth!” I love learning about the commonalities amongst the religions and peoples of the world. I was inspired to write a song called “Maybe It’s Peace” by Campbell’s book. In it, he talks about a doorway and how one side of the doorway is Desire and the other is Fear. He then talks about how if you can travel through the doorway, navigating between these two seeming opposites, Peace is on the other side waiting for you.

Dali?

— I lived in Toledo, Spain my junior year in college and became a huge Dali fan. I guess I never suspected that someone could depict all the internal weirdness that was going on in my brain and as a young person, I was very relieved to find out (my interpretation) that I perhaps wasn’t crazy after all! ;).

As an adult, I love his delving into the subconscious. I want to do this in songwriting as well. Whether it is through a particular sound or melody or even the way certain words are strung together, my hope is to always delve deep and bring things to the surface within myself and the listener that perhaps were hidden from view or needed to be healed, but needed to come up first in order to be healed.

Goldie Hawn?

— Goldie Hawn is an inspiration because she makes me laugh and she makes me smile! I like to bring humor to a show and (hopefully) make people laugh because I know I really appreciate when others make me laugh. It always changes my perspective for the better!

Wes Anderson?

— Great writer and filmmaker.

One of your most recent ventures has been performing with Antje Duvekot, Meg Hutchinson, and Natalia Zuckerman as Winterbloom. How did that configuration come about? And we’re thrilled to see that Winterbloom does bloom in the summer and will be part of this year’s WUMB Music Fest!

We are thrilled to be playing the WUMB Music Festival this June 6th. Antje, Meg, Natalia and I are all friends and have performed together over the years. Michelle Conceison had the idea that we could make a holiday album and tour together during the winter season. We had so much fun playing traditional songs as well as our own originals. It was way more fun that I ever expected!

And now Winterbloom has entered a collaborative song into the Lilith Fair Boston contest. The amazing local singer-songwriter Rose Polenzani will also joining us in this. We imagine it would be such a treat if we won and got to perform in Boston at this historical event!

You’ve been part of some extremely cool videos. Do you have a favorite?

My favorite is the “Where Your Scar Is” video that Rose Polenzani and I made.

My other favorite is for the first song on my newest record “Jump.”

We made this video from footage we took here in Somerville, MA at Q Division Studios and also from when I was living in Brooklyn. I think it sums up visually the idea of taking risks in order to live the life of your dreams :) I hope it does anyway.

I’ve got to tell you: “Blazing Red” is a phenomenal recording. Your songs have a way of penetrating right to the core. One reviewer referred to this CD as a “tapestry.” That, of course, reminds me of one of my all-time favorites, Carole King. But did you feel that the songs on this CD had an intertwining relationship to each other as you recorded them?

Thank you Kathy. I’m glad you like it. In terms of the songs having a relationship, they definitely do. This record is a lot about transition and making big changes, sometimes foundational ones. The reason the album is called “Blazing Red” is because I was likening one’s soul to the sun. I asked myself: “What is it that we need in order to make foundational changes in our lives?” The answer I came up with was courage and I imagined that this comes from our soul. I believe there is a place within us - underneath our fears - where we remain fearless. And similarly with the sun, sometimes we can’t see it - perhaps it’s behind the clouds (especially here in Massachusetts ;))- but it is still always there and we can rely on its power and strength.

Quick Q and A with Joe Crookston
 by Kathy S-B  ·  30 April 2010

I’ve been a follower of Joe Crookston since I saw him at Summerfest a few years back. His enthusiasm and energy are contagious. His music is beyond memorable. He has won many awards for his songwriting and has an incredibly wonderful career ahead of him. Learn more about Joe on his website.

Here's a video of Joe performing at last fall's NERFA conference in New York.

I love what one critic had to say about you: “This is not reviewer hype. This guy is flat out good.” That goes without saying. How does it feel to be a “star” in a genre that is pretty much below the radar?

A STAR? HAHAH I definitely don’t think about myself as a star . . . but am very proud of the way things are progressing and well . . . you know the honest truth is that I approach every show like this: We are the stars. The audience is the star. The other artists on the bill are the star. I mean that. I think what matters to me most is that WE have an experience together and that the show is not about ME! It’s about all of us. I think when that WE experience happens, audiences come alive and come back again and again. So yeah WE are all the stars!

You’ve got two terrific recordings to your name. If you had to describe each recording in only three words, what would you say?

Able Baker Charlie and Dog (2008) = Collected Narrative Chronicles
Fall Down as the Rain (2004) = Spiritual Sonic Philosophizing

You’ve been traveling quite a bit since you released your last CD. Do you have any memorable experiences that you’d like to share?

Hahah Oh Yeah. . . . I love to travel. It gets me moving, seeing new things and it gives me perspective on my music and my life. I’ve always loved to travel by train. One time I decide to travel to concert in Seattle on the train. Heading west in Stanly, North Dakota and the train ran into a HUGE snow bank in the middle of a white-out blizzard. The train died right there and froze to the tracks for 39 hours. We couldn't get off because it was –6 degrees and it was in the middle of nowhere! I pulled out my guitar and banjo and entertained the entire train for almost 2 days. Stuck on the train. It was the ultimate concert setting. Sold a ton of CDs and made lots of friends . . . it was about 4 a.m. and I was singing “Amazing Grace” cheek to cheek with an Amish guy in one of those huge wide brim hats . . . it was weird. And I loved it. I like it when music is spontaneous and involves the audience in the moment.

I’ve read that hearing Harvey Reid and the Horseflies at a Kent State Folk Fest changed your life. Is that true? If so, have you had the chance to have a one-on-one with Harvey since then?

Yes at the Kent State Folk Festival I first saw Harry Ried. He was all dressed in black and was fingerpicking like a madman in the main student center at Kent. I didn’t know much about acoustic folk music. I thought at the time he was Johnny Cash! I sat there with about 16 other students watching him and it blew my mind that someone could pick a guitar like that. I have seen him play twice, and would LOVE to meet him and even play a show with him. He also introduced me to Irish tunes and banjo and traditional music. He recorded up in VT in a cabin. I thought he was living the life! At that point I was studying Classical Guitar and from that weekend on . . . I began to write songs and delve into more acoustic/folk/traditional music. The Horseflies . . . everyone was talking about this weird band from Ithaca, NY. On the main stage at the Kent State Festival they came out at night with a banjo through a wa wa petal, keyboards, Fiddle dripping with effects . . . after a relatively folky evening of music, the Horseflies came on stage and tore the house down. Half the audience got up and LEFT! The other half stayed and danced through the entire set! I was one of the dancers . . . Judy and Rich from the Horseflies play on my Able Baker Charlie and Dog CD.

Where do you see yourself a year from now? Five years from now? Ten years from now?

Basking in the riches and fame!! Hahah really I have been playing and singing my entire life so far, and it really is THE way that I know how to express myself. I won't ever stop. . . .

Let’s see . . . in May I will be at the Me and Thee Coffeehouse in Marblehead MA! Then next year, Jan 1, 2011, I am releasing my new recording. I'm very excited about this new recording. . . . It’ll be a bit more personal and be produced in a slightly different way than the last one. Less solos, more texture and layers . . . but the main thing is that the songs will be highlighted. . . . I just love the craft of songwriting. I like to take my time. I feel like I want to put out ART not Product.

10 years from now? At the beach sipping a margarita . . . planning my next musical tour!

Quick Q and A with Chris O'Brien
 by Kathy S-B  ·  30 April 2010

I was hooked on Chris O’Brien the very first time I heard “Rosa” and there’s been no turning back. I’ve witnessed Chris’ many successes and his growth as a songwriter and as a very-fun-to-watch performer. He’s entertaining and impish but also can be serious and thought-provoking.

Learn more about Chris on his website. Here’s a video of Chris playing “Little Red Wagon” at his CD release show at Club Passim.

Goodness, it’s hard to believe that we’ve known each other for nearly three years now. So, since you last checked in here, you’ve had many great adventures and many honors. You’ve played at great fests like Kerrville, Falcon Ridge, and Telluride and you’ve opened shows for greats like Ellis Paul and Richard Shindell. Do you often feel like pinching yourself to make sure that this is really and truly taking place?

It’s been a great few years. Some days are definitely better than others though. For every one of those amazing adventures and honors there are days that are significantly less gratifying. I’ve been extremely lucky though and the things you listed definitely make the toil worth it.

It’s always fun to hear about the high points…but along this rocky road in the music business, I’m sure you’ve had your share of low-lights too. Anything particularly crazy or weird you’d like to mention? Give us the gory details!

Haha, I played in California last summer and one of the venues put me up in the seediest hotel I’ve ever seen. The women who ran the place lived in the room next to mine and were smoking crack. That was one of the lowlights I can think of.

Your new CD Little Red shows a real growth and a notch up on the mature singer-songwriter ladder for you. Did you make an honest attempt to raise the bar regarding the depth of your lyrics and a bit more cutting edge production?

Well, I hope that I always grow as a writer. It’s less of a conscious attempt and more of a natural progression. As far as the production, yes, I wanted this record to be more produced but not over produced. Zachariah Hickman is incredibly talented and I knew it would be a special record if I got him involved. I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out.

Is it frightening to lay your life out there with such self-reflective and insightful lyrics?

Yes, but I think honesty is essential in good writing. It’s the only thing people can connect with on a meaningful level.

While performing such personal songs, do you have to distance yourself from what you’re singing or are you conscious of it as you singing?

I try to be a conscious as possible. It’s the only way for me to deliver the song as it was meant to be delivered. I think if I distanced myself the sincerity of the song would be lost.

You’ve told me that one of your next big goals is to play “across the pond” later this year. Here’s hoping you can make that a reality and allow our friends abroad to hear what you have to say! Are plans in the works for a European tour?

I’m trying. It’s not easy but I’ve been laying the foundation to get over there and it looks like it may happen in October. I can’t wait!

Search