It is always good to catch up with a musician I interviewed in the past, to see how their work had evolved in the interim. The last time I interviewed Karyn Oliver was nearly three years ago. The mid-2013 release of Oliver’s new CD, Magadelene, prompted this new series of questions. A great deal has changed for Oliver in the past three years-but I will let her tell you about that.
Tim O’Shea: Since we last spoke in late 2010 (for your previous album, Red Dress) you got married. Has that major life change influenced any of the songs you wrote for this new album?
Karyn Oliver: Well, sure. Anytime you change, your writing changes with you. “Red Dress” was all about a major life change – I was getting divorced, so the album was all about transition and overcoming and becoming. I think “Magdalene” is a far more empowered album. Even the heartbroken songs have some sense of personal power. My narrator is a bit more mature, a bit more confident.
You held an Indiegogo campaign to help fund this album-how much has social media been instrumental in helping to fund the new album?
Tremendously. A lot of my funding came directly from my own mailing list, but a fair amount came from friends of friends via “sharing” on Facebook or “retweets” on Twitter.
You recently noted how sleep deprivation indirectly led to the inspiration for a new song. Were any of the new songs on Magdalene inspired in a unique or quirky setting?
“Weeping Willow Road” was actually written from a song prompt I received at a conference. It was just a piece of paper with the title written on it. I really didn’t think it would amount to anything when I saw it, but a week later we put it on the album.
The last track of the album is a cover of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah, which you have performed frequently live over the years. Were you intimidated the first time you tackled that classic? How did you approach it in a way to put your distinctive touch on the song?
The first time I “tackled” it, we were both left a bit bruised! I was asked to perform it in The Netherlands years ago, and I did such a terrible job that I learned the song just to redeem myself, and I’ve been performing it ever since. When I went back to really learn it, I chose the verses that resonated with me, and I focused on the lyric. That led me to a somewhat more “southern gospel” feel than I had heard before, and Thomm picked up on that and we ran with it once we took it into the studio. It also didn’t hurt that some of my favorite songwriters just happened to be in Nashville while we were recording, so I got to have Jaime Michaels, Jeff Talmadge and RJ Cowdery as part of my choir.
Speaking of covers, how did you arrive upon doing a cover of Baby Come Back?
Initially I was just looking for a fun and unexpected cover to take to Kerrville. There’s a really fun “cover round” that happens late at night and I wanted to bring something no one else had done. But once I dug into the song I realized that if you remove the 1980’s production you’re left with a pretty killer tune, so I kept working with it.
How has living in New York impacted your musical efforts?
There’s a life-energy here that I have never lived inside before. There’s a reason so many songwriters choose to live here, and it’s not cheap rent!
Also, I have become involved in a few collaborative projects since I moved here that have definitely impacted my writing, my playing and my singing. Making music with good musicians will always up your game.
Your collaborators on this new album include a mixture of new players and folks who worked on your last album. How has your rapport with producer Thomm Jutz and bassist Mark Fain evolved since the last album? Care to discuss about the other musicians that appear on the album?
I love working with Thomm. We don’t have a lot of discussion in the studio, because we’ve talked about the songs and what kind of album we’re making before we get there. Thomm is a songwriter himself, so he puts the songs first. I considered working with someone else initially because I wanted a different sound for this album, but I realized that I could work with Thomm again and still get that.
Mark is an amazing bass player – he can do anything, and it’s always the right thing. Add to that the fact that he is just a really great guy and it’s no wonder he’s so busy.
Barry Walsh also made a second appearance. We didn’t need to change out the bass or key player because these guys are so versatile. I knew they would hear the evolution of the songs and it would change the way they played.
How did you decide upon the lineup of what songs were in the final particular order for the CD?
We whittled down the list before we started recording. We did drop one other song in favor of “Weeping Willow Road” at the last minute, because it wasn’t written until I was already out on the road. But even that was done before I got to the studio. On “Red Dress” I set the song order, asked a few trusted friends for feedback, and changed it. Thomm and I sat down and ordered the songs together this time, and I think it was the right way to do it.
Speaking of the CD, what motivated you to include the two bonus acoustic tracks?
I had recorded those basic tracks in NY with Jay Mafale (he also recorded Catherine Miles’ harmony vocals for this album), and I decided I wanted to include a sort of “peek” behind the production, for a few reasons:
I love them – Elvis Costello has been adding “demo takes” to his albums forever, and they are some of my favorite tracks of his.
I play the folk circuit, and it just made good sense to give those DJs something they could play. Many of them are restricted from playing anything with drums or electric guitar! And I have to say it has proved to be a good decision. The acoustic version of “Water” in particular has gotten a good bit of airplay.
Are there certain songs from this new CD that you most enjoy performing live?
I love playing all of them, but there are some that lend themselves better to being played solo and acoustic. For example, I rarely play “My Paper Friend” without a band. “Weeping Willow Road” has become one of my favorite songs to play, which is funny since it’s the only song I have written to date that requires retuning the guitar. So I’m getting better at that – maybe that’s why I like it…. it’s always fun for me to learn something new.
Anything we should discuss that I neglected to ask you about?
I don’t think so… my hope of course is that folks will check this album out for themselves. Thank you so much for the interview!
