Music / Interviews
Anais Mitchell interview
Hullo, how are you? What are you up to right now?
I’m in my home state of Vermont; I’m actually visiting with my parents on the sheep farm I grew up on right now…rainy autumn scene.
Looking forward to playing Bristol?
is needed now More than ever
Always! I love Bristol. By the way, there’s a town a few miles from where I am now, it’s the town I went to high school in, which is also called Bristol.
Who’s supporting you at the Bristol gig?
My longtime friend Rachel Ries is supporting – we’ve played together for years, in fact she played in my young man band in 2012 (which we brought to Bristol). Her own songs are truly gorgeously wrought, and her singing is like no other!
What does modern folk mean to you?
I’ve always been attracted to folk music for the stories. Over the years, I’ve been into a lot of different kinds of folk music, protest music, 90s coffeehouse heart-on-sleeve type stuff, indie rock stuff that leans toward the narrative, and traditional balladry. I think the common denominator for me is the magic of the human voice singing stories.
Who do you think are the best songwriters of your generation?
Oh, that’s a toughie, so subjective. Off the top of my head i’d have to mention Amy Correia and Conor Oberst.
Tell us about xoa…
xoa is a solo recording which I made with Nashville producer Gary Paczosa (Gary also produced Child Ballads for me and Jefferson Hamer). I just went in the studio and laid down a bunch of songs, most old, some new, some stuff from Hadestown that I never sang in my own voice. It’s a limited release type thing, a sort of “thank you” to those already familiar with my music, who might enjoy hearing them completely stripped down.
What is life on the road like for you now?
Hahaaa. It’s like, Noah drives the van, and I sit in the backseat reading books and singing songs to our 15-month-old (Ramona). Then Noah hangs out with her while I do the gig. We try to go to sleep soon after the gigs because she wakes up early. We take turns with who gets up with her. It’s definitely a new spin on touring, but we’re enjoying it.
See Anais Mitchell at The Lantern on November 11, 2014. More info at: www.colstonhall.org/shows/anais-mitchell/
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