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What Are They Saying?Here is the complete interview |
| Alanna Nash: | A one-time purveyor of Nashville Country Pop, Kathy Mattea has matured into one of Contemporary Music's most adventurous and risk-taking performers. A favorite of anyone who appreciates literate and lyrical Country Music. The double-Grammy winner and two-time CMA, female vocalist of the year, has gently revolutionized this genre with intelligence and grace. Even as both of her grandparents were bona fide coal miners, the West Virginia native avoids playing to stereotype and self-mythology, relying on art versus artifice to forge her fame. While such eighties hits as "Love At The Five And Dime," "Eighteen Wheels And A Dozen Roses," and "Where Have You Been," allowed Mattea to blend mainstream appeal and story songs of integrity, in the nineties, she decided to take her music beyond the traditional Country format. Her biggest artistic gamble was 1991's "Time Passes By," an album of what she calls, "life songs," material that eschews the usual Country themes of drinking, cheating and working-man's woes for more introspective ideas--personal growth, universal harmony, and the importance of living life to the fullest. The Celtic-flavored acoustic album was widely praised. And Mattea, with her dusky mezzo-soprano, saluted as one of the best interpretive singers, working in any form of popular music today. After an all-out bid for a commercial radio record with her last album, "Walking Away A Winner," Mattea has returned to her trademark blend of acoustic Country/Folk and thought-provoking lyrics with "Love Travels." Mattea says she's back to making the kind of music she should be. |
 | Well, that's what it's become all about for me. I think that I've had this wonderful long career and I've built up this following that's very loyal. And during the time between "Walking Away A Winner" and "Love Travels" I had focused so much on the commercial aspect of things--there was this little voice way down inside that through the din of all the noise of people's opinions coming at you and the music business flowing by and all of the stuff you have to do, there was this little voice going, "Hey, hey, if you don't listen to me, you're going to blow it." I felt like I was on some path that was gonna alienate the very fans that I feel so lucky to have. I mean, my fans are really loyal. And it's a real personal kind of connection. And, I felt like I was in danger of forgetting about that. |
| Alanna Nash: | Mattea stops short of suggesting that her radio label encouraged her to make a more mainstream record with "Walking Away A Winner." But she admits they had hoped to take her to a new sales level with the kind of cross-over appeal of Linda Ronstadt. The singer thought that it was fine to make a driving, rhythmic, radio record, instead of her acoustic-based approach, as long as it didn't compromise who she was. |
| Yeah, and I think at that point in my life, that was the right record for me to make. I've learned so much from Josh Leo who produced the record, and I felt like the songs we found were really good, really strong, and I think that I needed to sort of rock out a little bit, you know? I'd always felt like I could do that, but I'd never really had the contacts to do it. So I was with someone who really understood that kind of music and that that was a record that was very different than anything else I had made. So it was kind of a nice re-invention of who I am. I think the thing that really changed for me was that the sound of that record really came from Josh--really was his vision about a record. And it was really nice to have someone just take control. But I think, for me, it's very easy to lean on that, to depend on someone to do that, because it's so much easier than having to dig down deep in your own soul and go, "Well,what am I all about, you know"? So, I think that I learned a lot about being in the studio. And I got that record out of my system. But what I was left with was the feeling that there's no way around having to dig deeper, because that's where the real satisfaction comes from. |
| Alanna Nash: | But while the record went "gold," it ultimately failed to be the huge commercial kick-off that would lift Mattea to a higher plateau. And when it came time for her to make her next album, she wasn't sure what to do. While searching for songs, Mattea realized something was wrong. When she woke up on the bus, she didn't want to get out of bed. Reacting emotionally to her creative process, she felt like she was walking in a dark room with her arms out, not knowing where she was headed. Then someone gave her a spiritual workbook called The Artist's Way, which seeks to open creativity through spirituality. Intense and powerful, the workbook had a profound effect on both Mattea and three other members of her band who followed its dictates for one summer on the road. In the end, the experience led Kathy back to herself. |
| Yeah, I had become...I guess "depression" sounds like a big word, but I found myself feeling really disillusioned about the process. And really afraid that, with all the new artists and all the expansion of the music business in Nashville, that somehow there was no way to still believe that I could be viable as an artist. Because so many new people have come in and the whole thing has just kicked up to another level and it's much more big business and it's getting further and further away from the business that I knew and began in. And I was getting a lot of messages from outside of myself, from people around me that basically said you can't just go do the records you want to do. You can't just go do good music. You have to do this. You have to do that. You have to compete. There was all of this stuff coming at me and I wound up sort of feeling like if it's not about trying to make the best music you can, then what's the point? And I was left between a rock and a hard place. And this book helped me shut out all those voices outside myself and listen to the one voice deep down inside me that's always steered me right. The book is a self-guided workshop about spirituality and creativity and how they're really the same thing. And there are a lot of small exercises to do daily that you just go into blindly. You know, a lot of it is writing. And then you sit down and you start writing stuff and you think, "This is really stupid. This isn't gonna do anything. I don't even know why I'm doing this." And the next thing you know, it's two weeks later, and you look down at your paper, and something just came out of your pen that you had no idea you felt. And it just re-connects you with yourself in this world where we all move very fast and there's so much to listen to and think about and read and see and hear. You know, we're constantly so bombarded with information, that we forget how to sit quietly. And it's about sort of giving yourself a ritual so that you can create that kind of space for yourself. I still do it just about every day. I miss a day here and there, but, yeah, I still do my writing stuff. I quit for a while and I had a really hard time. And I actually am beginning the process of a new album...I began it a couple months ago . I don't really have a vision about how the album turns out. I just want the process to be from the same place that this one was from. And that's really my goal. |
| Alanna Nash: | "Love Travels," Mattea's eleventh album, which she co-produced with Ben Wish, harkens to "Time Passes By," with nods to Celtic influences and instrumentation and with an emphasis on inner-resolve, faith, and the healing power of love. Mattea balances her traditional rhythms with eclectic sounds like Caribbean-styled timbales, and New Orleans-flavored funk. And while she tries to keep much of her repertoire spiritual, without being religious, she mixes up the subject matter with songs like the album's first two singles, Gillian Welch's feel-good "455 Rocket," a love song to a car, and Jim Lauderdale's plucky, "I'm On Your Side." Both spawned videos that employ the comedic side of Mattea's personality, something we don't usually see. |
| "Walking Away A Winner" was pretty funny as a video. And "Nobody's Gonna Rain On Our Parade" had its light moments. And I think that, one of the things about working with Steven Goldman, the director who I've worked with a lot in the last few years, is that he really gets me. One of the first things he said after making the first video was, "You're really funny, and I don't think people know that." And so, he's really helped me get a little more of that side out towards people. I mean, when I was a kid growing up I thought I would be Lucille Ball. I mean, that was just my vision about what I would do when I grew up. So, it sort of gives me a chance to get some of that part out. I guess what really attracted me to "455 Rocket" was Gillian Welch's humor. I loved the twist of it being a chick/car song as opposed to a guy/car song. And I also thought that the humor in it was intelligent. I mean, it was really well thought-out. And you know I didn't really think about it beyond that. The song just went on my list. And we recorded it. It became a first-take record, and it took a little tweaking to get it right once we got it on tape. There was like a missing piece and we brought several different musicians in to try different things to be the glue to hold the thing together. And we finally wound up with a guitar part that worked. But for a long time I wasn't sure the track was gonna hold up in the end. And as it stands, what we have is a late-night mix done on this old fifties board with 20 channels they call the "Elvis Board," way back in the back room of Woodland that no one ever uses. And you know, we could never top it with all the new technology. There was just a magic there that really went with the record. |
| Alanna Nash: | Mattea's willingness to step out of the pack was obvious from her earliest years, when she was the only toddler in Cross Lanes, West Virginia, suffering from ennui. Innately curious, Mattea was frustrated because her older brothers had homework to do. And once she learned to talk, baby Kathy had nothing to do but point to the letters of the alphabet and ask, "What's that"? Finally, in self-defense, her family began to assign Kathy homework of her own, checking it like a teacher. And Mattea read the newspaper from front to back as part of her everyday routine. At the age of six, when she was enrolled in elementary school, she knew enough about the fundamentals that the school wanted to start her in grade three. Her mother said that was too drastic, second grade was fine. But Mrs. Mattea needed more advice. "What do I do for her"? The answer was to the point--"Just keep her busy so she doesn't get bored." |
| Yeah. Yeah, it's funny. I think that part of the reason that I haven't had kids up until now is that I'm afraid I'd have a kid like me. And it's been very interesting because, I skipped the first grade in school, so I was always the youngest person in my class and I tended to hang out with people who were older than me. When I was in high school I hung out with college kids. When I was in college I hung out with grad students. And my peer group has always been older. And you know, I turned 38 a couple weeks ago. And all of a sudden, I'm not the youngest person in any given room anymore. I'm not really young to be a recording artist like I was when I started. I'm no longer a prodigy. People don't see that about me anymore. And it's been quite an adjustment. That's very different, when you kind of walk around with that as your point of view in the world, it's very interesting, kind of part of realizing your mortality or something. And then it's not all about you anymore, and you have to look back on how you feel about what you did. And I don't think I did it perfectly, but I do feel like I rose to some challenges and when I look back on my regrets, I don't see any way that I could have made different choices unless I knew what I know now. So that's okay, you know? I mean, I think I did the best I could with what I had for the most part. |
| Alanna Nash: | For a time last year, Kathy wondered if she could still compete in today's marketplace with female performers who were a decade younger. Then she thought again. |
| You know, I think we have our opportunity to paint our blank canvas in our life. I was really lucky to get sent on my path at a young age. And so, really underneath all this stuff, I really think that I'm doing this as the context to learn my lessons in this life. And you know, how not to get corrupted by the music business; how not to live in a completely narcissistic way of life without getting totally self-centered; how to have people around you to wait on you all the time, but still be able to take care of yourself and maintain independence and not lean on that. And I think that if start to feel like I have to look younger and younger as I get older and older, somehow you short-circuit the lessons you're supposed to learn. I mean, there's a real grace about aging. I would rather be a really cool 50-year-old woman who looks 50 and knows all the stuff you're supposed to know at 50 and feels good about herself, than somebody at 50 trying to look 20. And it's not always easy. You know? I'm starting to see changes in my face. And there are days I really don't like it. But, I think that that's part of what growing older is about, and it's part of maturing. I wouldn't trade my wrinkles for what I know. I wouldn't go back. I really am enjoying my life more now, I think, than I did then. |
| Alanna Nash: | The quest to discover her potential was the impetus that, in 1978, at nineteen, made Mattea, a Dean's List student, studying engineering on scholarship, drop out of West Virginia University. She moved to Nashville with her mattress strapped to the top of her car. Intending to make her mark more as a songwriter than as a singer--she took a day job as a tour guide at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, and did backup and demo work. Now Mattea, herself, is represented in the hallowed hall of legends and, while she didn't actually become a songwriter, she married one, John Vesner. |
| Yes, it's pretty amazing, you know, to start as a tour guide and now I have this dress that I wore that's on display there and, and I'm actually on the Board of Directors, which is pretty, pretty wild you know. The day I walked into the first meeting, there were several people on the staff that said, "We've never had a tour guide on the Board of Directors before. We're so glad you're gonna represent us." You know, it was really funny. But I came to town to write songs. And as I took my tape around, more and more, I kept getting the reaction of, "Well, you know, the song is pretty good, but who is this girl? Is that you singing"? And that would happen over and over and I realized, okay, I think I'm a singer first. I think that I'm a better singer than I am a songwriter. So I put songwriting on the back burner and even though I had lots of friends who were songwriters, I felt that I had more potential as a singer, but that I needed to do some work on that. So, I decided to put all my energy into trying to really develop my singing. So now, here I am all these years later, a well-developed singer, and still a baby songwriter living inside this body. And I'm trying to get back to that. And I think that some of the work that I've done with The Artist's Way is leading me in that direction. I've tried not to push myself. I felt like it would come back into my life when it was right. John and I have tried to write together at different times but that doesn't feel right to me. That feels a little bit like sort of riding his coattails and I think that, in order to really develop myself as a songwriter, the work has to start with me. And then I need to bring that to the table with John or whoever I would want to co-write with. So, I feel myself moving more towards it. And I don't know if any of it will ever get heard again or not, but it is nice to feel like there's something else to develop artistically. |
| Alanna Nash: | When Mattea began "Love Travels," she told the President of her record label that she couldn't continue to make music just to get on the radio. Luke Lewis, the head of Mercury, Nashville, smiled. "Just set yourself free," he told her. And she has. The result--both an unexpected career boost and an album that nourishes the soul. Kathy Mattea, it seems, is just hitting her stride. |
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