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March 21, 2009
Interview with Tracy Grammer:
1. I recall seeing you guys (with Dave
Carter) at Full Sail Brewery - must have been 7 or 8 years ago.
Has it really been that long since you've played the Gorge?
I played the Fireside Room at
some point after Dave died in 2002, but I'm not sure when ...
maybe 2003? Suffice to say, it's been a long time. This will be my
first solo show in The Dalles, part of the
birthday tour 2009 (my bday is 4/8). I'm really looking forward to
it.
2. It's obvious that you are still
dedicated to performing music, even with major changes in your
life. What keeps you wanting to perform?
I still believe in the songs
of Dave Carter. I believe in them as strongly as I did the first
night I heard them. I made a promise to our fans that I would do
whatever I could to help keep Dave's legacy of music alive. So in
addition to overseeing the administration of Dave's catalog, I hit
the road often, singing his songs and telling our story. It brings
me joy.
But there's more to it than
that. I've loved the stage since the 3rd grade, when I was cast in
the role of the Modern Major General in my elementary school's
rendition of Gilbert & Sullivan's "Pirates of Penzance." Loved it
in 5th grade when I was the Duke of Plaza Toro; in junior high and
high school when I performed with regional orchestras; loved it as
a cheerleader, even, at those halftime rallies in high school. I
guess I just like to be out and in front of people. Maybe it's a
first-born thing. Maybe it's the Aries Monkey in me, always
entertaining, always trying to get people to sing or play along.
:)
I wrote on my website that
"music is a channel of authenticity for me; I know I'd only be
telling half the truth without it." Probably the most important
reason I continue to sing and play music is that it gives me
access to precious sides of myself that I'd have trouble finding
otherwise. I wouldn't feel whole if I didn't get up and sing.
3. Who do you listen to nowadays?
(who’s on your playlists)
Fleet Foxes, Richard Shindell,
some native flute music, Shawn Colvin's Cover Girl album (always
makes me feel at home when I'm traveling).
4. Overall, what's your
recording process like - do you figure out everything and then go
into the studio - or do you put ideas together and get people into
the studio to see what happens?
You can never know what's
going to happen in the studio. I think it's important to have a
vision, but you can't hold on too tightly to it because beautiful,
unexpected things can, and always DO, happen in the studio. The
trick is to find people whose work you adore; communicate your
vision as clearly as you can; and then play, trust the process,
let things change and flow. It's group magic that makes the
record, what I call the "ping factor." People "ping", or play off
of one another, and in that careful listening new parts emerge,
new beats take root, new textures inform the fabric of the work.
It's a rush.
Most important to me is this:
did I successfully tell the story? Because fancy textures and hip
beats mean nothing if the soul of the song is lost in the process.
Fortunately I have a cadre of musicians that understands what it
means to serve the song. Together, we ensure that the story is
told.
5. Any new CD projects in the works?
I'm thinking about doing
another Flower of Avalon-type project this fall for release in
early 2010. I keep unearthing more Dave Carter songs that have not
yet seen the light of day. Not all of them are appropriate for me
to sing, and in those instances, I'll need to get them into the
hands of other performers. But the ones I can do, I will.
I'd also like to do an
instrumental EP this year. My partner Jim Henry and I have created
four EPs so far -- two are mine, two are his -- and we enjoy that
process. Just two of us in a room, playing and singing in our home
studio. Very organic. Our goal is to create a "six-pack" of
seven-song CDs, so we each have one more to go...
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