Pleasantly Aggressive
Posted: September 12, 2011 Filed under: Bands Who Rock, Brilliant Folks I've Interviewed!, Music Venues | Tags: Amy Ray, Beezy's, Bluegrass Grille, Club Passim, cris williamson, Eddie's Attic, Flying Biscuit, Gina Mamone, Goldenrod Music, indigo girls, Kris Delmhorst, meg christian, Michigan Womyn's Music Festival, Nervous But Excited, olivia records, Paul Simon, Riot Grrrl Ink, Skinny Pancake, Terry Grant, The Ark, The Living Room, Tin Angel Leave a comment »
That’s how folk duo Nervous But Excited describes their music. I swear. They do. Funny, right? This self-aware folksiness is one reason, I think, they are doing so well on the folk musician’s tour de force they are currently living. They have also dubbed themselves “road warriors to the core” because they travel all the time, seemingly, everywhere. In case you are new to them, Michigan-based folk duo Kate Peterson & Sarah Cleaver offer ”dead-on harmony: two songwriters, two singers, three guitars, a mandolin, a violin, a few harmonicas, some vaguely choreographed dancing and a lot of laughter.” They have a new record out this month (one with zero carbon footprint at that), a social network to rival a much more seasoned act, and lots to share about life on the road. I so appreciated them answering a few questions for me.
BB: I’d love to hear the story of how you two started playing music together. Are you both originally from Michigan, and have you made the conscious decision to stay based there? I’ve heard at least one of your long-distance love songs, so…any plans to change locations in the future?
NBE: Way to dig deep right off the bat! Sarah was raised in Eastern PA and moved here via North Carolina in 2003, and I am a born and raised Michigander. We began playing together in 2005 after we were introduced by the owner of Goldenrod Music, Terry Grant. Over the years we have played with the idea of taking NBE elsewhere – Brooklyn, Philly – but the Michigan mitten has her soft wooly paws wrapped pretty tight around us. Touring has allowed us feed our need for a change of scenery, it’s also allowed us to meet amazing people in a lot of different places, which is what led to those long-distance love songs you speak of. Both of our respective partners hail from the east coast, and lived there when we met, so undoubtedly we will always have roots in many places. We’ll just have to see where that takes us.
BB: Amy Ray has called your music “organic and rich like good soil.” That’s a review I’m sure most touring musicians would love to have. The Indigo Girls are definitely of the generation of women musicians that sought support from and garnered a fan base -not only from traditional folk communities- but specifically from women’s music festivals. I spent considerable time as a teenager with my cassette tape player relishing the lyrics of Meg Christian, Cris Williamson and other Olivia artists who started out in the festival circuit. I’ve also attended festivals and was struck by the camaraderie of musicians and fans, standing in lines together, sharing space. Compared to a traditional performance venue, how does a women’s festival feel to a performer?
NBE: Impressively different. At least thus far in our careers. It has felt like the audiences at Womyn’s festivals, in our experience, want to us succeed from the get go. There is much less of the feeling of needing to prove yourself as there is at other venues, because the community vibe is so strong between us and the crowd. Not that we don’t play our hardest even still, it just makes the set that much more magical. Surely, part of that connection is how we’ve been present within the community for so many years and have opened ourselves to making friends out of fans and vice versa.
BB: Speaking of Olivia Records, and artists like Amy Ray who have their own labels, you are signed to Riot Grrrl Ink, which might be considered the postmodern version of Olivia. It’s a groundbreaking label, with a unique business model. What informed your decision to sign on?
NBE: We’ve had a great relationship with Gina Mamone, the head of Riot Grrrl, from the get go. When she approached us, we were very open to what she had to offer and excited about new adventures. From the beginning, she has always been one of our largest supporters and has helped us whatever ways the record label can. We were excited to join the roster with so many other talent artists that continue to pound the pavement in similar ways.
BB: From where do you each draw your most personal inspiration in your songwriting? Can you each give me one of your favorite lyrics from any song? Your own or another songwriter, or both?
NBE: We both mainly draw our inspiration from similar places – the challenges, joys and growth that all types of relationships – family, friends or love - bring to our lives. Narrowing down favorite lyrics is nearly impossible!
But here’s a shot…
One of Sarah’s favorite lyrics is by Paul Simon: “She said losing love is like a window in your heart / Everybody sees you’re blown apart / Everybody sees the wind blow.”(from Graceland)
One of Kate’s is by Kris Delmhorst – “I make a really bad anchor/ just like I told you so / because I tend to get dragged / and I tend to let go.” (from Weatherman)
Our own personal words…
One of Sarah’s favorites of hers : “We all have scars and anchors and sand bars/ just below the surface/ hidden from the shoreline / deeper than what you and I can see / lies a steady place to rest your bones/ a constant in the sea of change/ a place where only love prevails.” – from Scars and Anchors (Anchors).
Kate’s is from the song Lansing (Once More…With Feeling), “i watch my rearview down one way streets/just to get a perspective unfamiliar to me/ now when i spend each night inside a different city /i know exactly what home means/ that’s why i must be leaving/ its time to travel on with my sights ahead of me.”
BB: You two have described yourselves as the ultimate road warriors. A check of your gig schedule shows a performance nearly every other night for the next three months. What is it beyond your music and your heavy touring schedule that accounts for your astonishing number of Facebook fans at this point in your career? At last count it was over 32,000. Why do you think you connect with so many people?
NBE: We’ve always been people people. We love getting to know our fans and we treat them with respect because we know that we would not be able to do this without them. We also think that our personal and genuine songwriting style allows for people to interpret and relate the songs to themselves. We understand from being music listeners how that works – shared experiences create connection, and that’s what we go for.
BB: I have other road questions: where have you met your most enthusiastic crowd? where have you found the best road food (extra points if it’s a veg joint)?
NBE: Our most enthusiastic crowds definitely live in the mitten with us. The Ark – Ann Arbor, the Michigan Womyn’s music festival, and various venues in Lansing. We also have extra special crowds in NYC, Philly, and North Carolina. Best road food? Absolutely the homemade meals that we encounter from generous fans that house us around the country. Some super good places that we always hit up are the Skinny Pancake in Burlington, VT, Flying Biscuit in ATL, Bluegrass Grill in Charlottesville, VA, Beezy’s in Ypsilanti, MI, and a-very-special-but-who-knows-what-it’s-called pizza place in the east village that we’ve only eaten at after 2am.
BB: My last question: Venue selection can vary wildly based on the culture of the town, I’m sure. Some venues allow for a very thoughtful, quiet experience and are true listening rooms presenting a jewel of an experience for both the musicians and the fans. Others, not so much. Do you have a favorite venue or two you could tell me about?
NBE: Our most favorite venues are those that offer exactly what you speak of. A true listening experience that allows for intimacy, stories and interaction with the crowd. A couple of those are most definitely The Ark in Ann Arbor, Eddies Attic in Decatur, Club Passim in Cambridge, Tin Angel in Philly, The Living Room in NYC and many many living rooms across the country.
Nervous But Excited has a pleasantly aggressive tour schedule, and they promise me they are coming to Atlanta soon, so watch this space for more information on that gig. Otherwise, check out their really impressive website for more information on their touring schedule, watch videos, become their 32, 636th fan on FB or keep up with their travels on Twitter.
