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Heart of the matter -The Statesman (Indian)
October 5th, 2009
Heart of the matter
Carrie Newcomer not only grew up listening to singing-poets like Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez and Bob Dylan, she also worked towards becoming a part of the great folk community. mathures paul met the singer during her recent India tour
When Carrie Newcomer made her way to the lobby of the Oberoi Grand, Calcutta, one wouldn’t have believed she’s one of America’s shining stars on the folk music scene. Casually dressed in salwar-kameez, she greeted me with a gentle namaste. Newcomer is a part of the American folk community trying to rekindle interest in the genre. Her songs are soaked in experiences of ordinary people, smattered by a layer of her thoughts on life and wrapped in a free-flowing lyrical garb. It’s not an exaggeration to say, especially after listening to her latest ~ The Geography of Light ~ that Carrie Newcomer is truly an example of what’s going right in the folk music.
Excerpts from the conversation…
You songs keep questioning?
Ideas keeping coming back to me, waiting to be explored. As a writer, I haven’t found many easy answers but a number of good questions that keep coming back. What is it I love deeply and truly?
That means the songs are very personal.
They are. The themes I work with try to find something sacred, something beautiful but also ordinary. There’s mystery in our everyday lives. Also people fascinate me. I love people. I’ve a new album coming up in February called Before & After that speaks about relationships ~ family, spiritual, a commentary on the world around me.
Do you try to discover yourself through the relationship other people experience?
Sometimes. I’ve never met a person without a good story. I meet people and ask them about themselves. Everyone has an amazing story to tell. These stories confuse me, perplex me and sometimes they inspire me. I see myself in some of these stories. I am very human. As humans we all connect. My earlier album (Regulars and Refugees) has songs sung from the perspective of different characters who spend time in a local eatery or café. Some of the characters who would come there have bad stories, and some good or funny stories. The recent album (The Geography of Light) is about the theme I was talking about earlier on ~ paying attention, finding the sacred in the ordinary. Some stories find their way into my writing.
Now I know India very well. India will definitely become a part of my writing. I keep taking notes as there’s so much around.
What is it about India that captured your attention?
The warmth of everyone I meet. There is a deep history here and spiritual tradition. The USA is so young. Here it’s so deep. People talk about their families a lot ~ it’s a close bonding. That really touched me. People appreciate me. And Indian women are the most beautiful in the world. I think those who arrive here from the USA look like sparrows! (Laughs).
What kind of music you grew up on?
I grew up on American popular music ~ whatever was on radio… rock and roll.
People like Johnny Cash?
More like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones!
The Brits?
Yes… and a lot of the singing poets ~ Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, James Taylor, Joan Baez. I was moved by singers who were combining beautiful language and stories. If I were to describe what kind of music I grew up on, it would be music that has roots in America’s folk tradition.
They influenced your approach to music.
Yes. I listen to all kinds of music. But I come back to the singing poets.
Have you heard Bob Dylan’s latest?
No, I haven’t. But he keeps writing great songs. He’s always trying to push edges and grow. That’s impressive.
Singers like Bob Dylan will always be around. But what about new singers?
Music goes around in a cycle. Folk music had a very strong presence in the 1960s and early 70s. Back then you heard about the singing poets. But in the last few years a rekindling of folk music is taking place. It’s coming back with its own flavour. It continues to evolve.
You are a part of the new movement.
I think I’m one of the community.
Early concerts…
I went to see Crosby Stills and Nash. It was rock and roll but acoustic as well.
Music has always been a part of your life.
But I don’t come from a musical family. Nobody was a musician. I grew up in a small town near Chicago that was home to a number of factories making musical instruments. And that made the school in my town have a wonderful music programme. I encountered music in school.
How do you go about the composing process?
I travel a lot. I write a lot of essays, poetry, short stories… When I go home I take a lot of these ideas and start on songs. Music and lyrics happen together. But I have a lot of language and background material…
Old fashioned way of going about it…
I’ve a very literary approach. Some people first compose the music and then comes the lyrics. They are also great. My husband is a musician and he writes wonderful songs ~ music always comes first.
Different kind of music?
It’s more rock.
Politics and folk music?
I’m not a political writer ~ it requires a different mindset. But affairs of the world, especially matters of peace and justice, and human condition move me deeply. Sometimes I feel like writing about topics that you simply stand up and talk about.
Before recording any song, you test it live?
I do. It’s a wonderful way of seeing if the song relates to the audience. There’s nothing like live music. Even if the music industry is up in the air and whatever happens in the next five years, I believe live music will still be something special. You can record a live show but nothing compares to a live performance.
Do you still get scared before live gigs?
Sometimes. It’s interesting… When I started off I was a very shy woman. As I love music and people, it helped me to grow in confidence. I get the most nervous when my father is in the audience.
How do you prepare for a concert?
I like to find some quiet time. Otherwise I tend to pace.
The binding thread on Geography of Light…
It was about finding a miracle. There’s a song on the album called Geodes. In Indiana where I live something happened a long time ago. There are black rocks called geodes. When you open them up, there are crystals inside. They come in different colours. Something so ordinary can be a miracle!
Your next album…
I finished it five days before the India tour started. Before & After is about change, transition. Some things stay like the rocks but even rocks change. Change is constant.
(The US Consulate General, Kolkata, hosted two concerts featuring Carrie Newcomer)