issue 37 working_Layout 1 11/1/2013 1:18 PM Page 36
Garret K. Woodward
Rising star redefines country music
A Southern Perspective on music, art, and life from the Carolina’s
Kacey Musgraves makes me
feel like a teenage boy.
Shouts of joy escape my
lungs when I find out she's performing nearby. All my friends grow
weary over my constant babbling
about her. If there were a life-size
poster available, I'd probably buy
one — her music is just that good.
Musgraves came into the spotlight
as a competitor on the singing program “Nashville Star” in 2007. She
has since won over fans and critics
alike with her sharp as nails stage
presence and poignant lyrical content, hearkening back to an era
dominated by Loretta Lynn and
Tammy Wynette. Her tone is a concoction of Kitty Wells heartache,
Dolly Parton determination, with a
sprinkle of James McMurtry hard
knock wisdom and snark.
The Texas-bred singer/songwriter shot into the mainstream with
her 2012 smash “Merry Go
‘Round,” a number that confronts
the face in the mirror, “Mama's
hooked on Mary Kay/Brother's
hooked on Mary Jane/ Daddy’s
hooked on Mary two doors
down/Mary, Mary quite contrary/We
get bored, so, we get married/Just like
dust, we settle in this town.” Her latest
single, “Blowin’ Smoke,” is as much
an anthem as a battle cry for all those
wanting more out of small town life,
“Wipe down the bar, take out the
trash/Light one up and count my
cash/Swear I'm never coming back
again/I'm just blowin' smoke.”
It's not so much that Musgraves
is doing something new, she's holding
on to something time-tested and aged
to perfection. She represents gritty
sincerity and a keen sense of vulnerability, something missing all too often
from modern country music.
Musgraves recently wrapped up
her European tour in England. She
spoke of her influences, how “real”
country music isn’t a myth these days,
and why enjoying the present is more
important than worrying about the
past or present.
Garret K. Woodward: What comes
first, lyrics or guitar riff? How does the
process does unfold?
Kacey Musgraves: It's different every
GKW: What inspires
your songwriting?
KM: Everything inspires
my songwriting. Living life and messing up, and seeing other people live
life and mess up. Conversations, relationships, signs, colors, emotions
— all of it.
GKW: Being labeled a “country
singer” can sometimes pigeonhole an
artist. How do you avoid that, and
how would describe your music?
KM: I am undeniably and proudly a
country music singer. But above all, I
want to make good music, no matter
the genre. I would describe my music
as a conglomeration of the roots of
simple, traditional country music and
sprinklings of other kinds of genres
that I'm inspired by. Hopefully what
forms is a modern-classic vibe.
GKW: You melodies conjure the
golden age of country, an age many
today feel is long gone, and, at the
same time, greatly missed. What are
you hopes for your impact on modern
country music?
KM: I hope to have a long, happy career in music and always make sure
that my lyrics are of the utmost importance. Also, I want to always have
the respect of people who aren't only
looking for the "in" thing of the moment.
GKW: Who were your musical influences growing up?
KM: Growing up I sang a lot of Patsy
Cline, Dolly Parton and Loretta Lynn.
I was also a huge Lee Ann Womack
fan.
GKW: What do you say to people
that say “real” country music is dead,
and that what’s on the radio today
isn’t country, but pop music?
KM: There's a lot of great music
being made out there that hasn't