Quick Q and A with Nora Jane Struthers
 by Kathy S-B  ·  31 January 2012

We fell in love with the unique sound of Nora Jane Struthers and the Bootleggers. It’s old-timey and contemporary all at the same time. It’s difficult to argue with David Mayfield from Cadillac Sky who said, “Nora Jane is one of the best songwriter-singers this side of the Himalayas!” To learn more about Nora Jane and the Bootleggers, visit their website. Here’s a great little video that gives you a taste of what Nora Jane and the Bootleggers are all about!

I love the fact that you were an English teacher while grooving to traditional music and made the connection to implementing stories into old time music. Can you recall coming to the realization that your two passions — literature and music — were connected?

I don’t think I had the realization that for me stories and songs are bedfellows, until after my album was done and I had to be able to talk about it intelligently to DJs and writers.

You have been quoted as saying that your music is “not really bluegrass, not really old time and not folk — it’s all of them.” Do you find that a lot of musicians are blurring the lines between all kinds of musical genres a lot these days? Have you had the experience of meeting died in the wool bluegrass fans who don’t quite know what to make of your musical detours?

My favorite musicians use different influences to create something totally unique; I think there are a lot of talented people out there fusing genres to create something that is entirely their own. I have yet to meet a staunch bluergrass fan who could not on some level appreciate how I’ve incorporated elements of bluegrass in my own work. Perhaps, the fact that I do not call it bluegrass has something to do with that open-mindedness.

When did you first start singing and playing?

My dad has a wonderful voice and a passion for harmony singing so I have been singing my whole life. I picked up the guitar when I was 14.

Do you recall the first song you wrote? And how about your first performance?

I was 4. The lyrics are: “Where ever there’s a weeping willow, weeping willow, weeping willow, where ever there’s a weeping willow there’s water near by.” copyright Nora Jane Struthers

Right now you’re fronting two bands, the Bootleggers and Bearfoot. Can you explain the difference between the two bands? Is there any crossover “sound”?

Sonically, the bands are quite similar except, Bearfoot is slightly bluesier while The Bootleggers have more of an old-time fiddle influence. Both bands have guitar bass, mandolin, fiddle. Bearfoot has two guitars, two female voices, our bass player occasionally plays an electric, and our mandolin player plays fiddle on a few tunes. The Bootleggers music has a more “vintage” aesthetic; we perform a few western swing tunes and a few old brother-duets off of a record I recorded with my dad in additional to my original songs.

Q and A with Kris Delmhorst
 by Kathy S-B  ·  18 January 2012

Kris Delmhorst is one of our favorite songwriters. Period. She is a splendid instrumentalist and weaves together some magical songs with her intelligent, articulate lyrics. Listen to her song “Hummingbird” here. Listen to the lyrics and feel them envelop you with their warmth and sincerity. To learn more about Kris Delmhorst, check out her website.

Your latest CD is a tribute to the rock band, The Cars. What is it about their music that attracted you enough to record an album full of their songs? Did you grow up listening to The Cars? You’re obviously too young to have seen them “back in the day”?

I did grow up listening to them, and no I’m not at all too young (thanks though!), but I didn’t ever see them play live. Although, to be truthful, the scintillating live performance was never really their strong suit anyway I don’t think.

The album of their songs was just 100% for fun, something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time. Their songs are so intricately and ingeniously constructed; the parts are all perfect and amazing, but the production is so much of its era that sometimes it’s hard to hear around that. So I just wanted to have regular acoustic instruments playing all those parts, and have girls singing all the great vocal stuff. Just because! It was a blast. But I won’t be playing many Cars songs this weekend, if any at all, because they’re not really that interesting without the band.

Now, tell us about your own songwriting. The whole scenario about the self-imposed solitude that you undertook to write “Shotgun Singer” sounds very romantic but I have a sneaking suspicion that the experience probably wasn’t all that romantic. Or was it? Did the songs pour out of you when you didn’t have to look at the clock and worry about everyday errands and such?

Romantic is definitely not the word. It’s always uncomfortable for me to talk about creative work being hard, because in the grand scheme of things, who are we kidding? Most people work harder, at a job they don’t care about as much, and don’t get applause at the end of their work day either. However, the fact is that there is real emotional discomfort involved with trying to write songs. The initial ideas do pour out, no matter what else is going on in my life, but then getting the work finished can be a real struggle. It helps immensely to go away and focus, but you also have to tough out the initial stages of that solo time, when everything resists you and every door feels closed. It’s the psychic equivalent of being locked out of the house, and it involves feelings of frustration, panic, low morale, and desperation. But when you do get through that blockage, it really pays to have a few days to stay there and get things done.

How has motherhood affected your life as a musician?

I sleep less, I write less, I tour less. But as someone who writes a lot about human relationships, I do have access to a whole lot of new emotional experience to throw into the soup when I’m writing, so maybe it evens out in some way.

What’s it like to be married to another singer-songwriter? Are there always new songs floating through the air? Do you and Jeffrey critique each other’s new work or do you seek out others who may be more objective?

We don’t usually write together but we do rely on each other’s help for editing quite often. Even working separately, it’s inspiring to hear the other person writing things across the house.

The Parkington Sisters, Heather Maloney, 21 Oct. 2011
 by T Max / The Noise  ·  2 December 2011

Heather Maloney starts off addressing her audience very gently (after all we are in a church), saying her first song, “Fifty Lines” (also the opener on her latest CD, Time & Pocket Change) is dedicated to the muse that aids her creative process. Continuing the still, gentle approach, her precise fingerpicking is understated and the house sound is so unobtrusive I feel like I’m listening to an acoustic performance sans PA (thanks to Tim Rowell at the board). The unpretentiously attractive Ms. Maloney has developed a voice that is so accurate in detail, she can capture fast melodic passages the way pitch-correcting audio processors do (mechanically). The audience is directed to start her song “Grace” by singing the opening verse of “Amazing Grace” in four-part harmony — and we do. Picking up a four-string tenor guitar (named Baby), Heather tells us that time and pocket change are two things that we have more of since we’ve quit our day jobs, and then rolls into the title track of her CD. She covers a Beatles song that I’ve yet to hear anyone cover — “Her Majesty’s a Pretty Nice Girl” — and adds a playful second verse full of random syllables. She is slowly mesmerizing the audience. There are more of her playful improv melodies in “Turn Yourself Around” and then all too soon this Audrey Hepburn-styled young woman is starting her final song. She once again directs the audience (including Betty Bones on wooden bones) to lively engage in a rock beat to which she sings along.

Between sets I get to talk with the smart and engaging Heather Maloney and we’re joined by Betty Bones, who is quite the character. Betty explains that pigs’ ribs are the perfect bones for her musical instrument of choice, though hers are custom cut from oak to better fit her hand.

After the break, the stage fills with four decorative gals known as the Parkington Sisters from Wellfleet, Massachusetts. Lately they’ve been touring with the Dropkick Murphys, which I can imagine is a great culmination of male and female energy. The sisters possess four strong voices, three violins, floor tom and percussion, an acoustic guitar, and a grand piano. They start and I’m thrown back to the days of loving the Roaches (another all-sister band). Rose, on far right in a blue dotted dress and thick soft boots, does a lot of the lead singing while playing guitar or piano. She looks kinda like an indy rocker. On the other end of the stage, Ariel, with long brown hair, tall black boots, and red dress is the most serious of them and displays her classical virtuosity on the violin. Center left is Sarah with a wonderful performance smile, long wavy dark hair, a white lacy top and black riding pants. She could improve the looks and sound (violin) of any country band. Then there’s Nora — the ever-entertaining wacky rocker-type. Her long bleached-blonde hair with bangs is decorated by a red flower she places over her ear. She wears black lace on arms and legs, and a ’90s black zipper dress. She’s the one who bangs the tom while shaking things — she can also pick up a violin when three parts are needed. Together they perform like a unit and in between songs their family closeness becomes evident. They poke fun at each other, finish each other’s sentences, and love telling stories — creating a loose feeling that balances well with the musical tightness and accuracy of their lovely harmonies, whether in voice or violins. They can play traditional, classical, rock, folk, and even have an impressive tango number. During their set they separately invite up two other women to accompany them. There’s the cute eight-year-old, Megan, from Newton who fits right in with the way she shakes those green maracas. And on the other end of the age scale is Betty Bones once again — this time playing her C harmonica! The Parkington Sisters end their long enjoyable set with “Sail Home” written by their late uncle then are demanded an encore, so they comply with June Carter Cash’s “Ring of Fire.” Watch for the Noise‘s special Cape Cod issue next summer that will feature these gals! · (T Max)

Don’t miss KSB’s video of the band and special guest Betty “Bones” Gordon.

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