The Interviews

Allison Moorer

Interview by Kathryn Vieira

You started performing at an early age, what was your first public performance that you remember?

First public performance was, singing with my sister, at; I’m from South Alabama; and in that area they have what we call “Fiddler’s Conventions” which is not just fiddlers, there are vocal groups, bands, solo competitions, that kind of thing, so when I was about four and my sister was eight, we were in the vocal group competition and won 2nd prize.

Oh very good, and then one of your first big breaks was getting what turned out to be the key song on The Horse Whisperer soundtrack which is great! What was it like being a new artist performing, “A Soft Place to Fall” on the Oscars?

Well you know, I tried not to make it heavier than it really was. Um, the performance was not what I took as seriously as the actual nomination. To be 26 years old and be nominated for an Oscar in a Songwriting category, was just a huge thing for me, because there are people who have been writing for movies for years and years and years and don’t get Oscar nominations, ya know. So it was a real thrill for me just to get that nomination. The performance part of it was less of a big deal to me because I’ve been performing for a while, so I just tried to go about doing that like I do at every other performance.

Right, well you’ve written pretty much every song on all of your albums, with the exception of a couple. Could you tell us a little bit about your songwriting process, and do you prefer to write alone or do you like to write with other songwriters.

Well I write, pretty much everything I record with my husband, with the exception of a few things ya know. A couple things I’ve written with other writers, a couple songs I’ve written alone. But normally, I mean there is no step process, but normally how it happens is… well for instance I’m not that good at writing on the road, I need time and space to think before I can get a song to come out of me, unless it’s just one of those total inspiration songs that comes out in ten minutes, which we love those, (laughs) but they don’t happen that often, so I don’t really have a process other than just giving myself time.

Well speaking of writing with your husband, Doyle Primm, tell me a little bit about that, which you just kinda did. But does the fact that y’all are so close ever hinder the writing process at all?

I don’t think it does, I think it helps in pretty much every way, especially in getting the most honest thing down on paper.

Cool, well you’ve claimed in your biography that you got to make your new album, Miss Fortune which is great, I love that album, without worrying about singles, formats, or anything else that most artists are usually concerned with when going in to make an album. How did this freedom affect you and your music when you went in to record it?

Thank you, well I’ve never really been one to worry about that stuff too much because I simply, and I don’t mean this in an arrogant way at all, but I don’t feel like it’s my job as an artist to worry about ““s this a hit?”, “Is this not a hit?”, “What format does this go to?”. I feel like that’s the record company’s job; I feel like it’s my job as an artist to make the best music that I can possibly make, to follow my personal artistic path, and wherever that takes me. I’m not interested in repeating myself on every album. I want to grow and change and get better and you know, just like any artist wants to do. I don’t think anyone expects a painter to paint the same painting over and over again. Or to use the same colors on every painting or you know music is just a form of expression at the end of the day. It’s been turned into quite a business, I think to its detriment sometimes. But I just feel like it’s my job to try to stay as true to myself as I possibly can because I think we have enough followers, I think we have enough trend-hounds, I think there are enough people who are worried about “Well if I do this, then this will happen”, “If I do this, this will happen.” It’s more important to me, whatever the consequences, to just follow my path and just try to stay true to what made me want to do this in the first place.

Exactly, well, speaking of that, you started talking a little bit about how people get too way too caught up with labels when it comes to what genre of music it is, or what it should be. So do you think people get too caught up in that?

Well, I do and I also realize that it is a business, and I realize that categories and labels are just, they’re just tools to try to create a filter for the general public. But I do think that labels are put on music unfairly at times, I think when something’s not necessarily easy to classify, people get confused and they call it something that it doesn’t necessarily deserve to be called, good or bad. So I’ve said it’s a “lazy person’s tool” And I do believe that, I again don’t mean that in a bad way, I just think that an album is not like french fries, it’s not something you can just devour and move on to the next thing. I think in our culture these days, everything has gotten so disposable that if you have to sit with an album for three or four times before you really start to get into it, I think it’s a good thing. I am an advocate for music that is not fluff. And I think the label thing is just part of our culture. It’s part of trying to help people get through all the mass of products that we had out there.

So, you’re new album, Miss Fortune hits upon a lot of different musical styles. Who were your biggest influences when you were growing up?

Well, that’s a hard question. I am really bad at naming those. I could spout of a list for you, but even that wouldn’t do it justice, because I think you’re influenced by stuff you don’t even know you’re influenced by, and you would probably be better at naming those than I would be.

That’s so true. Ok, well it seems pretty obvious that your influences are coming from the country music that was made years ago rather than today, at least that’s what I get when listening to your music. Do you think that some of your favorite artists, like Waylon and Willie, would even be able to break into the scene if they came around today?

Um…I don’t know. Maybe, maybe not. I….I think the reason I’m influenced by artists like Waylon and Willie is they were individuals and did their own thing. I have also been very influenced by the Rolling Stones and Neil Young, who both did their own brand of what I consider to be country music. I think that the country music that I am influenced by is the stuff that has a real spirit about it, not necessarily… it doesn’t really matter who’s doing it. It has to do with the intention behind it.

Exactly. One thing that I love about your new album is that there’s a sticker on the CD packaging…

(laughs)

I love that it says “absolutely no vocal tuning or pitch correction was used in the making of this record”.

That’s true!

I think that is such a great point. You know there are too many artists out there that just can’t carry a tune outside of the studio.

Oh you’re right! (laughs)

Do you feel like the whole image machine of Nashville has taken over and we’ve lost a lot of what makes country music special?

I think it’s taken over in all music, not just music that comes out of Nashville, or mainstream country music. I mean let’s face it, there’s a lot of music coming out of Nashville that’s not made for country and a lot of doesn’t get any attention because it’s overshadowed by what people are calling country music, which may be or may not be. Uh…I want people to know that this is what I sound like, and what I sound like on that record is what I’m gonna sound like, pretty much unless I’m having a bad day when you come to see me live. I think that vocal tuning has gotten way out of hand and I’m afraid that people who are, ya know, like teenagers or whatever for instance, who are just starting to buy their own records. They don’t even know what human beings actually sound like. I mean people aren’t even singing live anymore, they’re lip-synching, or they’re tuning, using tuners live. And we just wanted to make that statement and that’s all it means.

That’s great. I know that caught my eye. Well, some fans of yours and critics like to consider you one of the torch-bearers for traditional country sound. Do you ever worry about that reputation when getting ready to go in to make a new record or does it ever cross your mind or are you just in there making the music that you want to make?

No. I don’t worry about it, because I think it’s uh….it’s not wanted. I don’t think I’m exactly making traditional country music. It depends on what you consider traditional anyway, I mean I’m not really sure how I got that stamp put on my head, but I don’t think they could probably call me that anymore.

Well, that’s true. You just have different musical styles, which makes the music great, along with being a songwriter. But it seems like lately there are a lot of great singer/songwriters around the country genre that are making some great records, yet not getting anywhere near the exposure they deserve. You are obviously one of these artists, along with people like Kelly Willis, Bruce Robison, Jack Ingram, Patty Griffin, etc. What do you think could be done better, if anything, to get artists like this more exposure?

Well, I think…I don’t…I’m certainly not on the business side of this business, but one thing I think is unfair is that a lot of this music that you’re talking about, isn’t given a fair shot. It is, like I was talking about earlier, labeled from the get-go, as artsy, or non-commercial, when in fact probably if the general public were exposed to a lot of this music that you’re talking about, they would like it. It’s just they don’t know about it. And that’s because the gatekeepers don’t think it will sell. It’s as simple as that. It’s not given a fair shot and that’s heart-breaking to me.

I agree completely. Well on a lighter note, artists tend to have some interesting stories to tell about things they did to survive, jobs they worked, etc, before getting their record deal and getting their start. Do you have any you would like to share with us?

Oh God. I had a lot of shitty jobs. (laughs) I was a receptionist, I was a secretary. My last job; you live in Nashville, right?

Yes.

Ok, my last job was actually working at FIDO (infamous Nashville coffee shop).

Oh really? I love FIDO!!!

I worked there before, that was my last job, before I found a publishing deal. So, I just worked behind the counter, and Lord knows I broke more glass in that place, I’m pretty clumsy and I broke a lot of stuff in FIDO.

Well that’s good to know, I go there almost every day! Well, if I were to come over and look in your CD player right now, what would I find in it?

Right now, you’d find Kid Rock. Yeah. I have an I-POD which is pretty much my favorite thing, and gosh you would find everything from ABBA to Jimmy Durante to Coldplay to Outcast to World Party. You’d find pretty much anything, any kind of music. There’s jazz in there, I mean there’s pretty much any genre, you would find it in my I-POD.

What do you find to be more satisfying, playing live before a crowd, or going into the studio?

Well, I can’t compare the two, ‘cause they’re so different. One is a very, um, ya know, going into the studio is extremely creative and I love it. It’s just a different energy. You know, when you’re on stage, anything can happen. That’s not to say that anything can’t happen in the studio, but you’re really flying by the seat of your pants on stage and that’s what’s great about it. They’re two different things, I love both experiences.

Well, this is kind of a hard question, but do you have a favorite song?

Of all the songs I’ve written?

Of all the songs that you’ve written or recorded?

Well, not A favorite. I would tend to say that my favorite songs that I’ve written are the ones that are the most honest. And you know, I can’t pick one though.

I thought that would be a hard question, but I just thought I’d ask.

It’s a good question, and some people would be able to answer it….but um… not me. (laughs)

And finally what are you goals when it comes to the country music business for the future?

Well my goal at this point is to keep doing it for as long as I possibly can. As far as real definable goals, I don’t do that because I think goals in life are a little bit funny, to have a goal is like, well I don’t even know what’s happening tomorrow. But especially in the music business when you just have no clue what’s gonna happen. So, my goal is to just stay on my path, make music the best way I know how, make the best music that I can, and keep going.