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SXSW preview: Carrie Rodriguez
Carrie Rodriguez’s ‘Love and Circumstance’ (due April 13) effortlessly personalizes a dozen Americana masterworks. The Austin resident, whose career launched with Chip Taylor (‘Wild Thing’) at SXSW a decade ago, found creative inspiration in the vaults. ‘On my last record, there were pressures to write songs that would get played on the radio,’ Rodriguez, 31, says. ‘I thought this was a nice opportunity to take a step back to look at what songs are really important to me and songs like I want to write.’
American-Statesman: Has it been a natural transition from accompanying Chip to being your own bandleader? Carrie Rodriguez: In the beginning, it probably wasn’t that easy, but I’ve been on my own now for about three years. The first year was a little intimidating, being the front and center person who talks a lot more, but now I’m used to it.
Why a covers album after only two solo albums? I had a few covers in my live shows, and every night someone would say, ‘I want an album with that Spanish song on it!’ I tried to put (‘La Punalada Trapera’) on my last record, but it didn’t fit with all original music. A lot of them are tunes that I grew up listening to, that I feel are my roots growing up here in Texas.
There’s a personal tie to the album title, ‘Love and Circumstance.’ Yeah, that came from the song my father (singer-songwriter David Rodriguez) wrote (‘When I Heard Gypsy Davy Sing’). It’s from the last verse: ‘What makes a man forsake his wife and his family and his home? What raging love, what circumstance, what urge to be alone?’ It’s an autobiographical tune about him leaving Texas and moving to Holland. All of the tunes deal with love in its various stages and circumstances.
Is it difficult to sing that story? It’s emotional. The song’s about him leaving his family to follow his own path with music and the repercussions involved. It’s pretty heavy for me to be singing that. I also feel like it’s therapeutic. It’s a beautiful thing that he wrote it and sent it to me.
How did you balance putting your stamp on these songs while staying true to their original spirit? I’d listen to a song, and then throw away the recording. I’d play it until I forgot that I didn’t write it (laughs). Sometimes I’ll drastically change the chords without even realizing. It’s really fun when I hear other people take tunes and make them their own.
What did you learn about the craft of songwriting while recording these songs? I certainly got a lot of inspiration as far as the type of songs I want to write. I’m most drawn to simple lyrics. The Townes Van Zandt song (‘Rex’s Blues’) is so simple, but so profound. I was listening to (Austin disc jockey) Larry Monroe on KUT last summer, and I heard the line, ‘Ain’t no dark ‘til something shines.’ It just leapt out of the radio. I was going through a really tough personal thing, and that line made everything make sense. You’ve got to experience the lows to appreciate the highs.
1 a.m. Wednesday at the Ghost Room, 304 W. Fourth St.
If you like Carrie Rodriguez, check out:
1. Ben Sollee
2. Cary Brothers
3. The Belleville Outfit
3. Jakob Dylan and Three Legs (featuring Neko Case and Kelly Hogan)
5. The Low Anthem.
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