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| Photo Credit: Gregory Worstrel |
When your debut album sets the folk world buzzing, and
entices music historians such as Dave Marsh, rock critic and former editor of
Rolling Stone, to say you are “the whole package," AND he
compares you to renowned artist Patty Griffin, well…you'd better keep
delivering the goods. As her third studio album is being released, it becomes
clear singer-songwriter Antje Duvekot is doing just that.
Antje first garnered attention with her music in 2000 by
winning the grand prize in the rock category of the John Lennon
Songwriting Contest. Since then, she has continued to receive accolades and
high praise for her introspective songs reflecting her personal journey.
Born in Germany,
Duvekot arrived in the United
States as a teenager. Leaving her father and
brother in Europe, she began a new life in a
strange country with no knowledge of the customs or the language. Adapting was
difficult at best, so Antje retreated into a world which offered her
comfort…the world of music.
Her first album, Big Dream Boulevard was
followed in 2009 by another highly acclaimed CD, The Near Demise of the
High Wire Dancer, produced by singer-songwriter Richard Shindell. Her new
release, New Siberia, brings back Shindell as producer, and marks
the time of transition from an old life to new. A time of looking toward the
future with anticipation, while never losing what has brought her here
The week before the release of New Siberia,
Antje spoke with me about the journey, songwriting and the life of a working
musician.
Kat’s Theory (KT): You came to this country
as a teenager, and battled with issues of language, insecurity and a confining
family life. Those struggles can create the perfect setting from which a poet
can immerge. Looking back, do you think an easier life transition would have
made you less of a poet?
Antje Duvekot (AD): That is such a good question; it’s really hard
to know. I wonder myself sometimes. My brain works a certain way and I
can’t imagine it working in any other way so if my early life hadn’t been sort
of difficult, maybe my brain wouldn’t be so …thoughtful, I guess. When I
moved to this country from Germany,
at first I was sort of an outsider. I didn’t speak the language, so I spent a
lot of time being very shy and just observing people. It’s possible that it
came from the ability to pay attention and observe people. But then again maybe
I would have been the same way if I hadn’t had such a difficult childhood.
KT: Your songwriting style. Because
your songs are so personal, does your writing normally begin with the lyrics or
do you have a story in mind, and work the music around them or music first?
AD: Kind of separate. The lyrics will come to me throughout my life
and I’ll just scribble them down onto whatever I can find…napkins, checkbooks
and such. So then I have this pile of lyrics and words, and ideas that came to
me. When I think of something I write it down. Then when I structure, when I’m
making it into a song, I actually craft a melody entirely, so that it will be
ready to go. Then I will turn back to my notes and try to see what fits in
nicely.
KT: That’s a very interesting approach, where you have
all the music written and you try to find the lyrics that will fit into it.
AD: Yeah, I think that’s unusual, I don’t know a lot of people that
do it that way. I don’t think of myself as a writer, I really do love the music
component. It’s always tricky to find the right music for the right lyrics,
Sometimes you really want to make them fit and you realize the mood is not
right.
KT: Your producer for your new album, Richard
Shindell, also produced your second album The Near Demise of the High
Wire Dancer. At that time he said “with songs as good as these, a
producer just tries to get out of the way, do no harm and let the artist speak
for herself.” Would you say he followed the same approach with New
Siberia, or did he infuse more of his vision this time?
AD: Well first of all, I think he was just being modest when he
said that, because he did a lot more than “do no harm.” But I
think partly why I did want to work with him was that he has a fairly
minimalistic approach to producing. I really didn’t want someone to put a heavy
stamp on my music. I wanted it to just speak for itself, and he really
supported my music very nicely with some of his instrumental choices. But I
think it’s a similar production from the last album actually.
KT: I’ve watched some videos of your live performances. Your music at times,
comes from such a dark place, and yet there are some songs which are light, for
example “A Perfect Date” on this album. But when you are performing live, you
are very light, humorous and honest. How do you balance the two, leaving the
sadness behind in the music?
AD: I think when I first started performing live, I did realize that
the night was starting to drag with a lot of moody and dark songs, and that I
needed to talk in between songs. I needed to get some lightness in there.
I found that I enjoyed the banter in between and making fun of myself. In real
life I make fun of myself quite a bit, my songs just don’t reflect it that
much. Humor is just another way to cope with darkness if you really think about
it.
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| Photo Credit: Gregory Worstrel |
"oh amelia, don't i feel like a clown
oh you went down in history
well, me, i just went down"
KT: "The Ballad of Fred Noonan".
Fred Noonan was the navigator who flew alongside and died with Amelia Earhart.
It is a fascinating look at the possible unrequited love he had for her. The
song, told from his point of view, relates his love and admiration for her
while still seeing her faults. It’s a mixture of melancholy and regret. Where
did you find the inspiration for it?
AD: I was kind of interested because I saw a documentary first and
it said, in this documentary at least, that she was kind of ego driven and
bold, and perhaps she didn’t spend as much time preparing the flight, as she
just wanted to set a record. And she was ambitious, and I thought about that
part of her personality.
"oh and the last thing that you said was
you were sorry. I did it for love, you did it for glory"
A little bit later, I was listening to a podcast about Fred
Noonan and how everyone has forgotten him. He is unknown to history even though
he died in the plane with her. And I thought “oh poor Fred Noonan,
maybe I should write a song about him.” Then I thought about those two
things, ok, I’m going to present Amelia Earhart as ego-driven and narcissistic
and poor Fred Noonan. So I guess I painted him in kind of a victim light. It’s
just an idea I had.
"I was planted in a flower bed of
sorrows, where raven's laughter blew up from the west.
Carried whispers of a dream about tomorrow and my
heart it just beat borrowed in my chest"
KT: "New Siberia,"
the song visits a life’s journey from a cold, dark past to a place of hope and
new beginnings. But all the while still retaining the memories and the
acceptance that what was, has made you into what you are now. How did you get
to that point where you made the concession to your past and found your were
able to move forward?
AD: Yeah, I’m moving forward, but part of the idea of the new Siberia was also to maintain some of my dark core.
Because I really had a difficult home life and it really shaped me. I’ve gone
on a journey to become a much happier person but I’m always going to have a
little touch of that sadness in me. So, I didn’t want to move to some warm
place, I’m just looking for a new Siberia.
Also, there’s so much beauty and sadness in me that I actually… some of it I
revel inside of. That’s the idea of a new Siberia…a
better place but still true to myself.
KT: Your first album, Big Dream
Boulevard was released in 2006 to a lot of fanfare and critical
acclaim. It had to be a bit unnerving as well as overwhelming.
AD: Yes, that was the beginning of making a true living in music so
it was kind of the most exciting time. It was a dream coming true and it was
happening. I miss that time because it was so exciting. Now I’m just doing it
for a living and it’s more like a job.
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| Antje with Ellis Paul |
KT: As New Siberia, your
third studio album, is being released, do you find it is a different type of
anticipation with all you have to deal with now; like the interviews and
everything that goes along with it?
AD: It still feels new, but yeah, there’s a different anticipation.
But I’m still pretty excited about it. I think in the beginning I got to tour
with a lot of my heroes, like I got to open for Ellis Paul and the gratifying
part was I got to meet my heroes. I’ve met most of them and it’s been really
great, but now I’m more focused on my own thing. And I’m looking more towards
the fans and the touring.
KT: And when you release a CD, do you start
the tour in a different frame of mind, to introduce new music to the people or
is it just you’re going out on tour again?
AD: I think the latter. I mean, I’m always on tour; even I don’t have
a new record out. I do have to (tour). At least fifty percent of my living is
based on playing live, so it’s kind of an ongoing thing.
KT: Some of your songs have been covered by
other artists, most notably by the Irish-American group Solas. And your song
"Merry Go Round" was used in a bank commercial a few years back. As
an artist, how do you feel when some of your songs grow wings and fly away as
someone else interprets them?
AD: It’s probably one of the best feelings ever. When someone else
chooses to cover your song, and you hear them sing it and they make it their
own, it suddenly sounds like a real song. Whereas when you’re doing it, it’s
just something you made from your head, it doesn’t seem like it’s real. But
when you hear someone else interpreting it, then ok, it’s a real song. It’s a
great feeling, really honoring and flattering.
KT: For those who have never heard your music
before today, describe the journey your music will provide to them.
AD: Well, I think like you’ve already mentioned, it’s kind of
honest and a little vulnerable. So, if someone is looking for an emotional
experience, and having a deep experience with music, then I think they will
like my music. If they are just looking for something to play while they are
cleaning, then... maybe not.
The official release date of New Siberia is
September 18, 2012. Easy listening to be sure,not recommended for
use while cleaning.
For more information on Antje Duvekot and New
Siberia, visit her website
New
Siberia Official Video
A few morsels of the music of Antje Duvekot:. Enjoy the tastes.
Into the City
Noah's Titanic
Phoenix
Sleepy Sea of Indigo and Blue
First published as Antje Duvekot: A Journey to a New Siberia on Technorati
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