Sweaty and Covered in Confetti: A Conversation with Butch Walker

Butch Walker has never been an artist you could pick out of a song or a record based upon a particular sound. The Georgia native and Grammy Award-nominated songwriter, performer, and producer has stamped his name in the liner notes of albums from Weezer and Taylor Swift to P!nk and Fall Out Boy. But Walker’s range as an artist (and, in many cases, a producer) is most evident in his own catalog, where he’s as liable to show up and rock the hell out as he is to deliver a quiet, introspective folk gem. His latest effort, Stay Gold, is a rock album that shows its country tendencies from time to time, oozing with nostalgia and railing through the kinds of lyrics you might find yourself doodling on notebooks.

I have to say, especially being from Atlanta, I love “Stay Gold,” the song. There’s a ton of imagery in there that seems like it must transcend the specifics, though, and kind of mean something to everyone.

Thank you. I think it was probably one of the first songs I put together for the record. The whole thing was this almost Outsiders thing that I just felt like I related to as a kid. I was definitely not the popular kid in school. I was the long-haired derelict that all the yuppies looked at funny. When I saw that movie, when I was young, it made a lot of sense to me. I appreciated the kids that came from nothing, that had more substance almost than any of the gifted and the popular ones. I guess I just really started running with that. Also, growing up in [what was] then kind of a boring, deadbeat, Christian conservative Bible belt town, where hardly anybody played or cared about rock 'n' roll, because I think their parents scared them away from it.

I had a couple of friends that I could relate to. They didn’t come from the best homes. There were definitely problems there, no dads around and whatever. I wrote a lot of “Stay Gold” about one of my buddies when I was young, that I used to hang out with all the time and listen to rock 'n' roll records. We’d dream and fantasize about being in a metal band together and stuff. I think a lot of people can relate, that come from a small town, to the mentality there of disenfranchisement.

I saw a quote from you recently where you said that the songs are half-true on this record. I was wondering what you mean by that. Is that something that’s common, or the way you feel about a lot of your songs … what do you mean when you say that?

I think so. I think a song will start with something that is something I’ve related to or that has happened in my life, or to somebody else’s life that I grew up with or whatever. A lot of times, to complete the picture, I’ll start thinking in broader terms — almost, like I said, in a cinematic kind of a way. "Why does this happen to the character? Who says this has to always be fucking true?"

I don’t believe that it’s inauthentic if it isn’t true. Half my favorite singers and songwriters growing up, I think, wrote fiction. It’s about entertaining and making people enjoy what’s being talked about and relate to it however, or feel something from it.

One of the lyrics on the record that really hit me hard was, “I just hope you worry about me every once in a while,” from “Descending” with Ashley Monroe. I find myself thinking back to that line a lot. Is there something specific that made you think about it that way? It’s a very different take on “I hope you miss me,” or “I hope you wish we had never …”

That line stood out in the back of my mind. Who knows? I could have just been driving down the road or something. I could have been thinking about love and how hard it is to hold onto it, and how hard it is to constantly be in love and feel for someone.

I’m not saying that I’m the one necessarily saying that [line]. It could be the other person. “I wonder if that person thinks I never worry about them anymore — that I never check in on them because I just don’t care anymore.” That’s a fucked-up way to think, but at the same time, it’s a reality. The candle burns out for a lot of people. It’s really sad. I really wanted to write that song with Ashley: “What’s one of the saddest things you can say in a plea of desperation — wanting someone to still love you when you think they don’t anymore?”

I sent that to Ashley. She was on a plane texting, coming to L.A. We wanted to get together and talk about a song. I said, “Yeah, I’d love to do that.” We got to talking about relationships, and blah, blah, blah. We weren’t even talking about the songwriting anymore, we were just talking about having relationship struggles and being in love.

She said, “We’re descending.”

I said, “Your relationship or the plane?”

She said, “Oh no, the plane. I’m sorry.” I wrote her back like 10 minutes later: “I think we have our song.” I wrote this chorus and texted it to her right in the middle while she was still flying. We got together and she helped write the rest of the verses and we finished it in 10 minutes.

Wow, that’s a cool story. You work with a lot of other artists on other records, and I don’t think I could tag what sound to expect from a record with you in the credits. I was wondering, what is it about a project that will draw you to it?

I think you’re right. I consider that to be a good thing … that you never know.

Absolutely.

It’s weird. You come to [music], growing up on rock and metal and stuff like that — I was producing rock and metal bands in my mom and dad’s garage in my 20s. Then, you go from that to having kind of an out-of-nowhere fluke hit for a teenage pop girl and then, all of a sudden, everybody’s like, “Oh yeah, he’s the teeny pop girl.” You’re like, “No, I’m not really. I didn’t know this was even going to happen. It just happened.”

Then, you’re getting hit at left and right to produce and write for every teeny pop girl in existence. It’s like, “Wait a minute: I don’t know if I want to be pigeonholed for one thing. That doesn’t make any sense to me.” I grew up in so many different kinds of music, and I love so many different things, that it’s not fair to myself just to take [projects] because the money’s good.

I just wanted to do something interesting. I’m obviously doing something I’ve never really tapped into before, but I’m familiar with. That always is intriguing to me. I think someone like Rick Rubin has had a great career of doing that, too, where he might not be as hands-on, musically, as I am, but all producer roles are different. His is just as important, which is kind of being the moderator for the bands, or being a shrink for the artists, or being a big-picture kind of a Yoda character.

That’s awesome, because he can go from making the best Dixie Chicks record of their career, to making the best Johnny Cash record, to making the best Slayer record. That rules. I love all that shit. I love all three of those artists. For anybody to tell me that, “No, you’re just a pop/punk guy,” or “No, you can’t do that. Don’t change up the ingredients to the Egg McMuffin on me.” I don’t like it when people try to do that — try to tell you that you’re one thing. How can that be, when I grew up on everything from Duran Duran to Willie Nelson to Celtic Frost and fucking Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi? It was everything. It was whatever was on the radio I listened to. Back then, there was no separation. You could hear every kind of music over the course of two stations.

That’s all I knew, growing up in a small town. It was before there was the Internet, and pretty much a lot of it was before there was MTV — which, I’m dating myself, but that just made it more interesting. I was soaking up music like a sponge. The most fun thing about being an artist and a producer now, and having this day job that I have, is being able to exercise all those influences.

Definitely. You’ve been in the producer’s role a lot, self-producing this record, as well, but you haven’t chosen to self-produce all of your records. Ryan Adams produced your last full-length. What pushed you toward the producer’s role this time around?

The thing is, I definitely didn’t know, on the previous record, what I wanted. I didn’t really know what I wanted, just because I was kind of emotionally numb from my dad dying. I had all these strong lyrics — more importantly just lyrics — for songs that I thought would be really great songs, but I didn’t know how to do them. I didn’t really have any confidence, because the wind was let out of my sails, to go in and try to spearhead it myself.

Ryan, at the time, was just the best timing in the world to have somebody come in and go, “I know what this needs to be.” I think he nailed it, and I think it’s exactly what it should have been. If it had been some big, bombastic, rock 'n' roll record with lyrics about my dead dad, I think that would have been stupid. It wouldn’t have worked. It needed to be this thing that was delicate. It needed to be fragile. It needed to be treated with kid gloves, and I don’t know if I would have done that, if left to my own devices. I needed to have somebody steer the ship and keep the music at bay and let the lyrics and vocals be what mattered the most on that album.

Then, I came out from that tour [that followed], which was a great tour and very cathartic. I processed and medicated a lot on that tour about his death, from the stage and the microphone, off stage, with other fans. A lot of people, after the shows, would come up and be crying because they’d just lost their dad or mom or something. I would see these fans that had been coming to see me play for 10 to 15 years or more, crying on my shoulder afterward. It was super-cathartic and super-medicating. I felt great after that tour because everybody got to get something out of it other than just getting drunk and fucking and screaming and partying. It was like a different kind of therapy.

I love the shows where it’s the other end of the spectrum of therapy, too. Let’s just fucking have a laugh and have a scream and leave sweaty and covered in confetti. That’s awesome. At the same time, this needed to happen in my life, and I’m glad it did. When I came out from that, the songs I started writing for Stay Gold were anything but Afraid of Ghosts. They were very celebratory and kind of anthemic and nostalgic. It just triggered a lot of memories for me that were good memories, after coming out from that, of my youth.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that I had a vision for this record. It made sense for me to produce it, because I knew exactly what I wanted to do on this one. We both [Walker and Adams] actually kind of conceptualized this record together. I guess, in a way, he executive produced it, because he knew exactly what I needed to do, and I knew exactly what I wanted to do. It just made sense for me to do it myself.

 

For more on thoughtful, genre-blurring singer/songwriter/producers, check out our conversation with M. Ward.


Photo credit: Noah Abrams

Get Off Your Ass! It’s 2016!

From now until the end of time, we'll be asking you to Get Off Your Ass with monthly concert picks. We're taking a look at the top shows we want to see in L.A., Nashville, and New York.

Goodnight, Texas & Whiskey Shivers // January 5 // Bootleg Theater // Tickets

The pairing of Goodnight, Texas’s rich, dark molasses sound with the shinier plucking and crooning of Whiskey Shivers provides an incredibly interesting mix for a night out.

Josh Ritter & the Royal City Band // January 19 // The Fonda // Tickets

Ritter and the gang are full steam ahead promoting the new album, Sermon on the Rocks, that’s full of dance-worthy and sing-along pop/rock tunes.

The Wood Brothers // January 21 // El Rey Theater // Tickets

Paradise is indeed that, another paradise for fans of the feel-good harmonies and scratchy, full voices of the Wood Brothers.

Dawes // January 23 // The Theater at Ace Hotel // Tickets

Dawes is heading to L.A. for the last U.S. date of their tour and this homecoming is definitely going to be an awesome party, celebrating the quality romanticized roots that the group has defined for themselves.

The Devil Makes Three // January 29 // The Wiltern // Tickets

TDMT hones in on the old-time sound they’ve perfected, but with a heavy lean into smooth country twang on their latest release, I’m a Stranger Here.

New Year’s Day Extravaganza with Langhorne Slim and Friends // January 1 // City Winery // Tickets

There’s a fireball trail of sass and growling vocals wherever Mr. Slim and his friends go — making him the perfect performer to jumpstart your 2016.

Smooth Hound Smith // January 15 // Exit/In // Tickets

Equally capable of rocking guitar-picking lullabies as they are sliding blues songs, come join the band for the release of their anticipated sophomore album.

Chris Young, Ashley Monroe, and Michael Ray // January 15 // Opry at the Ryman // Tickets

Take in an evening at the historic Ryman featuring Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Ashley Monroe and velvety country crooner Chris Young (and many more!).

Jordan Hull // January 17 // Bluebird CafĂ© // Tickets

Somewhat of a self-proclaimed music archaeologist with a vast interest in the country/folk poets of former generations, Hull’s indie tunes showcase a wise storytelling that sound well beyond his years.

Sonia Leigh with Daphne Willis // January 21 // 3rd and Lindsley // Tickets

The gritty and powerfully voiced country anthems of Sonia Leigh team up with the alt-pop quirkiness of Daphne Willis.

Mandolin Orange with Nora Jane Struthers & the Party Line // Rockwood Music Hall (Stage 2) // January 15 // Tickets

Folk-roots duo Mandolin Orange teams up with folk-country singer Struthers (think an electric Patty Griffin meets Dixie Chicks) for a cozy performance on the main stage of Rockwood.

St. Paul and the Broken Bones // Bowery Ballroom // January 16 // Tickets

Get up and get your soul on with electric and heartfelt vibes that transcend any audience with the pleasure of watching the magic of St. Paul and the Broken Bones.

Hootenanny (various artists) // Jalopy Theater // January 16 // Tickets

If you haven’t had the opportunity to take in a performance at the Jalopy, the Hootenanny is an excellent starting point providing an evening filled with community, lots of musical friends, and collaborations.

Bumper Jacksons // Rockwood Music Hall (Stage 3) // January 18 // Tickets

The Bumper Jacksons are your must-see for the month, if you’re craving a ragtime country group that has their priorities damn straight with songs about whiskey and their adoration for bacon.

BGS Class of 2015: Albums

From Jason Isbell debuting at the top of three Billboard charts to Chris Stapleton sweeping the CMA Awards to Alabama Shakes nabbing five Grammy nominations, this year has proven that roots music is alive and very, very well. But, because our coverage area is so dang wide and deep, we decided that making a ranked list wasn't fair to anyone. After all, Sam Lee is baking apples while Dawes is juicing oranges. So, here are 21 of our favorite graduates from the BGS Class of 2015: Albums. For a whole bunch of others, check out BGS Class of 2015: Songs.

Valedictorian/Prom King/Class President: Jason Isbell, Something More Than Free

It's no wonder this album topped the rock, folk, and country charts when it dropped. Jason Isbell made another masterpiece of an album that absolutely defies the lines of genre and the limits of genius. Meandering through throwback country-rock and contemporary folk, Something More Than Free is a cornucopia of sonic goodness and solid songwriting. — Kelly McCartney

Best Avoidance of the Sophomore Slump: Alabama Shakes, Sound & Color

If you've only ever heard Boys & Girls, forget what you know — or think you know — about Alabama Shakes. Brittany Howard had a vision and, on Sound & Color, she let it rip, roar, rock, and roll. This album blasts soulful Southern rock into a whole new dimension. Indeed, the last third gets pretty trippy, but it's a ride worth taking. — KMc

Best Ameripolitan Hat Tip to '70s FM Radio: Andrew Combs, All These Dreams

Andrew Combs has been in and around the Nashville music scene for years now, but it's with All These Dreams that he truly came into his own as an artist to be reckoned with. From the gentle melancholy of "Rainy Day Song" to the heartful vulnerability of "In the Name of You," Combs proves that all those years listening to Guy Clark and Mickey Newbury have paid off in spades. — Brittney McKenna

Most Likely to Give You Hope for Contemporary Country Music: Ashley Monroe, The Blade

Since she couldn't make a better record than 2013's Like a Rose, Ashley Monroe made a different record with The Blade — one that is equally exquisite. Much like Lee Ann Womack, Monroe turns heartache into an almost enviable position. This is what country music is supposed to sound like. — KMc

Most Likely to Make You Shoot Some Whiskey: Chris Stapleton, Traveller

Bearded, burly, and bounding with heart and soul, the rise of country music's "new savior" is no surprise when you speak of Chris Stapleton. The Kentucky-born, Nashville-based songwriter (and former bluegrasser) has been penning tunes for big stars for years. Now it's his time to shine. Traveller isn't your typical country album: Influenced by R&B and Southern rock, it'll throttle you with different shades and colors of the genre — in a good way. — Cameron Matthews

Most Likely to Be Played in Parked Cars: Dawes, All Your Favorite Bands

The title song says it all: "May all your favorite bands stay together." Please Dawes, never never never break up … if only so we can always have albums as wonderful as this. — Amy Reitnouer

Most Likely to Make You Want to Be a Sea Captain: The Decemberists, What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World

It would be easy to take the Decemberists' joy and jauntiness for granted, if not for the humility and humanity that they temper it with. As evidenced by the title, this one balances out those scales pretty gloriously and very gracefully. — KMc

Most Likely to Make You Give Up the American Dream: Father John Misty, I Love You, Honeybear

Who knew that the twilight of the American Dream could be a time of celebration? Singer/songwriter Josh Tillman's sophomore release as the dirty reverend, Father John Misty, encapsulates all of our fears of earning less, dying younger, living harder, and feeling nothing. But Misty wants you to be in on the joke. He's not laughing at how you bought into it all. He's laughing with you, man. I Love You, Honeybear is a brilliant satire, an absurdist love story, and, above all, one of the most important albums of the decade. — CM

Most Likely to Get You into Bluegrass (Least Likey to Start a Blood Feud): The Gibson Brothers, Brotherhood

The hermanos Gibson are a powerhouse of emotion and vocal talent in the world of bluegrass and folk music. On Brotherhood, the pair cover myriad brother bands — like the Everlys and Louvins — with grace and crystalline vocal arrangements. Put this one on the ole speakers and, after you're finished sobbing, realize that you've been a bad brother and call up Missouri asking for forgiveness. — CM

Best Soundtrack to a Love Affair: Glen Hansard, Didn't He Ramble

The man who gave us one of the most heart-wrenching love stories ever on film (He won an Oscar for Once.) is back with an equally emotional second solo record. The songs on Didn't He Ramble are all about asking for grace, forgiveness, and mercy, and by the end of the record it's the listener — like the jilted lover in one of his songs — who comes crawling back for more. — AR

Most Likely to Help You Through Some Dark, Dark Times: Gretchen Peters, Blackbirds

On Blackbirds, Gretchen Peters stretches out her glorious wings and soars into some deep valleys. This album offers not so much a light at the end of the tunnel as a candle along the way. — KMc

Most Likely to Make You Wish You Were a Better Songwriter: John Moreland, High on Tulsa Heat

With his sophomore album, In the Throes, John Moreland proved himself one of the best songwriters making music, and he somehow managed to out-do himself on this most recent collection — one that is a truly jaw-dropping listening experience from start to finish. — BMc

Most Likely to Bring About a Soul Revival: Leon Bridges, Coming Home

Soul music had a good year this year. Much of it, though, came in the blue-eyed form, from guys like Anderson East and Nathaniel Rateliff putting a modern spin on an old sound. What sets Leon Bridges and Coming Home apart is his attention to detail, as evidenced by the album's art. He's not remaking the music in his own image; he's doing exactly the opposite. And it flat out suits him. — KMc

Best Aural Equivalent of Red Wine: The Milk Carton Kids, Monterey

The Milk Carton Kids have long been known for their intricate guitar arrangements and gentle harmonies, becoming outliers in a genre that often favors banjos and bombast. On Monterey, they double-down on what sets them apart, crafting a gorgeous, cinematic album that proves sometimes it's the quiet guys who have the most to say. — BMc

Best New Kids on the Block: Mipso, Old Time Reverie

The guys and gal of this North Carolina quartet are an exciting distillation of modern bluegrass. They dress in the fashions of today, sing about issues new and old, and incorporate the athletic musicianship necessary to be a top-notch string band. Mipso's sophomore release can best be described as deliberate and care-filled. Each song is executed with a steady hand, beginning with the palindromic "Marianne." But it's the addition of Libby Rodenbough on fiddle that makes Old Time Reverie required listening. Prepare yourself a tall bourbon and enjoy this one on your city balcony. — CM

Most Likely to Make You Cry and/or Burn a Box of Photos of Your Ex: Natalie Prass, Natalie Prass

Break-ups suck and if, like Natalie Prass, you need to turn love lost into found art, you might as well do it with a kick-ass horn section. Lyrics like "our love is a long goodbye" may have you in tears, but the '70s-inspired brass will have you dancing on your way to grab those Kleenex. — BMc

Best Dystopian Opera by a String Band: Punch Brothers, The Phosphorescent Blues

Punch Brothers' latest album is the band's most mature offering to date — it's also their most difficult to handle. Lyrically, The Phosphorescent Blues is heavy, even burdensome, but it saves itself from being a droll appraisal of modernity through boundary-pushing string music. Fiddle player Gabe Witcher introduced drums into the Brothers' world, while the rest of the band acheives a synergy they have not seen before. If we're talking simply, it's like Yes made a strings album with the lyrics of Louis Carroll. — CM

Most Likely to Make You Love a Kanye West Song: Ruby Amanfu, Standing Still

Not every singer knows how to make a song their own. Ruby Amanfu does and, with Standing Still, she offers a master class in the art of interpretation. Here, she takes tunes by Bob Dylan, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, and, yes, Kanye West and turns them on their ears. The results are stunning to behold. — KMc

Best Gypsy Revival Not Starring Patti Lupone: Sam Lee & Friends, The Fade in Time

Every artist in the "heritage" movement could learn a thing or two from UK artist and song collector Sam Lee. The Fade in Time is a mystical mix of traditional folk songs and gypsy tunes — often incorporating the original recordings that Lee himself has captured — with innovative, modern, and at times tribal sounds. Highly recommend turning this up during late-night trips driving through the desert (as we did en route to Telluride Bluegrass this June). Pure magic. — AR

Most Likely to Make You Re-Think the Blues: Son Little, Son Little

Blues is one of those genres that people love to debate: Is it still alive? And, if so, is it well? Son Little is here to tell you that, yes, the blues is indeed alive and, in capable hands like his, it will be well for many years to come. — BMc

Best Multi-Generational Supergroup: Watkins Family Hour, Watkins Family Hour

When WFH announced their record early in 2015, we had serious doubts as to whether anything could encapsulate the special experience that is Sara and Sean Watkins' monthly variety hour at Largo in Los Angeles. But lo and behold, this self-titled record not only captures the warmth and camaraderie that makes the live show so special (featuring the likes of Benmont Tench, Fiona Apple, Greg Leisz, and others), but it stands up as one of the best roots albums of the year. — AR

 

For more musical goodness, check out the full Class of 2015. Follow the playlist on Spotify and add your own favorite songs to it:

Watch Ashley Monroe Perform on ‘Conan’

Ashley Monroe performed "I Buried Your Love Alive," a killer new track from her recently released album The Blade, on Conan. You can watch the kick-ass performance below.

Other Roots Music News:

Rolling Stone has a stream of an unreleased Andrew Combs track, "Part Time Lovers (Full Time Fools)." 

• Grizzly Bear's Ed Droste had to quit Twitter after suffering harassment at the hands of angry Taylor Swift fans. 

• Langhorne Slim also stopped by Conan to perform "Strangers."

NPR's latest list of tunes in heavy rotation include BGS favorites Kasey Chambers and Humming House. 

Folk Alley has a new session with Charlie Parr. 

• Jason Isbell performed "Desperadoes Waiting on a Train" on Austin City Limits.

Ryan Adams Is Gonna Party Like It’s ‘1989’

There's never a dull moment in the career of Ryan Adams, but he may have just topped himself with his latest move: covering Taylor Swift's chart-topping 2014 release 1989 start to finish… in the style of the Smiths. He's already shared a clip or two, and it sounds pretty epic.

Read more at Rolling Stone.

Other Roots Music News:

• Go behind the scenes of the making of Indigo Girls' "One Lost Day."

• Ashley Monroe covered John Mellencamp's "Pink Houses."

• Bruce Springsteen earned the distinct honor of serving as Jon Stewart's last Moment of Zen. [Consequence of Sound

• Laura Marling performed "I Feel Your Love" on The Late Late Show with James Corden.

• IBMA announced their film festival selections. [Bluegrass Today

Ryan Adams photo by Alice Baxley, courtesy of Nasty Little Man

Stream Newport Folk Festival This Weekend

Can't make it to Newport Folk Festival? Fret not, you can stream performances of the festival from the comfort of your own home! Newport Folk Radio will broadcast a number of performances this weekend, all for your listening pleasure. 

Listen here

Other Roots Music News:

Watch Gregory Alan Isakov perform "Saint Valentine." 

• Sharon Van Etten is one of many artists featured on an upcoming Donovan tribute album. [Consequence of Sound

• Go backstage at the Grand Ole Opry with Ashley Monroe. [American Songwriter

• Dave Cobb and Anderson East talk bromance in the Nashville Scene

• Sturgill Simpson sold out two nights at the Ryman and added a third. [Nashville Scene

Woohoo! Get a Free New Album from Wilco

Happy Friday! It's almost the weekend, but if you still need a little good news, look no further: Wilco released a surprise album last night! You can download (or stream) Star Wars for free for a limited time over at the band's site, in advance of the album's August 21 release on CD and vinyl.

Get it here.

Other Roots Music News:

• Stream The Blade, the fantastic new album from Ashley Monroe, at NPR First Listen

• Want more excellent streaming goodies? Watkins Family Hour's new album is also at First Listen

• Check out the new video for Dustbowl Revival's "Lampshade On."

• Glen Hansard announced new tour dates. [A.V. Club

• Listen to "Words," a new song from Sharon Van Etten.

 

CONVERSATIONS WITH… Ashley Monroe

 

ASHLEY MONROE is the great hope of country music.  In an age of ever-blurring genres and over-produced radio hitmakers, Monroe’s lilting, wounded voice and wise-beyond-her-years songwriting makes her sound more like a contemporary of Dolly Parton than Taylor Swift (it doesn’t hurt that Monroe is also one-third of the country female supergroup, PISTOL ANNIES).  Her brand new solo effort, the Vince Gill/Justin Niebank-produced LIKE A ROSE, was released earlier this month.

So let’s get the important stuff out of the way. Which of the Pistol Annies would win a drinking contest?

Ashley Monroe: Miranda (Lambert.) The thing about her is that she can handle her liquor. She can drink and drink and she stays the same. Me and Angaleena (Presley) have our limits or else we’re in a bad place.

You have to be careful with those Mirandaritas (White rum, Sugar-free pink lemonade or raspberry drink mix, Diet lemon-lime soda)

AM: I had to get them to put vodka on the rider because the rum was tearing me up!

Ha! Good for you. Let’s start with some background, you grew up in Knoxville right?

AM: Just East of Knoxville in a little town called Corryton. And I moved to Nashville when I was 15 with my mom and brother. Back home we had a nice, normal family, but when I was 13 my dad died of pancreatic cancer. He was just 40.  We moved to Knoxville for a couple of years but it was rough. We were just looking for peace and comfort any way we could aeverything reminded us of dad. I finally just told mom we’ve got to go to Nashville and start over. I’ll write songs, I’m going to sing. I promised her we were gong to make a living off of this.

Were you brought up around music?

AM: Oh yeah, I always sang. When I was 13, Dad bought me a guitar and my cousin that lived up the street would show me chords. And my family has always been musical. My dad could play piano by ear really well but he never did anything with it; he worked at the power company in Knoxville. You could say music was always in my blood. I never knew anything but singing and I never let it cross my mind that I wasn’t going to be a singer… That was just a fact from when i was a teeny girl. After dad passed I started writing songs.  That was when I started channeling all that.

You were home-schooled in Nashville. Did that help you deal with the loss of your dad and let you focus on our music more?

AM: Oh for sure. I didn’t have to deal with the typical high school drama. I was far beyond all that stuff… I needed to be productive and not be distracted.

That’s a lot of growing up to do at such a young age.

AM: Yeah, the other day I was thinking that that part of my life is a blur. I think part of it is grieving, when something like that happens you go numb for a while. But I was set on music. My mom ran off for while to deal in her own way and I had to step up. I’ve always felt older even before my dad got sick. I remember being very aware since I was a teeny girl.

Did these life events result in more mature material that caught the ear of Sony?

AM: I think they did. That was when I was 17. We had finished my first album, ‘Satisfied,’ and we were out on a 6-week radio tour when I got the news that the label wasn’t releasing the album. The tour was a great time — it was hard but we were having the best time and then I got a call while we had a day off in West Palm Beach. The head of the Sony, John Grady (now Monroe’s manager), said ‘I have to have my stuff out of my office by the end of the day.’ My heart just sank.

How much did your early challenges help you through through this rough time?

AM: My attitude was ‘Just keep going.’ I don’t let something like that stop me. I look for other roads, other opportunities. Part of me would worry about it but part of me would have this feeling — and don’t know how to describe it — but I had this feeling in my stomach that everything was going to be okay. There was a plan.

There does seem to be a plan coming together for you. How did you come to met Jack White and work with his band The Raconteurs and back him working with Wanda Jackson?

AM: In 2006 I left Sony/BMG and started more songs. I was checking my email and I had a message with a Roman numeral 3 in the address.  Well I thought it was spam. I almost deleted it but I opened it and it was from Jack White. He had heard me on the Opry and wanted me to song with his band The Raconteurs on this song ‘Old Enough.’ We just totally hit it off. He came to the Opry right before Christmas, just came in through the back alley and sat in my dressing room. It was surreal. He and Vince (Gill) where once both in my dressing room and I’m singing and Vice is laying guitar and singing harmony and Jack is there and I’m thinking ‘What in the world is happening?’ It was just so overwhelming.

Me and the Raconteurs’ singer Brendan (Benson) wrote some songs that we might put out some day. Jack and I stayed in touch. When the Wanda (Jackson) project came along he asked me to sing on that too.

Not bad company to keep.

AM: (laughs) Yeah, Jack’s passion for music is so amazing to watch. He’s so knowledgeable and he’s always looking to learn more. I remember there was a point when he pulled Ricky (Skaggs) aside and was showing him this mandolin that he got and Ricky was telling him the year it was made. Jack’s a sponge and he soaks up everything.

How was it working with Wanda Jackson?

AM: Oh she’s an angel! She was so protective of me and Karen Elson, we were the backing Do-Wop Girls for her. She was a doll. When we had a part coming up she’d look back at us and wink. She’s still feisty too which I love!

How’d the Pistol Annies come about?

AM:  Miranda and I had been at sony around the same time and  we had met briefly but it wasn’t a big deal, As she tells it now she thought i was ‘Just another blonde country singer. Great, just what we need.’ And then one night I got this long text that she heard Satisfied’ and she was complimenting me on it and saying she wanted get together. So I was on a plane to Texas the next week and we’ve been together ever since. So we wrote and travel together but never discussed creating a band. While we were camping in her Air Stream in Oklahoma we wrote ‘Bad Example,’  ‘Beige’ and ‘Boys From the South.’ We looked at each other and I said ‘Are these for you, or are these for me?’  Miranda said ‘I don’t think these are or me, but I don’t want to give them away.’ and neither did i. One day after that we were watching TV and out of nowhere Angaleena Presley’s name just popped into my head. I asked Miranda is she had ever heard of her. She said ‘Nope.’ So i went onto her MySpace page and played her some stuff. When she heard the songs miranda said ‘We’re a band. She’s part of our band.’ i got chills and said ‘She is!’

Then we called Angaleena at night and she asked if we were drunk. We told her no we were just excited and asked her to email us her whole record right now. She did and we met up with her the next week in Nashville and the rest is history. When we’re together it’s the strangest thing. We are literally like sisters. We talk almost every day and but hear songs.  Like we’re plugged into a higher power because when we’re together songs come out of us that we can’t write down fast enough.

We just wrapped our second record while it was being mixed on the last day of recording and we were all holding hands and balling tears of joy. These were songs we had written on the road and they are very special.

Is it easier to be a member of group than a solo performer?

AM: It’s different because all the pressure is not on only you. But it’s cool to do both. I never imagined that this would happen but now I can’t imagine us (Pistol Annies) not being together. It’s really the best of both worlds.

How did you end up with the nickname ‘Hippie Annie?’

AM: Well I’m always the one that’s the peacekeeper and trying to get everyone to calm down. I’m not super earthy i just like everybody to be chill.

The pistol Annies cut a track, ‘Run Daddy Run’ for the Hunger Games soundtrack. Did you work directly with T Bone Burnett?

AM: Yes! We went in and did two songs back-to-back. One night we got together with T Bone to do a cut for the Chieftains (the Appalachian folk song ‘Come All Ye Fair and Tender Ladies,’ for the Chieftains’ 50th anniversary album Voice of Ages) and then we did ‘Run Daddy Run’ which we had written for the soundtrack. I’ve come to know him pretty well working with him and he’s a lot like me. Kind of always in his head. He’s a brilliant music maker.

T Bone is one of the Patron Saints of Americana and I’m glad he’s involved in this and other cross-over efforts.

AM: My manager John Grady and T Bone worked on ‘O Brother Where Art Thou’ soundtrack, that’s where they first met. T Bone doesn’t over think it, he just says ‘Alright, let’s sit down and play it.’

On the cover of your new release ‘Like A Rose,’ you’re on the cover in the rain looking in the distance for something. What are you looking for? 

AM: Some piece of mind while being attacked by mosquitoes! (laughs) I think I’m looking for he next thing. The day we did that shoot it rained and I didn’t want any props or anything. But with the rain they handed me the umbrella and the photographer said ‘Yes! That’s it.’

I think the cover fits the title song well. That song has a real classic country feel. I was reminded of Emmylou Harris and Lee Ann Womack. It sounds contemporary but classic. How do you think it’ll play in today’s pop country environment? Is this a subtle act of rebellion?

AM: I didn’t make a record to prove something, it’s just what’s in my soul. I love, and listen to, all kinds of music but when I write and sing it’s country. I just made a record that was exactly like me. I love the sounds of old country music. It doesn’t make the other stuff bad, this is just what I think I do best.

Tell me about writing ‘Like A Rose’ with Guy Clark.

AM: I went in the first day and played him all my best ideas. He’s a hard dude to read, he’s so cool without trying. I repeat him so much i had no idea what I was even going to say to him. After i played him all these ideas he’s just kind of ‘Hmm’ make all these grunting noises and then he says ‘Tell me about you.’ So I tell him my life story in the shortest way I could. I don’t even know what I said i was talking really fast, band then I finished by saying ‘But look it came out like a rose.’  And he said  ‘Huh, let’s just write that.’ And so we did.

We’ve spent many afternoons talking in his workshop where we write. We talk mostly, sometimes we write. I just love being in his pretense. He’s amazing.

Vince Gill produced and played on this album. Tell me about that.

AM: He treats me like one of his daughters. I’ve known him since I was 15 and met him as soon as I got to Nashville. I wrote a couple of songs on with him on his last record ‘Guitar Slinger.’ We never really talked about him producing me but when I went into Warner/Nashville I said I wanted to make a record and I wanted Vince to do it.

Kelly Pickler’s  last album ‘100 Proof’ moved her in a more classic country direction, similar to ‘Like a Rose.’  Is this a trend?

AM: I love Kelly, she’s a friend and I love that album. A trend towards good music is something I’m in for. Sometimes the biggest risks are taken by not overthinking something. Do what you want to do and see what happens. If you sit there and over analyze it, you can talk yourself in or out of something 100 times a day.

Now for some questions from Twitter: Who would you most like to open for living or dead? 

AM: Elvis! Elvis’ name is tattooed on my hip and ‘Love Me Tender’ is tattooed on my back. He’s my boyfriend, he just doesn’t know it yet.

What’s it like being a woman on Music Row? Is it still a good ‘ol boys club?

AM: Everything can kind of be a good ‘ol boys club in business.  They’ve been very open to listening to me when I have strong opinions whether they like it or not (laughs) i learned through losing my dad to never let a man tell me I’m wrong or make me feel like I’m not good enough or smart enough. I grew up fast and learned I can be as strong as any man. There’s also a lot of woeful women in Nashville, so it’s probably ether than in was in the 50s and 60s.

What song have you walkways wanted to cover but haven’t?

AM: The Black Crows song, ‘Seeing Things.’ It’s a song my dad loved and when i hear it it shakes me up. If I could song that that would be great. Or maybe something by Tom Petty.

That would make a great CMT Crossroads, you and The Black Crows or Tom Petty.

AM: You’re right!  Let me get more successful and see what happens.

What’s the best song you’ve written so far?

AM: That’s a tricky one. I don’t think it’s the best, they’re all different, but I think ‘The Morning After’ on Like A Rose moves me every time I sing it. I don’t know if it’s the best I’ve ever written but it always get to me when I sing it.

What goes through your mind when you stand on the Grand ‘Ol Opry stage? 

AM: When I play the Opry I’m very aware of where I am. And I’m aware that’s all I ever wanted. When I first moved to town I would go and watch everyone and when I finally stood on that stage, thinking who else had been there before me, I knew my dream had some true. I know I’m very blessed to be there.