The Fearsome Five with Adrienne Pierce: An Interview

That's right, kids -- Adrienne Pierce is making a guest appearance here at Cute, Queer, Canadian tonight. Even while gearing up for the June 2010 release of her third full-length studio album, Oh Deer, our new hero found a precious bit of time to answer a few question this blogette had about her career, her approach to music, and her recommendations for a sultry summer soundtrack.

And so, I present to you:

The Fearsome Five with Adrienne Pierce

(Now with highlights in Technicolor)

Miz Moffatt (MM): First off, a sentence starter for the goal-oriented:

In 2010, I am aiming to....

Adrienne Pierce (AP): .... see my family more and travel and tour as much as possible. I would really like to go to Africa and Asia.

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MM: With almost a decade between your first release, Small Fires (2002), and your latest album, Oh Deer (2010), how has your approach to song-writing and your sound changed in that time?

AP: I am a little harder on myself now. I am interested in writing more complex melodies and I like to challenge myself to write about new subjects. As far as the sound goes I think I was more playful and experimental with this album.

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MM: Which comes first: the lyrics or the music?

AP: A lot of the time the melody and lyrics come together as a package deal and I work on it in my head until I can get to a guitar and then it all comes together. When I am co-writing it happens in all different ways. Sometimes one of us will bring in a song or part of a song we've been working and other times it is all created on the spot. However it works I do write all the lyrics if I will be the one who will sing the song. I am obsessive about lyrics.

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MM: Which musician(s) would you love to collaborate with and what sort of music would that tag team produce?

AP: I just watched the documentary "Running Down A Dream", about Tom Petty, and it reminded me that Jeff Lynne is a genius. In a fantasy world he would produce my next album.

In another fantasy I would write with Patty Griffin and record a folky album with T-Bone Burnett. OK - one more...I saw Santigold on Later With Jools Holland a couple of years ago and she kind of hypnotized me. I would love to write with her or have her produce a song for me.

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MM: Oh Deer is slated for a summer release and I am thinking listeners will turn to these tunes for midsummer parties or a road trip or two. What tracks are on your personal soundtrack for the summer?

AP:

1. Jesca Hoop and her song "Summertime" is a pretty great summer song.
2. I have been aware of Rae Spoon for a long time but only recently heard his new album and I love the song "Come On Forest Fire Burn The Disco Down". It is really smart song and catchy too.
3. Laura Veirs - July Flame.
4. The Essential Sun Records 2 CD set. I bought the CD's while on tour last summer at a gas station near Clearwater, BC. I highly recommend it. (the CD's and the gas station).

And, a later addendum to the soundtrack selection: "I just realized I first listened to Sleigh Bells on your site and then that was followed up by some NPR exposure and now I am obsessed."

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*Buffs nails on her t-shirt* Oh, glad I could be of service. I do love referring music to close friends and acquaintances, but to inspire another musician is a new notch on that music snob belt of mine. And readers, please note -- I have the inkling sensation Ms. Pierce's summer soundtrack selections will appear on future editions of Tunes for Tuesdays, so keep alert to those artists.

Might I add, Adrienne Pierce + Santigold = a musical dream team that simply must come to pass. I think we ought to start campaigning for it now. If Betty White hosted SNL after a Facebook petition, then I think we can all pull some strings to get this collaboration started, hmm?

It has been an absolute pleasure to mark June 1st as the Official Adrienne Pierce Day here at Cute, Queer, Canadian. It's a great honour to have a musician entrust you with their latest project and I hope I have done her music justice.

Oh, and if I needed additional reasons to dedicate the iTunes to her music, she informed me she performed at the LA Rockin' Comic Con this past weekend.

Where does the awesome end, people?