Sharon Van Etten Interview: SXSW 2010

Posted on Mar 10th 2010 6:30PM by Kelly Rose
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Growing up on the outskirts of Nashville under the influence of her dad's rock 'n' roll and her mom's folk music, it's no wonder Sharon Van Etten became a musician. The musical influences were all around her, probably even in the tap water. Now based out of Brooklyn, New York, Spinner recently caught up with the 29-year-old singer-songwriter as she prepares to head to SXSW.

Describe your sound in your own words.

Folk. Really simple guitar. I try to focus on the melodies and try to make everything else minimal. The melody and the lyrics are most important to me.

How did your band form?

It's just me. I've been playing solo for the past five years.

What are your musical influences?

There's a wide range. From Joan Baez, Vashti Bunyan, Nick Baird and Diane Cluck to bands like She Keeps Bees. I think She Keeps Bees are amazing. They're definitely one of the top 10 live shows I've ever seen. They're great. Jessica Larrabee's voice is insane. I have a lot to learn from the way she performs live.

Have you ever played under a different name?

One day when I have a band I will have a band name, but since it's just me I feel it should just be my name. For me it doesn't make much sense since the music is from me and about me. I haven't ever been in a band.

Describe a typical day for you.

I have a day job Monday to Friday. I work at a record label in Brooklyn called Ba Da Bing. It's a great indie label and I listen to music all day. I meet people online and find out about the cool new music blogs. I try to go to as many shows as I can but they are a lot of shows going on around here. Part of my job is to do publicity so I have to know what's going on in town musically. There's so much here.

Beatles or Stones?

When I was younger the Stones. I only recently started listening to the Beatles. I heard 'The White Album' for the first time last year and it blew me away. But I grew up listening to the Stones and that was one of the first concerts my dad ever took me to.

What's your biggest vice?

Smoking. I kick myself. I'm working on it though.

What's in your festival survival kit?

You always pack more socks and underwear than anything else. That's most important for smell. Throat Coat Tea for singers which has licorice in it and it naturally coats your throat. Water and my AAA membership.

What's your musical guilty pleasure?

OMD, Erasure and Lonelady out of the UK. She's amazing. It's like Annie Lennox meets Gang of Four. It's super dance-y with elements of Prince. It's great.

What's the craziest thing you've seen or experienced while on tour?

I once played a show in Columbus, Ohio. Apparently there's a guy who is a staple at this bar where I was performing. He's a local and hangs out there. I think he's a vet. He has whatever band is playing play the last song for him at the end of every show. He then sings the theme song to Spiderman and everyone in the bar sings with him. This guy made our group of musicians do this like 3 times. The crowd went crazy. I guess he does this every show there.

What's up next?

I'm touring with Megafaun and getting my demos together for a new album. I'm getting bored performing the same songs over and over. Songwriting comes and goes. I do have a back catalog of songs. I think my next album will be a mix of old and new songs.

Kelly Rose is a contributor from Seed.com. Learn how you can contribute here.