A Conversation with Kathleen Edwards (continued)

PM: So in that crazy lifestyle you're in, what can you, or what do you, do to promote sanity or get a little peace or normalcy? Are you able to read anything?

KE: Oh, the Gameboy has been my friend the last two weeks.

PM: Ah, Gameboy, yeah.

KE: The Gameboy's been helping my hand-eye coordination get really... No, I read a lot.

PM: We always want to know what artists are reading lately.

KE: I'm reading the new Atwood. I'm a huge Margaret Atwood fan.

PM: Ah.

KE: I think she is totally one of the most amazing writers. I've read almost all of her work. So I'm reading her new book, which is called Oryx and Crake. It's brand new, hard cover. And what else did I just read? I read so many books. Not coming to mind at the moment…

PM: Yeah, like records, yeah.

KE: No, for some reason I don't forget music--the musicians' names or band members.

I read a lot of books. Canadian literature has always been one of my favorites. For some reason I really always kind of gear towards it. Oh, I read Life of Pi [by Yann Martel], of course, everyone's read it. But I read it and I loved it. I thought it was a really cute story. It was a great summer read. It's good, it's like Harry Potter, it could totally appeal to all different ages. And I know my bus driver is 60 and he just read it and loved it, and I loved it, and I know someone who's quite young who read it and loved it.

PM: Are you listening to anything special on the bus?

KE: Yeah. I'm listening to Jim Bryson's new record. It's not out in the U.S., and I don't know if there's any plan to release it here, but it is such an amazing record.

PM: Is that on Maple Music?

KE: No. It's on this label that's kind of like the same idea as Maple. It's called The Orange Label. And I think they're distributed by Universal. And I checked out their website today just to see if they're doing anything for Jim, and they're such a new label that their website is still under construction, and his record just came out last week.

PM: Oh, I see. Because I exchanged a couple emails with Jim, and I said, "Yo, man, your record company hasn't sent me a record yet. We got to get you in the same issue as the Kathleen interview. Come on, let's get with it." And so--

KE: Yeah. I am definitely one of those people who thinks he is amazing.

PM: Yeah! His playing on your record is fabulous, and I'm sure his record is great.

KE: Oh, it really is. And his first record is still legendary. In Ottawa, you ask any Ottawa musician, or any Ottawa music lover, and they'll tell you, "That's the best record of all time."

PM: Ah.

KE: He has a really solid following in his hometown, to the point where people think, "What is wrong with everyone else?" And it's not that anything else is wrong with people, he just hasn't had the opportunity to come to the U.S. and his record hasn't gotten into the hands of the people that it probably should, and who would love it.

PM: Oh, then we want to get on to him. We've incorporated a lot of Canadian artists into our humble, rising webzine--I mean, we're heading toward a half a million hits a month. And we profile a lot of Canadian artists that we're big on, Eaglesmith and Sexsmith, and the Henrys and Stephen Fearing, and many others.

KE: Oh, Stephen is a good friend of mine. He's a great guy.

PM: Oh, really?

KE: Yeah.

PM: He's pretty fantastic.

KE: He is. There are so many good Canadian acts. There's another Canadian act that might be coming to Nashville. I don't know if they're playing there. They're called The Weakerthans. It's a really cool band. And they just got signed. They're putting out a new record, this week I think, in the U.S. I'm pretty sure it's their first American release. It's just a fantastic band.

PM: And are they a pop band or--

KE: They're kind of arty rock, and really great.

PM: A Toronto band?

KE: Actually they're from Winnipeg, but they're all in Toronto now, I think.

PM: Are you much of a Sexsmith fan?

KE: Yeah, I am. I'm not a huge Sexsmith fan, but only because I haven't heard a lot of his stuff.

PM: His melodies are unbelievable. [see our interview with Ron]

KE: The stuff I have heard is just beautiful. He writes amazing songs.

PM: He's got a good trick, in that he writes a lot without a guitar in his hand.

KE: Does he?

PM: And that's good for melody, because you don't fall into all the same patterns of, well, here's how I do this.

KE: What's funny is that it's great that you say that. Sometimes I hear melodies when I'm riding in the car, and then I just turn the stereo off, and then come up with the melody just like that.

PM: Then I think the trick is to remember it.

KE: Yeah, it's impossible to remember melodies that aren't already to something.

PM: Yeah, it's worse than words. I think you've got to have one of those little things in your pocket, or you're cooked. I can't remember a melody.  continue

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