A Conversation with Kris Delmhorst (continued)

PM: Tell us, please, how your deal with Signature Sounds came about?

KD: Lori McKenna and her manager and me and my manager were trying to figure out a way to get our records released on a label. We had already made them, and we weren't really interested in record deals for different reasons. Lori is a mom of four, and so she can't really tour nationally at this point--she was just looking for a more low-key deal. And I was interested in a licensing type of situation. So that's what I have with Signature. I make the records myself, I fund them myself.

PM: Right.

KD: I make all the decisions and all that kind of stuff. And once it's finished, then I go to Signature, and I say, "Here it is. What do you think?" And then if they want to work with it, which so far they have, then we work together. And we have a nice way of working out the deal so that we're both sharing expenses and profits and all that kind of stuff. And I love it. I think Signature is a really, really great company.

PM: Yeah. They have a good team up there. They all seem to do their jobs really well.

KD: They do. And they really care about music, which is great.

PM: What kind of things do you have in your sights that you'd like to accomplish that you've not yet done?

KD: Well, it's funny, I'm very ill-defined about my goals in that way. But I have them. It's like the spirituality thing.

[laughter]

KD: It's hard for me to talk about, because I'm not one of those people who says, "Next I want to make a rockabilly record, and then I want to make"--I don't really start out with a concept in that way. So there are so many undefined goals that I have about songwriting and about making records. I can't wait to make the next one. I don't have any idea yet what it's going to be like, because the songs are just starting to drift in.

PM: You could score a film so well.

KD: Oh, that would be really fun. I've never even thought about that. [laughs]

PM: You'd be so good at that.

KD: I've listened to a few records recently that have given me the urge to kind of hole up with a four-track, which I haven't done in quite a while, and really mess around in a little bubble with songs, and maybe try starting with musical landscapes before the words happen. I mean, there are all kinds of experiments I want to do, but you never know what's going to come of any of them.

PM: Yeah, and you're so busy that it's hard to find time to experiment.

KD: It sure is.

PM: Are you touring eight or nine months of the year?

KD: Yeah. I mean, it's spread out. I just do it in two or three-week chunks at the most, because I'm not someone who likes to be out for months on end.

PM: That's really sanity producing.

KD: Yeah. Sanity has always been a priority over here.

[laughter]

KD: I think I end up playing probably about 130, 150 shows a year. That's plenty.

PM: Indeed. Well, Kris, jeez, what a nice person you are.

KD: Oh, thanks Frank. It's been a good conversation.

PM: It's a pleasure talking to you.

KD: Yeah, you too.

PM: Many singer songwriters don't come to Nashville, but if you do, I hope we get to meet, or out there on the road somewhere.

KD: Yeah, me too. Me too. I'm looking forward to coming to Nashville. There are some people I really admire down there. I love Sarah Siskind. I was actually just listening to her record yesterday.

PM: Sure, we know her a little bit. She's an incredible artist. [see our review]

KD: She is great. We keep talking about setting something up. And I really want to come down there. It's just been so hard to schedule in Nashville, but I know we're going to figure it out sooner or later.

PM: Thanks so much for your time today.

KD: Thank you, Frank.

PM: All right. We'll talk soon.

KD: Okay. Have good holidays.

PM: You too, Kris.

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