Who: Margaret Glaspy
Where: The Back Room @ Colectivo Coffee
When: Monday, July 24 | Doors 7pm, Show 8pm
Song 88Nine is playing: "You and I" and "Emotions and Math"
Tickets and more info: pabsttheater.org/show/margaretglaspy2017
We spoke with Margaret Glaspy back in May 2016 before her opening slot with Milk Carton Kids. Then, she came back to Milwaukee to headline her own show in September 2016. This July, she's back headlining her second show at The Back Room at Colectivo!
Below are a few questions we asked Glaspy while she was on the road with Milk Carton Kids:
The basics
Where she's from: New York, NY
Their song 88Nine is playing: “You and I” and "Emotions and Math" RIYL: straight talk, guitar-driven pop, Feist
5 questions with Margaret Glaspy
1. How did you get into songwriting?
I think I started songwriting when I was about 19, 18… something like that.
It kind of started a little earlier than that, in the middle of high school. Right when I got out of high school I started to song-write more heavily.
I played in bands and did a lot of music in school programs. I was also an actress when I was young. I did a lot of theater. I was on stage doing performing arts quite a bit as a young kid. I kind of followed that for a while, now it’s turned into me becoming a touring musician, which has been awesome.
I take the songwriting part of that really seriously, even separate from my own career, songwriting for other people. There is a lot that I’m working on.
Are you acting anymore?
I want to, I want to get back into it. I feel like in order to do anything really, really well you have to put all your eggs in one basket for a little while. Hopefully I can be at a place where music can branch out a little bit. I would like to act more and revise that part of my life.
2. You mentioned playing in school band. What instruments did you play?
I played trombone in school. There was also a fiddle program in my school, so I played fiddle as well.
How different is fiddle compared to classical?
Musically it’s totally different. What makes a fiddle a fiddle is often the music you’re playing. A violin is really servicing both types of music, but when you’re playing there is certain music that makes it a fiddle; country, bluegrass, old-time, Texas style…I was never classically trained on the violin, I was always a fiddle player.
The fiddle actually had a bigger role in my than life then trombone, because it lead to guitar. That was more connected and taught me a lot about how to hold an instrument. The trombone is a little more hidden in my lineage.
I started playing guitar when I was 15 or 16. My parents always had guitars around the house to pick up and noodle on. I’ve always been around guitars, but I started doing it more when I was a teenager.
When I started to really care and thoughtfully play and thinking about evolution of a song, and the way things are built was when I was 20 or 21. Got a little more serious about it.
Were there guitars around because your parents were musicians?
Everybody is very musical in my family. My mom and dad both play guitar and sing well. My brother and sister, too… no one is tone deaf.
3. If you could collaborate with anyone dead or alive, who would it be?
I would probably want to play music with Joni Mitchell. That would be epic, I would love to play a song with her, she’d be incredible. I also think Feist is pretty amazing.
Have you done any musical collaborations?
I have, I have a band with my boyfriend called Rude Ruth that only has a few little videos on YouTube. We don’t have a record, but I think that’s in the cards for us. His name is Julian Lage, he’s more in the jazz world. He’s got his own trio, he plays with Nels Cline from Wilco.
It's really, really fun to have the opportunity to write songs and have a platform to share them, it's incredible.
How have you evolved into this more rock 'n roll driven record?
It was gonna happen at some point, it was a “matter of time” sort of thing. Playing the fiddle, I was in the folk world. Meanwhile, I was always listening to more alternative bands. I’m a massive fan of Elliot Smith, The Breeders and I’m a huge Weezer fan. I lived off “Pinkerton” for a really long time. My taste has always leaned that way, and lots of other ways too, but I felt like those kind of records were an influence on the album I just made.
Do you feel different when you play the new songs, is the audience more energized?
I do, yeah. Totally. It’s so great to play new material. It’s not released yet, but there are a couple songs that have been released where people are starting to sing along and that just makes my day. It’s really, really fun to have the opportunity to write songs and have a platform to share them -- it’s incredible.
5. Have you been to Milwaukee before?
I don't think I have been to Milwaukee. Honestly, I think it will be my first time.
What do you think of when you think of Milwaukee?
I don’t really have an idea of what it’s like, but I’m excited to play there! I heard the Pabst is an amazing venue and I can’t wait to be there. It should be super fun.
See Margaret Glaspy live in Milwaukee headlining The Back Room at Colectivo on Monday, July 24 (doors at 7p/show at 8p).
Tickets (on sale Friday, March 24) and more info here: http://pabsttheater.org/show/margaretglaspy2017
Listen to "You and I" below:
Interview originally done before Margaret Glaspy's May 2016 opening slot with the Milk Carton Kids. Concert information has been updated to reflect July 24, 2017 show.