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Deborah Crooks Interview
by Cary Monotreme
Deborah Crooks is a vibrant artist carrying on the San Francisco tradition of powerful female singer/songwriters with literate lyrics and progressive musical attitudes.
Where are you from? How does living there affect your songwriting?
I'm from Santa Cruz County, California. The coast and I now live a little north of there, in the San Francisco Bay area. The ocean certainly comes up again and again in my songs. Likewise, it's a rich creative community, with universities, many different musicians and writers working in just about all forms you can think of. If my life and my landscape don't inspire me, I only need to go listen to someone else!
Do you focus on any political themes? If so, please tell us in more detail about them?
Not so directly. Being California born and raised and always having lived in progressive, liberal areas, I'm kind of that way by default in most cases, and probably in my writing so some extant. I'd say I don't try to hit anyone over the head with anything, but peace and environmental concerns are referenced in songs like "Dream Me" (on 5 Acres 2003) and "Tailbone" (Adding Water to the Ashes, 2008).The 2010 releases It's All Up to You and Other Halves, are more concerned with personal politics and relationship dynamics. "It's All Up to You' is definitely a song about how powerful changing one's mind, and one's mindset in general, can dictate the outcome of any situation, global or personal.
How long have you been playing and what was your first instrument?
Technically, voice is my first instrument, but I've been playing guitar for about 10 years now.
What are your main musical influences?
My fellow songwriters, rock and roll, the blues. More specifically, I've been influenced by Lucinda Williams, Emmylou Harris, Patty Griffin, Tom Petty and I'm a big fan of Alejandro Escovedo, who is another great model of how to do music your whole life...and do it better all the time!
Have you played any great live shows lately?
I literally just returned from nearly 4 months in India two weeks ago. I've since played a songwriter showcase and for friends. I also did some private shows in India which were very sweet,and have a pretty full calendar in April
What's the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to you on stage?
I had to get over a lot of stage fright so there were definitely some early shows with uncomfortable moments....you know, forgetting a line, or falling off playing in time with the band because I was more nervous than grounded.
Are you working on any music right now?
Yes, I'm kind of always working, writing down lyrics and lines. I wrote a lot in India and studied Indian voice and am excited about a lot of new sounds.
What is your favorite movie?
I'm not a big movie goer though I really like them. Neil Young's "Heart of Gold" documentary really touched and inspired me. And it's kind of off my usual, by I always list Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon for it's kind of epic, illustration of life as a warrior.
Have you read any great books lately?
Yes! I discovered the work of Indian author Amitav Ghosh and recommend starting with The Hungry Tide. Great stuff that manages to pack history, character and literary merit into a good story.
Have you ever been inspired by an author or a book to write a song, if so, which one?
I don't have any direct examples but I think certain aspects of my song St. Anthony were influenced by Salmon Rushdie's book Imaginary Homelands. I had a line with me, "to see things clearly, you must cross a frontier' in my head for a long time around the time of writing many of the songs on Adding Water to the Ashes.
What do you have planned for the future?
I'm booking a bunch of Bay Area shows for April and head to LA at the end of that month. In the Summer, I'm going to resume my vocal studies of Indian music and I have a feeling something new, possibly a new project altogether, is going to come from, or be influenced by that. I have this feeling of something new that I can't quite articulate yet, which is great, because I think artists live to be inspired! I also am working on a tour for late summer and I expect I'll get into the studio again in 2012.
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