Interview by Nick Churchill.

Eddi, congratulations on Vagabond, you had to overcome a few hurdles to get it made, is it the record you set out to make or did it evolve over time?
I instinctively move forward. Urges to record dictated the practicalities of it all, then working became the focus of my daily routines. Letting go of the world around me and recording is tough to do as a mum, house keeper etc, but once I’m doing it there’s no-one more surprised than me at what turns up musically. It’s a joy to see what gets pulled out of the moment.

It seems to have been very well received, is there a kind of relief that people ‘get’ the record?
I’m pleased with its different parts… I can go no further. If others ignore, or adore, I can tell you I am grateful for any attention.
I am confident that songs well expressed have their own path and I can’t take sole credit for how they turned out. On behalf of all the musicians and the engineer Mark Freeguard I can only stand beside them and say: ‘I agree! It’s bloody brilliant!!!’ But I am the worst critic. I would still be messing about with it if the organisers of my tours hadn’t pushed deadlines on me.
Letting it go out into the world is the hardest bit.

The album features many familiar collaborators – almost your repertory company – are you a benevolent dictator when it comes to writing and recording, or is it a more democratic process?
I never have any fights, except when attitudes and egos are pushing into the calmness of the empty space… I’m quite manipulative to get what I want.
I’ll provide the organic vegan food/booze/cigarettes/paracetamol for all the various characters just to have the energy in the room relaxed. I’ll sometimes have to shut myself away in a vocal booth so as to make sure my own ego shuts down.
I am not very good at remembering to say ‘Good morning’ before I start… I’m super single-minded about getting the music ‘fix’ over and above human social activity.
But I can apologise.

How’s John?
Getting better all the time. Thank you.

When you were starting out did you have a plan? Did you think you would still be making music 35-odd years later?
Nope! I just threw myself at the wind and went where it took me.

I’m sure there are elements of a career in music that become routine over time (the cycle of writing, recording, touring perhaps), how do you keep it fresh?
Well, this new batch of recordings I’ve only just realised was the first release in four years…!
I’m not sure where all that time went. I’m also quite happy with my ability to see only this moment, I have many stories and memories but once I’ve moved on, life is a fresh page every day.
I can be at home two days and have forgotten that I’ve just been on tour for three weeks. Then I start itching for the door. Or start to reason with a rude person on Twitter or something. Just to change their perspective.

What is your proudest achievement?
Managing to not mess up my kids too much. They are two very lovely young men now.

We’re really looking forward to seeing you at the Purbeck Festival this summer do you know this part of the world at all?
I’m just going to Google all about it and make it an adventure… I expect never to forget it once I’ve experienced it!

How are festival crowds different to theatre audiences and do you have a preference?
Theatres are cosy and it’s great to sing in rooms made for oratory, but festivals are exciting in that people who never experienced my thing and are walking past at the back, wandering around, might decide to stand and check it out, so potential for encouraging new audiences is great.
Also the whole place is infused with a kind of: ‘I’m on my weekend kick-back, break’, so people are relaxed and at ease. Great to join in with that atmosphere.

What’s next for Eddi Reader?
Today? I continue my de-cluttering at home, watch my catch up rubbish telly, cook meals for my men – they never come home to eat ’til the middle of the night.
Beyond that, my touring starts up again in April taking me through the spring and summer to Japan and Australia in the autumn.
I have 10 or so tracks from the Vagabond sessions left over. I’m gonna start investing some time in them. They might become the start of a new album I’m not sure.
I’m excited about reading my young seven-year-old niece my favourite childhood book, Mary Poppins by PL Travers – “she’s another woman who uses the wind to push her around”!

More info about Eddi Reader…

Interview by Nick Churchill

You’re back at Purbeck Folk Festival this year, that’s three in a row I believe, what have you got in store for us time?
Well, we’ve spent a lot of time recently writing new material and working on adding instrumental sections for our live sets. We’ve also been recording songs for a new EP, which you can expect to see on sale at Purbeck this year.

Is Purbeck special for you; if so, what is it about Purbeck that seems to suit you so well?
Purbeck is a folk festival and we love folk music! I wouldn’t say the music we make is strictly folk music but it definitely has a folky vibe. Purbeck is a very special place for us, lots of great things have happened to us there, we’ve never had a more enthusiastic audience and the weather (fingers crossed for this year!) has been great which makes the whole festival even more enjoyable!

After impressing KT Tunstall on your first appearance, Show of Hands offered you a couple of big gigs after your show last year, what could happen next?
It’s a question every musician gets asked and I’m pretty sure all of them give the same answer. Who knows? All three of us just feel really, really, really lucky to have been offered these amazing opportunities and we’re just taking everything as it comes and hoping and praying that it pays off eventually.

How has your sound developed from your early solo shows to your current line up as a trio with your younger brother and sister?
I’ve definitely come a long way since my first gig six years ago. Not only have the songs developed, but so has the sound. For a start, my voice has matured a lot, my writing has grown just through experience and practice and critical feedback from those around me. As soon as Freya and Ross joined the band, the sound completely changed. Freya brings a more intense folky vibe to the group, whereas Ross adds a very contrasting R&B/hip-hop style of drumming which, as a whole, gives the band a much fuller sound.

Being in a band can be quite intense, how well do the three of you get on?
It’s very intense. Band practice is a mixture of un-productivity, arguments and a small amount of actual music making. I think being siblings makes it considerably harder to be professional and concentrate on the music because we all have very similar personalities and there are certainly a lot of clashing head moments within each practice. In the end it’s all worth it because we know that as long as we keep trying and keep writing new material, we’ll create something to be really proud of and have a lot of fun at the gigs. Music is certainly something that unites our entire family, so being in a band just makes it all the more fun.

Who’s in charge?
I think I’m in charge, but now Freya’s overtaken me in height, I’m pretty sure she’s trying to take authority. Ross doesn’t care at all… he just does what he’s told!

How did you get started as a musician and writer?
When I was eight, I got a guitar for Christmas and wrote my first song, called See The Sea, shortly after that. Looking back, it is absolutely dreadful and pretty embarrassing. I basically continued from there, simple as. My songs have gained in maturity as I have and over the past year with Freya and Ross accompanying me, the music has grown in itself and I think we definitely have an individual sound now.

Which songwriters inspire you?
I don’t really feel like I’m inspired by songwriters specifically. I definitely like to listen to a lot of music but I think, for me, it’s more about the styles and playing techniques and lyrical arrangements of other artists. Gabrielle Aplin is my all time favourite singer. I think her songs are beautiful and the way in which she writes them is beautiful too. But I don’t feel like I use her as an inspiration for my songwriting. I just think I write songs through how I see them in my head, basing them around subjects that affect me and my life and the people around me. There’s no real method to my songwriting and certainly no sense of order, I just simply write songs. I’ve definitely become more conscious of structure and arrangement since Freya and Ross joined the band because I tend to have to write/help to write their parts. Overall, I think this has made us all better musicians.

You’ve earned the praise of some highly respected musicians and writers, do you have your own sense of how good your material is?
Id like to think that the material I write and play is of a relatively decent calibre, but with every new song I write, the older ones become less and less to my taste and I begin to wonder why I wrote them in the first place. I know for a fact that in a few years time, the songs I’m performing around at the moment I will hate and my writing will have grown and matured even further.

What happens next; what’s the plan?
Well, we’re playing a tonne of festivals this summer including the massive Abbotsbury gig with Show Of Hands. I am currently writing an array of new material for gigs and am hoping to record them all at home ready to go on new EPs for the summer. It’s going to be an exceptionally exciting year for us, so very much looking forward to it!

More info on Aimee Mckenzie…