Each month GoGirlsMusic.com spotlights an artist or band from its community, asking a series of questions. This month we feature Meredith Laney and David Holtzclaw of Amissville, a folky rockin’ duo based out of Charlotte, NC. Enjoy!
What drives your music? When did you first know you had to do this thing called music or bust?
We’re hardwired to write music through some inner force that’s always been there, especially when collaborating with others. We didn’t have a lot of money for guitar or piano lessons growing up, but we’ve each been writing songs since age 5. I was always heartbreakingly shy about my music, even into my twenties. I sang in chorus and ensembles, where I could hide behind the group. I was definitely a sofa-singer-songwriter otherwise. Dave began writing in 1989. He never even thought he could sing until sometime in the 80s. When Dave and I met, he’d been playing out solo and with different bands for years. I first heard him at a songwriter’s round at The Evening Muse in 2005 while I was on a date. A few months later, we met again through music and were both single. Almost immediately, I felt much more comfortable embracing my music when we played together. It’s like he turned a light on in me I never realized was off.
Describe your music style and name three musicians you have been inspired by and why.
Dave and I bring our styles together in a unique way. I tend to write close to the body, telling stories from the inside out, whether they’re autobiographical or not. Dave’s style is linked to storytelling folk, too, mixed with autobiography and historical fiction. For my songs, I often come to him with the lyrics and melody, and he listens intently until he finds the right chords to complete the puzzle. His guitar playing style is rooted in folk and rock music, and his songs often begin with the guitar in his hand. He never knew how important acoustic music would become in his life, until hearing folks like Doc Watson, David Grisman, Crosby, Stills & Nash, while listening to guitar driven rock, such as Cream, Allman Brothers, etc. His three influences are definitely Ricky Nelson, Stephen Stills and David Wilcox. For me, I’d have to say Tracy Chapman, Patty Griffin and Emmylou Harris marked me early on. I remember hearing “Fast Car” when I was about 11 and thinking, “I want to do that!” I bought my first songwriting book after that with my own money.
What’s your ideal venue atmosphere?
Any room that has at least a few who might listen, with one caveat – please don’t ask for Jimmy Buffet.
Describe how your music career has evolved since you first started performing.
We’ve grown as writers and performers by getting ourselves out there. Each gig is a learning experience and stepping stone to making the next performance a better one. We’re also more judicious about where we play, rather than taking every gig possible. We made a decision a couple of years ago to define the terms of our time. It has to have value. We found that when we were taking some gigs where we had to sacrifice the quality of sound during shows, we were often not enjoying performing as much. If people can’t hear it or the intelligibility is poor, why should they care about the music we’re trying to share with them? Eliminating certain gigs to focus on better ones has made a lot of difference. And it enabled us to play in non-traditional venues. For instance, this past summer we partnered with the Our Towns Habitat for Humanity affiliate to play on site for various build crews on Saturday mornings. It was the first time they’d had live music on site and was rewarding for us in a lot of ways.
How would you describe the music scene in your area?
Charlotte’s an amazing town. We live in a rich music community where a lot of musicians are really supportive of each other. But there are fewer venues these days, due to the down economy. Music was often the last thing added to a bar or restaurant venue and the first thing cut when profits were down.
What was the inspiration for your latest release?
Take Me Back is a pretty eclectic record, but then again we are a pretty eclectic couple and duo. We wanted it to feature songs that were especially important or meaningful to each of us, and of course, sounded like what we do live. There’s nothing worse than enjoying an acoustic duo, buying their CD, getting it home and it sounds like Journey!
What do you think is number one for a musician to think about before preparing for a CD project and do you have any tips on saving time in the studio?
Lots of planning and practice. In 2009, we submitted a grant proposal (including a budget) to our local arts and science council for funds to make the CD in 2010. We were fortunate enough to receive one of the twenty Regional Artist Project Grants awarded. Preparing our proposal was a grueling but worthwhile means of focusing on our art and our CD project. When it came time to hit the studio, we had our budget clearly defined, our track listing spreadsheet with all the instrumentation we intended to have laid out, and our songs rehearsed. It’s your money, so don’t give it away by being unprepared.
What makes or breaks a musician just starting out in your opinion?
Humility, especially at something as small as an open mic, where you’re only going to do a song or two. You’ve got to be kind and appreciate that all the artists are there for the same reason: to be heard.
Describe your toughest moments in your quest for a music career and tell us how you overcame them.
Getting support from friends and family was so helpful in getting started. The tough parts initially were feeling confident in what we do, being diligent about rehearsing and believing that what we were doing was and is worthwhile. Not having the money to do a CD was also really hard. We’d each done some demos here and there, but it was really important to us to have a professional CD. Getting a grant was amazing. It was a lot of hard work, but we weren’t afraid of that. We received nearly every dollar we asked for, which made it much more feasible for us to raise additional funds on our own to bridge the gap to actually make the CD. We highly recommend checking out your local arts and science council for workshops and grants. They just want you to succeed in your art, whatever that is. You just can’t beat that kind of support.
What advice would you offer up and coming artists that get discouraged other than don’t give up?
Do what you love. Even if you can’t do it full time, do what you love. Don’t get hung up on worrying about whether or not you’ll be successful eventually. Do what you love now. You’ll never look back on your life and think, “I wish I did less of what I loved.”
Tell us something you want the music world to know about you.
We’ve been fortunate to open for some really amazing musicians like The John Cowan Band, Ellis Paul and even the Charlotte Symphony for the 4th of July this past summer. We were also nominated in 2010 and 2011 for Folk Artist of the Year by the Charlotte Music Awards, as well as nominated in 2011 for Singer-Songwriter of the Year.
What have you gotten out of being a member of the GoGirls community?
We love how supportive everyone is of each other. We just want other artists to succeed. Success breeds success.
Connect with Amissville at:
http://amissvillemusic.com
http://amissville.wordpress.com
http://www.facebook.com/amissville
http://www.twitter.com/amissvillemusic
http://www.reverbnation.com/amissville
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/amissville
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