Shelly Colvin on Finding Inspiration - Inspirer · 2017. 4. 16. · on enjoying playing music and...

4/16/2017 Shelly Colvin on Finding Inspiration - Inspirer

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SHELLY COLVIN ON FINDING INSPIRATION

EXCLUSIVES MUSIC

by : CARRIE COUROGEN | 10 MONTHS AGO | 106 VIEWS



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Who the hell is Shelly Colvin?

It’s a question that a lot of people ask when you mention her, despite

making a name for herself both in music, as a singer-songwriter

collaborating with music icons like Jackson Browne, JD Souther, and Herb

Pedersen, and in fashion, as the artist relations director for designer Billy

Reid. So much so, that Colvin went so far as to promote her new album,

“Longshot,” with tee shirts that asked the same question. When you see her

on stage with artists like Emmylou Harris, Ann Wilson, and Wynonna Judd,

or listen to her Sheryl Crow meets Chrissie Hynde voice, you’ll wonder how

she could possibly still �y under the radar, how people could still wonder

who the hell she is.



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Colvin’s music is a blend of unique in�uences, from her Alabama gospel

upbringing to classic Laurel Canyon rock, even more evident on “Longshot”

than on her debut “Up the Hickory Down the Pine.” People who get it will

love it, but if you don’t, that’s �ne, too. Colvin has a bohemian spirit; she isn’t

concerned too much about the business of music anymore — if she’s

�nding joy in creating, and if other people groove to it, then that’s great.

We talked to Colvin in anticipation of her June tour to talk songwriting,

inspiration, and doing things on her own terms.

Tell me a little about your background. How did you get started in

music?

My parents were both really musical, and I grew singing and playing music

with my family and singing in churches. But, I started professionally when I

graduated college and moved to California. I started playing in a band,

then I got my got my �rst production deal with [producer] Mike Post, who is

mostly known for all of his television theme songs, but he is a very well-

known producer in LA and had started a production company and record

label in Burbank. That was my �rst professional deal.

That was such an important time for me. I was in a country duo, and I met

[musician] Herb Pedersen at that time, who came in to co-produce that

record I made. He’s the reason I met and started working with Chris

Hillman, who was one of the founding members of the Byrds and the

Flying Burrito Brothers, one of the fathers of that ‘70s country-rock music

period. He’s an amazing musician and inspiration to me. I’m still in very

close touch with both of them, and they’ve really inspired me in my career

since.

It’s funny that you brought up those classic country-rock icons right

away, because one of the biggest feelings your music evokes is a such a

nostalgia for the ‘70s Laurel Canyon sound, while still sounding fresh

and of this time.



Certainly working with Chris and Herb in�uenced that. But, I have such a

love for that music and I grew up with it. I’m from Alabama, and Emmylou

Harris, who’s also from Alabama, is such a hero of mine. So, her music has

always been such an in�uence to me, as well as so many artists that were

making music out there at the time — Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Browne,

Neil Young, who’s also one of my biggest in�uences.

When I moved to California in my early 20s, that kind of music was all I

wanted to hear and play, so I took nods from all those artists. Certainly my

growing up in Alabama with a country and gospel background, I think, was

already a part of my natural instincts when it came to writing. But Alabama

combined with California really shaped the way I write and how I play.



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MAY 24, 2016

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Instagram

Aside from those artists, are there any others who have had a big

in�uence on you and inspired you the most?

Jackson Browne is one. He’s a huge, huge in�uence of mine. And then,

female artists, especially on this album, Aimee Mann and her band ‘Til

Tuesday. I’ve always loved this speci�c sound from the ‘80s from women

like her and the Pretenders and Chrissie Hynde. Those women really

inspired me. I think I began really hearing female voices around those

spacey, electric tracks. The way they built those records was really

interesting to me, and I know the way I sing and how my voice �ts in that

vein, so I’ve looked to them and those records a whole lot to �nd

inspiration.



“Longshot” sounds a little di�erent than your �rst album, “Up the

Hickory Down the Pine,” but it feels like a natural progression. How

would you describe how your music has evolved?

I think this album is de�nitely edgier. It’s a little more aggressive, treatment

wise, in the way we built the tracks. I spent time on the road with [indie rock

band] The Weeks when I was promoting “Up the Hickory,” and that

de�nitely in�uenced some of it. I’ve always been such a guitar freak — I

love guitars, I love rock and roll. And being the daughter of a minister, I

always wanted to get that rock out at some point.

This felt like the time, and it felt like the themes and the songs I had

written could totally have that edgier treatment behind them. It just led

itself there. I listened to a lot of ‘80s records, lots of Chrissie Hynde and

Aimee Mann. I don’t know, maybe it was a product of living in Nashville

and the music world I live in here, but I hardly wanted to hear any acoustic

guitars. I think it’s just that I’ve heard that for so long that my brain just

needed to hear something di�erent.

What is your writing and creative process like?

Well, I go through seasons where I just gather ideas. I don’t put pressure on

myself to write completed songs all the time. I’m pretty slow with how I

work. Right now, I’m in that gathering mode where I’m gathering ideas,

which usually lasts several months. Then, I start to go back to them and

record some and they keep developing as I keep working on them. At

some point, I feel like it’s really time to sit down and start writing and

�guring out where those ideas are meant to go. By that point, so much

work has already been done sort of subconsciously that it’s always a very

natural process for me. I always know. I have an instinct when things are

ready and have marinated long enough and when it’s time to push them

out.

What inspired the songs on this particular album?



A lot of life experiences. Like, I was spending a lot of time in Ojai, and “Ojai”

was one of the �rst songs I wrote for the record, and that’s one of my

favorite songs on it. The time I spent out there was an inspiration. Tony Joe

White was an inspiration. “Tony Joe White” was inspired from riding in a car

with him when we were both playing at a festival in San Francisco and how

I’ve always been a fan of his. “Minimum Wage” had been manifesting for a

long time. It’s about being at a point in life where you think how common

we are, but how di�erent we are. It was really inspired by walking by this

apartment every day in LA and seeing this woman on the bottom �oor of

the apartment, watching the same soap opera in the same position at the

same time, every single day.

Both of your albums were self-released. Was there a reason you chose

to put them out yourself instead of through a label?

Well, I’m of the attitude where you don’t sit around and wait for things to

happen. When I feel like my music is ready and things are ready and I want

people to hear them, I don’t want to shop around forever. That process —

shopping at labels and waiting for someone to hopefully feel the same way

you do about your music — takes forever, and it’s a hard process and not

always positive. I like releasing things on my own. I feel like it’s best to stay

in control.

That’s a bold move, and really inspiring for people to see. If you want

something, you can make it happen for yourself.

Yeah, I mean, the longer you wait, you don’t know what opportunities

you’re missing. Get music out there. A lot of changes can happen once you

release a record. You’re much more likely to have more opportunities the

sooner you get music out and your songs heard.

Knowing what you do now, if you could tell your 25-year-old self one

thing, what would it be?



Share:

I think when I was 25, I wasn’t always quite living in the moment. I was very

ambitious and super naive about the music business at the time. I thought

that things would be like, one day, I’m gonna have this great career and all

these wonderful things are going to happen. So I would say, just focus only

on enjoying playing music and enjoying creating. I think at that time, I was a

little more focused on the business side of things. That can crush your

spirit in a way. Now, I couldn’t care less about the business side of things.

Now, all I want to do is play and write songs, and that totally gives me joy.

And do you have any advice for any young woman in general?

Understand what your true gift is. We’re all blessed with a speci�c gift. I

really believe that. Really dig in your heart and know and understand what

that gift is, because you can foster that and share it with the world.

“Longshot” is available on vinyl, CD, or digital and can be streamed on Apple

Music or Spotify.

Keep up with Shelly by following her on Twitter and Instagram.

Upcoming Tour Dates:

June 14 — Atlanta, GA — Smith’s Olde Bar

June 15 — Nashville, TN — The Basement

June 16 — Louisville, KY — Zanzabar

June 22 — Chicago, IL — Schubas

June 23 — Minneapolis, MN — 7th Street Entry

June 25 — Kansas City, MO — The Tank Room

33

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TAGS : EXCLUSIVE . MUSIC . MUSICIAN . ROCK AND ROLL . SHELLY COLVIN . SINGER .

SINGER/SONGWRITER . SONGWRITER . WOMEN IN MUSIC

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Carrie Courogen

Carrie is a writer and social media manager for Condé Nast Entertainment in

New York. Her writing has been featured in print and online for publications like

Quartz, Teen Vogue, The Hu�ngton Post, Bustle, and the New York Daily News,

among others. Additionally, she maintains a Tumblr where she muses on things

like millennial issues, music, and, most of all, lady heroes.

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