Music > Interviews

Anais Mitchell

14/10/14

Anais Mitchell is a singer songwriter form Vermont, who tells the most wondrous stories. Some based on traditional folk songs and some taken from ancient myths, history is always an integral part of her music. She’s worked with Bon Iver, The Low Anthem and Josh Ritter amongst others. Her Hadestown opera received rave reviews when it was released…it’s the most epic, human thing you’ll ever hear. I spoke to Anais ahead of her gig at NAC this month.

Can you tell me a little more about what we can expect from your new limited release album Xoa, due this Autumn?

Over the years people have said they'd like to hear some of the Hadestown songs sung in my own voice, or a solo version of this or that old song… that's what this record is, it's from a recording session I did with Gary Paczosa who produced the Child Ballads album. I just went in the room and sang a whole bunch of songs from my catalogue, mostly old songs, but a few new and unrecorded things, all completely solo, just voice and guitar.

According to the Internet, xoa is a Vietnamese word that either means to soothe, or to delete, or it stands for Xerox Order Agreement! I’m not sure I believe the Internet on this occasion. What does the word mean to you?

Oh, that's amazing about the Vietnamese word! Soothe, or delete! I love it. But no, "xoa" is just how I sign off on email and stuff, like "hug, kiss, Anais". I called it that because this is essentially a record I made FOR my listeners, people who were already familiar with my songs and might want to hear them in this way, so it felt like a sort of a correspondence with them. If the title were longer it would be: 'Dear audience, thank you for everything, xoa'

Why do you think folk has had a massive resurgence in popularity in the past few years?

I never really know if folk is in or out, but I do know it always comes back around. I think people periodically get hungry for acoustic instruments and simple singing.

 You’re a mother now; how are you finding it? Have you found that parenthood has changed you, or what you want to write songs about?

There was some moment a few weeks or months into my daughter's life where I was like, "Ohhhhh wow. She's not gonna go away." Every morning, every night… there she is! And she's a complete joy; her name is Ramona. I could not imagine a more delightful little person to live with, but it IS challenging to adjust so suddenly and so completely to a whole new way of life. She does make me want to write more joyful songs, and songs you can dance to.

Why did you choose to cover English folk songs for Child Ballads rather than American ones? Do you feel that you have a special affinity with our beautiful land?

Yes! I have always really responded to traditional music from across the pond, especially the ballads… something about the language is just so exquisite to my American ears. When I first fell in love with early Bob Dylan songs, it was the overseas influence I was falling in love with, and I think that conversation of the songs getting passed back and forth across the Atlantic is really rich.

How did you go about choosing the right songs from Francis Child’s collection for the album?

First we recorded a few songs that we had already heard the 'definitive versions' of, for example, Martin Carthy's 'Willie's Lady' and 'Geordie' and Nic Jones' 'Clyde Waters'. In those cases we were just so in love with those existing versions that we couldn't help but want to record our own. Later we began to find stories that we loved but no existing version that we felt was the template. So we were able to take a bit of a freer hand, write our own melodies in some cases, or mash-up trad melodies, and really roll up our sleeves with the editing together of lyrics. I'd say we ended up recording mostly love stories, mostly lovers who have to endure trials to be with one another. Sometimes they win, sometimes they lose, but there's always that passion in the music.

Where did your fascination with Greek myth and legend that you drew on to create Hadestown begin? Were you surprised at how incredibly well received it was by critics?

I never studied mythology very deeply. I remember reading the Orpheus myth in a children's illustrated mythology book and it making a big impression. When I started working on Hadestown my country was in the depths of the second George W. Bush administration, and the idea of this bizarre political logic, this land of wealth and security with a wall around it, came out of that era and a deep sense of political helplessness. I think the question was "How do we keep CARING, in the face of the facts?" Orpheus is a brilliant optimist because he believes if he could just write something beautiful enough, he could do the impossible, change the world, move the heart of stone. I know all artists have those feelings.

How did you learn to create the operatic structure for Hadestown? How did it work with having so many collaborators?

Hadestown was definitely a first venture into opera or musical theater and there was a lot of feeling around in the dark and stuff that ended up on the cutting room floor. I developed the original show with two collaborators, a radical designer/director named Ben T. Matchstick and my longtime collaborator Michael Chorney, who arranged the songs for an orchestra. We did two drafts of the show as a DIY community theatre show with our friends from Vermont singing the parts. Then I did a third major revision for the album, which was produced by Todd Sickafoose and featured all the guest singers. Now I'm working with a NY director named Rachel Chavkin and a couple different producers (Broad Stage, NYTW) on an extended theatrical version of the piece. Everyone who has come along and touched the project has lent their particular personality and energy to it and kept it afloat at times I might have been ready to throw up my hands!

 Have you thought about releasing any other artists on your Wilderland label set up in 2012? Do you have any particular favourite artists that you’ve been listening to recently?

I haven't really considered releasing anyone else's records yet… we've kind of got our hands full just trying to release my own! But there are some incredible up and comers out there. My friend Rachel Ries made a gorgeous record last year called 'Ghost of a Gardener'. My obsession with Sam Amidon's music continues. From your shores, I love LAU’s album Race the Loser. I'm listening to a lot of classical musical theatre these days.

 Anais plays Norwich Arts Centre on 24th November. Tickets available from www.ueaticketbookings.co.uk