10 questions with emm gryner (bono wants you to read this)
bono demands that you listen to this song. now.
[video] almighty love - emm gryner live performance on rte t.v. in ireland:
so, did anyone else read the q magazine article where the boys in u2 mentioned which songs of the past 20 years they wish they'd written and go "emm who?" because i did. of all the songs they mentioned, bono's mention of "almighty love" by emm gryner as a song he wished he'd written is the one that jumped out at me.
who is this emm gryner person? what does this almighty song sound like? i went searching....and found an epically bittersweet pop song. about love. and pain. written, performed and sung by a chick who runs her own record label. who has a diehard fan-base that adores her. who toured as a singer in david bowie's backing band. who has more indie-ness in her pinkie than exists in the entire bodies of 99% of the the jingle jangly blogosphere.
in emm, i found a cool person. when i contacted her to see if i could post an mp3 to her song, she said yes. and then i asked her some questions. and she answered them. cool.
10 QUESTIONS WITH EMM GRYNER
Bono mentioned to Q magazine that Almighty Love is one of his favorite songs of the past 20 years. What was your reaction to that?
EMM: I was blown away. To be mentioned by someone I admire, and also, be mentioned alongside such other great songs was a true honour.
Did you know he was a fan?
EMM: No.
What does that song mean to you?
EMM: The song is one of the most personal, most difficult songs I've written. I wanted to write a simple song with a simple melody that described the duality of love and hurt, and I think it captures that.
For people less familiar with your music, how would you describe what they might discover on your new album?
EMM: Orchestral pop, homemade rock 'n' roll, ballads, all inspired by my own adventures.
If we threw those "desert island" questions from Q magazine to you, how would you answer? Who's your favorite artist of the last 20 years?
EMM: Bright Eyes.
What song of the last 20 years do you wish you'd written?
EMM: So hard to choose. There are so many, but some of my favorite songs are: In Your Eyes by Peter Gabriel, Something Vague by Bright Eyes, Rise Up With Fists by Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins, Surround by In-Flight Safety, Stay by U2 [live mp3] , Survive by David Bowie, Human by the Pretenders, So Young by Ron Sexsmith......Ahhh too many.
What is the essence of any song that really makes it one that you like?
EMM: Melody, and the way lyrics complement one.
I know you have a very deep connection with your fans. How important is that to you? Do you make music for your fans or for yourself?
EMM: I really believe in having a connection with fans because they are the ones whose support keeps you alive, keeps you making music. When you have a real connection with fans, that is, one that isn't fueled by media and money, you come across the most fascinating, creative people. I always make music for myself, but I am so grateful that my fans enjoy it. I consider myself very lucky.
A lot of people talk about being indie, but they seem to be describing some kind of musical genre, not actual business practice. You seem to be truly independent in a business and musical sense. How do you define that word "indie"?
EMM: The word indie really has been twisted over the years to mean so many things. Even on different continents, the word seems to have different meanings...to me, it means, doing things on your own terms. To me it doesn't imply a certain sound. I think we should come up with a new word to describe the reality of truly being indie, can we have a contest?
We are totally having a contest right here.
In the meantime, when can we catch you in NYC?
EMM: No shows planned yet, except my side band hot one should be playing New York in mid-November.
Can you tell us a secret ?
EMM: I ate broccoli every day last week, and sort of enjoyed it.
[buy]: the summer of high hopes, emm gryner's new album, featuring almighty love.
[visit]: emmgryner.com
[video] almighty love - emm gryner live performance on rte t.v. in ireland:
so, did anyone else read the q magazine article where the boys in u2 mentioned which songs of the past 20 years they wish they'd written and go "emm who?" because i did. of all the songs they mentioned, bono's mention of "almighty love" by emm gryner as a song he wished he'd written is the one that jumped out at me.
who is this emm gryner person? what does this almighty song sound like? i went searching....and found an epically bittersweet pop song. about love. and pain. written, performed and sung by a chick who runs her own record label. who has a diehard fan-base that adores her. who toured as a singer in david bowie's backing band. who has more indie-ness in her pinkie than exists in the entire bodies of 99% of the the jingle jangly blogosphere.
in emm, i found a cool person. when i contacted her to see if i could post an mp3 to her song, she said yes. and then i asked her some questions. and she answered them. cool.
10 QUESTIONS WITH EMM GRYNER
Bono mentioned to Q magazine that Almighty Love is one of his favorite songs of the past 20 years. What was your reaction to that?
EMM: I was blown away. To be mentioned by someone I admire, and also, be mentioned alongside such other great songs was a true honour.
Did you know he was a fan?
EMM: No.
What does that song mean to you?
EMM: The song is one of the most personal, most difficult songs I've written. I wanted to write a simple song with a simple melody that described the duality of love and hurt, and I think it captures that.
For people less familiar with your music, how would you describe what they might discover on your new album?
EMM: Orchestral pop, homemade rock 'n' roll, ballads, all inspired by my own adventures.
If we threw those "desert island" questions from Q magazine to you, how would you answer? Who's your favorite artist of the last 20 years?
EMM: Bright Eyes.
What song of the last 20 years do you wish you'd written?
EMM: So hard to choose. There are so many, but some of my favorite songs are: In Your Eyes by Peter Gabriel, Something Vague by Bright Eyes, Rise Up With Fists by Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins, Surround by In-Flight Safety, Stay by U2 [live mp3] , Survive by David Bowie, Human by the Pretenders, So Young by Ron Sexsmith......Ahhh too many.
What is the essence of any song that really makes it one that you like?
EMM: Melody, and the way lyrics complement one.
I know you have a very deep connection with your fans. How important is that to you? Do you make music for your fans or for yourself?
EMM: I really believe in having a connection with fans because they are the ones whose support keeps you alive, keeps you making music. When you have a real connection with fans, that is, one that isn't fueled by media and money, you come across the most fascinating, creative people. I always make music for myself, but I am so grateful that my fans enjoy it. I consider myself very lucky.
A lot of people talk about being indie, but they seem to be describing some kind of musical genre, not actual business practice. You seem to be truly independent in a business and musical sense. How do you define that word "indie"?
EMM: The word indie really has been twisted over the years to mean so many things. Even on different continents, the word seems to have different meanings...to me, it means, doing things on your own terms. To me it doesn't imply a certain sound. I think we should come up with a new word to describe the reality of truly being indie, can we have a contest?
We are totally having a contest right here.
In the meantime, when can we catch you in NYC?
EMM: No shows planned yet, except my side band hot one should be playing New York in mid-November.
Can you tell us a secret ?
EMM: I ate broccoli every day last week, and sort of enjoyed it.
[buy]: the summer of high hopes, emm gryner's new album, featuring almighty love.
[visit]: emmgryner.com
posted by c at 12:00 AM
12 Comments:
holy shit. Cara...wow. That is awesome. I was totally unfamiliar with her, never heard her music before, and wow. What a voice! Yeah, her song made me cry. Her lyrics are amazing. But her voice...wow. I should totally be able to come up with something more articulate than "wow", but I can't. So glad you shared that with us!
hey this is really cool. I had no clue who she was when I read it either. So now I know. And I really like the song.
Sadly I can't even find that issue of Q around here. Been looking for weeks.
Will listen to the song when I'm home. I'm always up for new music to give an ear too. :)
I never thought I'd like a song the contained the words "Vancouver rain" but Almighty Love is really good.
*warm inside on a Vancouver rainy day*
Nice interview, C.
That Hot One cd is great...noisy and funky and cool. Holla for some mp3's.
Thanks for posting that Cara. I'd never heard of her before either, but I really like that song (which is also available on itunes too :) .
itunes link to emm's album.
great interview cara!!!
you know matt nathanson loves emm!!! I'm just saying another reason for you to see matt... then you can tell him you interviewed her!!!
you really gave a great interview!!
Great post! I'm looking forward to checking out her tunes.
Thanks for the interview. I've been a fan of Emm's for many years now. I recommend her album, Science Fair. It's her best and most indie of all.
Check it out.
AC http://citygirl.typepad.com
It's so weird but I heard her name tonight on a Canadian pop Culture TV show and decided I had to see what was on iTunes from her. Then I happened upon this blog and have to say I am surprised my path hasn't crossed hers until now. She was from a tiny town where one of my best university friends were from.
I am very impressed, and really liked an old album, Asianblue by her, check it out on iTunes. Cool lyrics... She is so real...
Anyway, thanks for posting this interview!
G.
Emm Gryner was here in Edmonton,AB may 14 2009,A fan for 12 years,makes me a diehard fan,My voice of happiness,She let me sit and hang,while she did her sound-check.Watching her sing empty hole and kick ass to the song "MATCH".She is one of the best female singer going in this world.derren marsters.
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