THE MAD MILE – A KIRSTEN JONES INTERVIEW

-Interviewed by Gavin Hughes

“I was proposed to at the grand canyon.” Says alternative country gal, Kirsten Jones of her song “Bittersweet Grand Canyon”. “Then I got divorced, hence the bittersweet part.” And she says it with a bit of humour in her voice. This is the kind of person Kirsten is. She is confident, easy to talk to and never misses a chance to throw in some wit.

Born and raised in Virginia, Kirsten Jones chose to pursue her musical career in the concrete jungle of Toronto. So how does one get to the roots of great country music so far away from the land of belt buckles and Stetsons? Our man Gavin spoke with Kirsten and he found out that she believes you don’t always have to go to Nashville to find fame, Kirsten firmly believes that she can bring the best of Nashville to Toronto.

What was it about Country music that made you say, “hey this is what I really want to do”?
Country music crept up on me. I couldn’t stand listening to country. But I started to become a folky singer songwriter along the way and that started to bridge the gap to a more country sound. It’s more alternative country music. It’s just a different kind of country.

You were born and raised in Virginia but live now in Toronto. Why did you decide to move so much farther away from a place like Nashville – the land of country music?

My dad is actually Canadian and I’ve been living here for a long time. I had no real intention of staying, I just loved it here and decided to stay. But I can honestly say I’ve been to Nashville more since living in Toronto. There’s a ton of songwriters there and it’s a great place to go and write.

You decided to pursue music as a full time career a little later than others; what made you decide that “yes this is what I want to do 100 percent”.
A lot of stuff happened in my life all at one time – I got divorced and my mother was in a coma from encephalitis. My life just took a turn for the worse for a year. It just completely shook me up. I emerged from that saying I can’t wait any longer. I was born to do this and I never wanted to do anything else. Sometimes it just takes something to push you in that direction.

Your new album The Mad Mile hit stores on May 11th. Why the Mad Mile? Has it really been that tough?
I took a trip to New Zealand with a friend of mine. We took a sea-kayaking trip and a storm came up and we were stuck out there for a while and a little scared to say the least, but we got to shore. A little later someone told us that the stretch of water we were on was the “Mad Mile”. It’s also about life, but literally it is about the stretch of water in New Zealand.

You’ve said you really wanted to work with Gary Louis (former Jayhawks frontman) to produce the record. What was it about Gary that made it such a decisive decision for you?
His musical sensibilities are so in line with mine. He’s worked with the Dixie Chicks, Kelley Willis and Lucinda Williams – artists I’ve loved. He was up here producing the Sadies and I knew he had a connection to Toronto, so with the songs I had I thought we’d fit really well together – at least in my head.

Jim Cuddy from Blue Rodeo is your duet partner on the track “Hold Me Closer”. Was he able to give you some insight into the business or did he just come along for the ride.
Jim and Oh Susannah, Michael Johnston, Skydiggers and Bobby Egan of Blue Rodeo were all on my album, so I just bugged his management. He showed up and did his part. We didn’t really talk about the business, but he was so nice and extremely professional, he just opens up his mouth and that voice comes out.

Personally, is it enough to be recognized in Canada or is the honourable mention in Nashville’s Songwriter’s Association more of an accomplishment?
The international songwriter’s recognition is important to me because I want to tour other countries. I would love to go to the UK, Scandanavia and Australia so that can really open doors but Canada is certainly enough. But to make a living as a musician you need to branch out to really make that work.

Now that the Mad Mile is out, what can fans expect from Kirsten Jones in the upcoming year?
Tour as much as I can! I will probably hit everywhere in Canada throughout the year.

Current favourite album?
The Courtyard Hounds which is the Dixie Chicks offshoot with Marty and Emily.

Current favourite movie?
The Best Years of Our Lives, it’s from the 1940’s. It’s been one of favourite movies for years now.

Current favourite book?
I am a biography reader. I read the Michael J Fox bio recently, Lucky Man.

*PHOTO CREDIT: Heather Pollock

Whether it’s on a novel, short stories or a screenplay, Gavin can be found constantly writing. However being a generous man, he gives up some of his limited spare time doing interviews for The Tuesday Guide. Otherwise he’s checking out new flicks, new music or putting his stinky feet up with a new book. Gavin Hughes lives with his wife in Liverpool, Nova Scotia.