Emily Arin
9th Annual Story Song Nominee
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Genre: Story Song
HOMEBASE/COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Montour Falls, New York/USA
GENRES THAT BEST DESCRIBE YOUR MUSIC: Indie-Folk
ALBUM NOMINATED SONG IS ON: A newly recorded version will appear on an upcoming album produced by Greg Weeks (Espers). For now, the song is available as a download on my Web site.
ARTISTS ON THIS TRACK: Emily Arin and Arthur J. Owens (Artanker Convoy/Social Registry)
WHERE WAS THIS ALBUM RECORDED? Brooklyn, New York at Arthur’s apartment (aka Beverly Ills Studio)
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THIS STORY? With the first three verses, a story unfolds about a boy falling in love with a girl who’s just been told she’s dying. By the fourth verse, however, the song takes a turn and becomes about the narrator reading a book with the last page missing. The song ends with the narrator wondering about the ending—playing with the possibility that the story might not be a simple tragedy—but a myth or a fairy tale.
DESCRIBE THE INSPIRATION FOR THIS TRACK: I had been reading a book called The Rose & the Briar: Death, Love and Liberty in the American Ballad. It’s a fascinating collection of musings by various artists, writers and musicians on traditional ballads. The book gave me the notion of allowing myself to be more dramatic and fantastical in my writing—and to use as many lines as necessary to tell a story.
IS IT BIOGRAPHICAL? No.
DO YOU HAVE VERSIONS WITH A DIFFERENT RESOLUTION? Not at this time.
NAME SOME OF YOUR FAVE STORY SONGS & WHY THEY RESONATE: Leonard Cohen’s “Joan of Arc”—When I turn the lights off and turn this on I can see the pictures so clearly. I feel as if I’m sitting at the feet of a great story teller—suspended in the moment, moved and satisfied at the end.
Dan Bern’s “Jerusalem”—unleashed, irreverent, funny and true. And, I like olives, too.
Van Morrison’s “Madame George”…what can I say?
Caetano Veloso’s “It’s a Long Way”—I love Caetano!!!
Tim Hardin’s “The Lady Came from Baltimore” (I could listen over and over to Dr. Harp’s Medicine Band version)
Here’s more: Streets of Laredo, Jim Croce’s “Operator,” John Prine’s “Storm Windows,” Josh Ritter’s “The Temptation of Adam,” The Beatles’ “Rocky Raccoon,” Willie Nelson’s “Highway Man,” Townes Van Zandt’s “Pancho and Lefty,” Bob Dylan’s “Tangled Up In Blue,” Joni Mitchell’s “Case of You,” Walter Spencer’s “Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap”…and the list goes on and on.
WHY DID YOU SELECT THIS SONG TO SUBMIT TO THE IMAS? I was so happy to have found the Story Song category. While many of my songs tell stories, “Sweetly Breathe” is a longer narrative. The music is important, but the story being told is what holds the attention of the listener.
DID FANS HELP FUND THIS PROJECT? Yes! Each year, for the past three years, I’ve set up a subscription series on my Web site. Fans pay a fee (in this case, it was $15 for six months) and I send out one newly written/recorded song per month, with a story behind the song, photos and links. “Sweetly Breathe” was written in May, 2009.
DESCRIBE YOUR AUDIENCE: I love my audience—loyal, supportive, honest, encouraging—and international! It’s a relatively small group (given the population of the planet), but word of mouth is happening. And now, with a song in Greenland’s first international feature film Nuummioq (which is going to Sundance in January), I’ve made it to the North Pole! I’m very grateful to everyone who feels connected to my music—it spurs me on and keeps me committed to this path.
WHAT MAKES YOUR FANS UNIQUE? They span at least nine decades. Some are in the pre-K age bracket, and some are over 90. I used to work in a café my parents own and a little girl came in one day singing a refrain from one of my songs. It was an awesome moment.
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE PLACES TO PLAY? The Harvest Café Lounge in Montour Falls, NY; Pete’s Candy Store in Brooklyn; The Hyperion Tavern in Silverlake, CA; Honey Space in Chelsea, NY; House Concerts of all stripes and other intimate venues with lovely lighting.
WHAT HAS BEEN THE BANDS’ MOST EXCITING MOMENT TO DATE? Opening for The Mountain Goats at Ithaca College! (And the anticipation of going to Park City, Utah to support Nuummioq at The Sundance Film Festival in January!)
WHAT’S IN THE WORKS FOR 2010? Releasing an album produced by the wonderful Greg Weeks (Espers, Language of Stone) and going on tour with my amazing band: Peter Glanville, Brian Dozoretz, Zug Thompson, and Joe Novelli.
FINISH THIS SENTENCE: THE MUSIC INDUSTRY IS…..in flux.
WHAT IS YOUR DEFIINITION OF SUCCESS? To make a decent living loving what I’m doing, and, by loving what I’m doing, giving to the world.
WHAT’S ON YOUR IPOD THAT WOULD SURPRISE YOUR FANS? Enya (I listened to her a ton when I was younger—and would dreamily imagine myself in some dense, lush jungle while listening to “Caribbean Blue”.) I also volunteered for an acupuncture clinic for AIDS patients while in high school and was in charge of flipping the one tape we had—it was, of course, Enya.
NAME SOME ARTISTS YOU CHAMPIONING: Bill Callahan, Nina Nastasia, The Moore Brothers, Sharon Van Etten, Woody Pines, Eilen Jewell, Espers, Judee Sill, Salty Austin, Kath Bloom, Karen Dalton…and the community of Ithaca musicians that saturate this area and beyond with great music: Jennie Lowe Stearns, Mary Lorson and the Soubrettes, Wingnut, Chris Seeds, Peter Glanville (The Common Railers), Chad Crumm (The Chicken Chokers), Steve Gollnick (Hubcap) and Hank Roberts.