On Friday, October 25th, I had the honor of seeing Sixpence None the Richer, a band I have been listening to for almost my entire life, perform live at City Winery as part of their first tour in 8 years and their first time releasing music together again in 11 years. I vividly remember songs from their self-titled album putting me at ease as a child in the car with my mom. These songs continued to underscore my life as I grew up, and I began to explore more of their discography, with The Fatherless & The Widow emerging as a favorite.
When I stepped into the venue, I immediately felt a sense of peacefulness. The atmosphere was simultaneously refined and casually laid-back. Everyone there was full of life and laughter and so connected, ready to enjoy a night of some exciting yet comfortingly nostalgic rock music. The crowd was one of the most diverse in ages I had ever seen. I was seated at a table close to a young child and her mom as well as a group of some older mothers on a night off, what seemed like old friends reuniting for a band they have loved for so much of their lives. I felt at ease in this environment, especially when the members of Sixpence None The Richer graced the stage.
Leigh Nash, lead singer of Sixpence None The Richer, prefaced the show by saying “We’re playing songs both new and from the past–I hope that’s okay. If not, you can just drink and then it’ll be okay!” It was more than okay; I almost practically jumped for joy upon hearing “Within a Room, Somewhere,” a cover of Joni Mitchell’s “River,” “Kiss Me,” and “Julia” all in the same set. The night was filled with love and laughter as we all welcomed the band back from some time away with open arms and hearts. Nash’s voice rang throughout the room, and we were all mesmerized at how clear and raw her timbre was. This tour and this show mark a new era for the band, who sounded better than ever before with each member fully in their element. They couldn’t fight the smiles forming on their faces as they caught glances at each other. They were deeply connected on the same wavelength, feeling the love radiating from the audience as well. There was a strong sense of community in the room. Leigh Nash at one point asked us if we liked her dress as Matt Slocum tuned his guitar, and cheers/giggles erupted from every corner.
When the show came to an end, my heart felt fuller than it did before, especially as the band closed out with “We Are Love” (which is also the name of the tour). Before playing it, they encouraged us to love one another, especially in these difficult times. I can’t wait to see what is next for this wonderful group in their new era.
I had the opportunity to interview guitarist and co-founder of Sixpence None The Richer, Matt Slocum, by phone on October 25th. Below is a transcript of our conversation.
Liv Queen Majestic: Thank you so much for your time and for this opportunity to talk with you! This is very full circle for me, I’ve been listening to your music since I was like four and now I’m twenty.
Matt Slocum: Wow! Thank you!
LQM: Yeah! It’s really great that you guys are making this comeback now. I heard in another recent interview that the name Rosemary Hill of your new EP came from a street you and Leigh [Nash] grew up near or on, Rosemary Drive. I’d love to know how your hometown has shaped your music and artistry and what the idea of home means to you, especially since it’s explored in the new songs.
MS: Yeah, I grew up on Rosemary Drive–it’s set up on a hill in New Braunfels in Texas. There’s a canyon nearby, great little neighborhood, and at the end of Rosemary Drive there’s a really large hill that goes down, we used to ride skateboards and BMX and people used it for sprints and training, and it’s kind of a thing that everyone called Rosemary Hill and Leigh was aware of it too because it was just sort of a thing in our town. The way things affect you when you’re a kid are different even though they may not seem as awe-inspiring, but as we get older we get more drawn to our hometowns and a lot of memories–New Braunfels I don’t think had much of a music scene, growing up it was more based in Austin but, now it’s got a bit of a thing going on and that’s really cool to come back and connect with as well.
LQM: I totally get what you mean about going back and appreciating parts and the beauty of your hometown that you didn’t as a kid and I think that appreciation definitely shines through especially in the title song, and I really appreciate you sharing that with me especially in the context of your new EP which is absolutely wonderful by the way, I’ve played a few songs on my show [Girl, Uninterrupted–Thursday’s at 11 PM CST on radiodepaul.com].
MS: Thank you so much! Yeah, we’re really proud of it. You just never know how it’s going to go over and it’s been really cool to see people digging it.
LQM: Absolutely, and you know, speaking of the band going on and off throughout the years, you all have come really far since the start of the band and I’m really curious especially with the hiatuses and then the times you’ve been working on new music together, especially since some of it took a while, I’d love to know what kept your spirits and hopes high through that and what have been some of the best parts of reuniting after so long?
MS: That’s a great question. I think kind of looking back, we had a really amazing run when ‘Kiss Me’ became such a great hit all over the world, it really opened a lot of doors for us. Touring and travel–we took advantage of it as best we could, we toured for three years straight to get everywhere we possibly could. But we ran out of steam–honestly just got kinda burned out and tired, and couldn’t even get to all the places we wanted to go. Looking back, we probably should’ve just taken a long sabbatical–I don’t know why we chose to make it more of a break-up moment. I think we just all needed a break and during that break, everybody really sort of just stuck with their craft and Dale [Baker] continued to grow as a drummer and Justin [Cary] and Leigh continued as a songwriter and released a lot of solo material and I continued playing and writing in Nashville and when we finally made the collective decision to get back together, everybody was better than before! It felt like getting back on a bike, it was very natural. Everybody sounded better than ever–Leigh is singing better than ever! We all have those friends we don’t see for long periods of time and you just pick up where you left off and that’s how it felt for us.
LQM: That definitely shows in the new music and I’m really excited to see that unfold onstage. Speaking of some of your more solo paths and honing your crafts on your own, especially since you were working on some of your own music as well, I’d love to know what your creative process looks like and who/what influences you and how that’s evolved throughout the years.
MS: For the creative side of things, writing in particular–there’s this book that Rick Rubin put out recently, The Creative Act: A Way of Being, he is really good at articulating the creative process and what I love about what he says is that you just have to make yourself available to whatever the universe decides to throw at you. Keep a notebook and you know, record your thoughts, interpretations, ideas, and don’t judge it, just receive it and let it all seep in. Eventually then it’ll come out in songs later down the path, it’s a bit of a mystery but I like the fact that he endorses that it’s all about how you see things and perceive things and how you express that. It makes music unique. That’s really the mysterious part of the process. I went to school to be a cellist, I went to the University of Austin in Texas and studied classical cello and that’s certainly a disciplined art. Many, many hours of daily practice. That‘s influenced me as well as far as trying to really enforce daily routines.
LQM: I love that, and I actually have a copy of that book so I should really get around to reading it!
MS: Yeah, it’s really fantastic.
LQM: I love how your discoveries while you’re out and about recording things down in your notebook manifest into your music as well, that’s something I personally do too because you really never know what it’ll inspire and I love that so many artists and musicians have that habit as well! On that note, what advice would you give to young, up and coming musicians today, especially with how the music industry has changed? How do you feel about these changes?
MS: Yeah, well, there’s so many pros and cons–I think ultimately it’s changed for the better. The big difference for Leigh and I when we were growing up and trying to make it, there was no social media at all, it didn’t exist. My teenage daughters introduced me to a lot of cool music unexpectedly, they turned me onto recently, I think they’re called Cigarettes After Sex.
LQM: Oh yeah! They’re great!
MS: Yeah! It’s really vibey, great dream pop music–like I loved Slowdive growing up too and I thought “man, what a cool band!”(in reference to Cigarettes After Sex). I had no idea and they’re selling out multi-night stadiums and arenas and they did what they wanted to do and people found them. My advice is to not try to chase it or play games or cater to what you think people might want from you. Just do what’s important to you.
LQM: That’s all really valuable advice and especially with how nowadays I think it’s a lot easier especially for young people to make their own music from the comfort of their own bedrooms, I think it’s really inspiring to know that there’s something out there for everyone and there will always be people who appreciate what you have to offer. I’d love to know specifically what other new music coming out has been inspiring you.
MS: I’ve been really loving Cutouts by Smile, you know with Thom Yorke and Johnny Greenwood from Radiohead and then Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds’ new album is really, really good.
LQM: I love Nick Cave! I got to see him last year at the Auditorium Theatre.
MS: He’s great, David Friddman just mixed that new album and we got to work with him too but we missed Nick Cave by a few days so we didn’t get to meet him. I’ve had the new Slowdive songs on repeat too.
LQM: Really great picks and I love how Slowdive has influenced you throughout so much of your life. I’m really curious about how touring has changed for you throughout your career and life and I’d love to hear some of your favorite past tour memories, or maybe one from the current tour?
MS: Yeah, I’ll share one from the past and one from now. You know, New Braunfels didn’t have much of a music scene but there’s this one sort of dance hall, Gruene Hall–it’s really historic and like stepping back through time when you’re there and we got to play there on this tour and it blew our minds, we’re still buzzing about it. It was very full circle. And then in the past, we got to play in Italy at the Colosseum, not the one in Rome because that one’s obviously not around anymore [laughs], and they mainly did operas there but they had rock and pop concerts too, and I had some friends who lived in Northern Italy so my wife and I lived with them for about six months and it was really great.
LQM: Wow. That sounds like a lovely time. Speaking of past memories and reflecting on how far the band has come since then, what do you hope to explore in your new music and what do you hope fans take away from the new EP? What messages do you hope to amplify?
MS: You know, we’re still trying to figure some of that out a bit but especially with everything that’s going on in the world right now we really want to promote messages of unity and peace, that’s been really important for us and people especially right now.
LQM: That’s really beautiful and it really is so important to try and find and have hope in these troubling times, and music is such a great way to provide that whether you’re consuming or creating it, and it’s definitely shining through in your new work. Do you have anything else you’re striving toward right now that you’re able to share?
MS: We’re working on re-recording and remastering this Christmas album that we worked on in 2008 [The Dawn of Grace] and adding some new ones as well, not a lot of people got to hear it when it came out but Flat Iron Recordings agreed to pick it up and you can listen to a few of the songs now and then it’ll come out on Black Friday, we’re actually starting to add some of them to the setlist now–hopefully it’s not too early for some Christmas music–
LQM: Never too early for some Christmas cheer! That’s so exciting, I can’t wait to hear it tonight! Well, thank you so much again for your time and I’m really looking forward to the show tonight and congratulations on the release of your new EP, Rosemary Hill.