Q & A with Cordelia's Dad

Cordelia's Dad has been one of my favorite bands to hear live since a friend introduced me to them during my college years. After graduation and a move all the way across the country, I still go hear them whenever I can. For me, they've passed one of the benchmarks of a great live band: songs that stick in your head, and that you find yourself humming on your way to work the next morning.

The band's percussionist, Peter Irvine, agreed to my request for an interview via e-mail. Cordelia's Dad also includes Tim Eriksen (voice, banjo, guitar), Cath Oss (voice, dulcimer, accordions), and Laura Risk (fiddle, voice). You can find out more about Cordelia's Dad at their website, where you'll find information on their new album, Spine, as well as their tour schedule. Enjoy!

How did Cordelia's Dad get started?

Although there was an earlier edition of Cordelia's Dad, the current band really got started in 1994, when Cath joined and Tim took over on guitar. The addition of Laura in 1996 has really firmed things up, adding a new dimension while solidifying our sound.

I think `94 was about the time I started listening to your music. A friend took me to a show at the Iron Horse [in Northampton, MA]. At that point you were doing two sets, I think, one acoustic and one electric. What made you decide to start adding acoustic music as well?

Actually, we had an acoustic element from the very first show, back in `87. It's hard to pin down a specific reason why we added more and more-- it was more evolution. We kept figuring out things we liked, and the acoustic style was compelling. There have also been, at times, more opportunities to play that music. It's a conceit of the folk scene that "folk music is non- commercial." The fact is, we make much more money playing in folk venues than in rock venues. Just look at the ticket prices: a folk show can be $10-15, whereas rock shows are usually $5.

But that's a crass answer. We like the intensity of acoustic music and the attention to detail, and we like the energy, physical sensation of volume, of electric music. They are different styles, and they are good for different times and reasons.

So when did you decide to add a fiddle player on a permanent basis? (I agree it adds a lot to your sound.) Was it in `96, or did you have to search for a while before you found Laura?

We had thought about it for several years. We had a part time fiddler, Becky Miller, in 1994, but she had other interests to pursue. Finding Laura was fortuitous. She appeared in a thunderstorm on the Canadian prairie, and two weeks later agreed to sit in the van with us for 12 hours to go play a free radio show, so we figured it was going to work.

How did you choose your initial format? (i.e., playing rock versions of folk songs)

It was a horrible accident. Tim and I were playing in another band, but [were] unhappy with the music. One day we snuck off with our original guitarist and the three of us tried playing some punked-up covers of popular folk songs, being as over-the-top as possible. We couldn't stop laughing for hours. Over time we gained a knowledge and respect for other people's music, but we're still annoyed when we hear potentially good music performed without verve.

I'm curious about where you find the songs you perform and how you choose them. From the liner notes of your recordings, it sounds like you do quite a bit of research.

Mostly, we spend a lot of time together, playing music.

Tim is the main research guy. He's obsessed with mid-19th century American music, and can quote from the leading figures of the day. Through years of experience, he's able to move quickly through used bookstores, picking out any likely prospects. Most importantly, he can distinguish stylistic elements, and transform a musty printed page into a stunning song.

We also learn from other people and from field recordings. Dwight Diller has been an invaluable resource and inspiration. Last summer, we were on tour and Laura, looking at the map, noticed we were going to be within a few hours of Jamestown, Tennessee. So she called up Clyde Davenport, an excellent fiddler, and asked if we could come over. Cath has gotten to know the archive at Univ. of North Carolina, and is gradually getting copies of all their best recordings.

Where does Tim find some of this stuff? I've heard a few book titles mentioned at your shows, but some of those seem to be near-impossible to find. (I have this image of Tim delving through the Library of Congress...)

Actually, he's had the most luck looking at very local sources: used book stores, newspaper archives, attics, church basement sales, flea markets...

The liner notes to Comet and Hookes' Regular Sing mention a number of books. The Warner book is still in print and can be ordered from Gerret Warner, warnerco@aol.com, 603-430-9008. The Sacred Harp can be ordered from The Sacred Harp Publishing Co., Inc., 1010 Waddell Street, Bremen, Georgia for about $15. Vance Randolph's books are found in many libraries. Eventually we'll put all this info on our web site. Stuff is out there.

Is it mainly American folk music that you're doing now? (Can it be classified that way? Can it be classified at all?)

We avoid the use of the word "folk". An explanation of that decision could go on for pages and pages. We prefer to say "popular music".

I'm sure there are many ways of classifying what we do. To me, genre classification has more to do with marketing and demographics than anything else. To call something "folk music" today implies a particular audience, rather than explaining something about the music. If you examine stylistic attributes of a particular music, you'll discover different genre crossover. To put it more plainly, we hear more in common between the singing styles of Roscoe Holcomb and Billy Corgan, than we do between Holcomb and Pete Seeger.

How would you describe your current fan base?

It's vast, dispersed, and bizarre. Our favorite show last year was at Marlboro College, a small, artsy place in Vermont. The entire student body turned out. They were stomping along, in time, to banjo tunes, listening with rapt attention to slow, quiet songs, and screaming at the end of every unaccompanied harmony song. We did several encores, including Tim "lining out" "Amazing Grace", and ended the evening with an audience-assisted a capella rendition of "Paradise By the Dashboard Lights". Actually, writing that now, it sounds horrendously smarmy, but at the time it was very cool--relaxed and unrestrained fun.

We also played at a high school in rural eastern Oregon. Afterwards, the students were saying, "You guys rock", and "I hate folk music, but I like you guys". And sometimes we play for so-called "folk purists," spending an evening completely acoustic (i.e., no sound system), in a small room with 50 people, all leaning forward in their chairs. That intensity of performance is a challenge, but one we also enjoy.

We want to tour with Bob Mould.

I'm going to reveal my ignorance here: who is Bob Mould?

Bob Mould was in Husker Du, and later Sugar. Seminal bands in punk/hardcore/alternative rock. He also has done some "acoustic" albums and touring. We went to see him recently and I was very impressed with not only his songwriting, but also his juggernaut right hand. Solo, he plays driving, frenetic acoustic music, so it would be an interesting combination.

Does it seem like a certain amount of intimacy with the audience is a requirement? I can't imagine music like this being played in some huge venue.

Intimacy can help, but large venues are not out of the question. That's a musical and production problem we are currently addressing. If the audience is somewhat familiar with our music and are there to listen, things go great. We've had very successful shows at European festivals. On the other hand, we played at the Newport Festival a couple years ago, and while some people liked it, others were too busy playing hacky sack to notice. The combination of midday sunshine and following a "groove" band, doesn't always mix with unaccompanied singing and songs of death and loss.

I gather that you play in a wide variety of venues. Nightclubs, festivals, schools, and...?

Yes. Audiences of 10 to 10,000. Living rooms, cafes, rock clubs, theaters, anarchist clubs, English pubs, high schools, community centers, outdoor festivals...I believe we have more bizarre performance experiences than most bands.

I saw info on this on your website, but I'm still curious: how did you choose the name?

It was a stupid joke eleven years ago, which shouldn't have lasted more than a week. So now we say we're named after a moon--which might be another stupid joke.

What kinds of places do you tour?

Recently, we keep ending up in the Western USA and northern England, but we've also spent much time touring throughout the USA, Canada and Europe. The best festival we've ever played at was in Rudolstadt, Germany, in the former East. Our second home is Newcastle, England, where we have a bunch of friends now. To try to pin down the most unusual places we've played, would fill a book. We're aiming for Australia/Hawaii/Japan in 1999. And if that works, India.

So how did you hook up with Dwight Diller?

Oddly enough, we met him at the Folk Alliance Conference in Washington, DC a few years ago. We had heard of him because of his association with the Hammons family of West Virginia, who were some excellent musicians. We introduced ourselves, and once he heard some of our singing, we were instant friends. Since then, we've met up with him in several places, done a show together, and exchanged many musical ideas. In December, he asked us to help him out on his new album, so Laura played some fiddle, I played my recently acquired bones, and, along with Kelly and Jeff from the band Northampton Harmony, we all sang some gospel-type harmonies on several songs.

Can you tell me more about Northampton Harmony, how it got started and where the music comes from? It seems to be sort of hidden--my mother's family is from Northampton, and I lived there for several years, but neither of us had ever heard this music before I picked up the CD at your show.

I'll defer this question to Cath, who is in that band. For something of an explanation, read the liner notes for their CD. For more info on the Sacred Harp and shape note singing, go to the fa-sol-la web site, accessible from our site (can't recall the URL).

In brief, shape note singing is both a group of styles of singing and a notation system. The notation has historical roots, but the four shape system found in the Sacred Harp and other books was developed in Newburyport, Massachusetts in the early 1800s. It was in wide-spread use throughout New England in the 1800s, and spread throughout the country. Numerous books were printed using the notation. Shape note singing was THE popular music of the day. Gradually, it fell out of favor in urban centers, pushed aside by ideas of propriety and European Classical ideals.

The Southern Harmony reportedly sold over 600,000 copies. That's a lot of books, at any point in history.

The Sacred Harp was published in 1844, and has been in print since. It contains a wide variety of songs, although most are sacred. Other books have more secular songs. The Sacred Harp is currently the most popular shape note book in use.

As for singing styles, every where you go, people sing differently.

What will the new album be like? You seemed to take a more definite direction with Comet. Do you see Spine as a continuation or development of that direction?

I see Spine as a development of Comet. We are now pursuing other directions along with deepening our understanding and appreciation for the music we play on Spine.

What are your plans for `98, aside from the spring tour and the release of Spine?

Recording another album. Possibly recording a split album with Dwight Diller (beyond the playing we already did for his new solo album). Going to Europe this summer. More USA touring throughout the fall. Touring England in November. Writing new songs. Reading, gardening, Cath going to school...

For people who've never been to one of your shows, what instruments are you including these days? (You seem to add new ones with every show.)

Cordelia's Dad:

• Peter Irvine: voice, frame drum, bones
• Laura Risk: fiddle, voice
• Tim Eriksen: voice, banjo, guitar
• Cath Oss: voice, dulcimer, Hero and Golden Cup accordions

and, yes, we're always working on new things.

Can you tell me more about Io? Do you see Io becoming more active, or remaining something of a side project?

Io is a rock band which plays original music. Io has not been playing out much, but we intend to start doing so. We had a somewhat traumatic event last year--being offered a significant record contract, then having it disappear--but we've carried on. We recorded an album with Steve Albini. It was a great experience. We haven't found anyone yet to release the album, but we are putting out two songs on a 7" single. Vinyl. That'll be out in February. People can order it directly from us. We're playing our first East Coast show on Feb. 12 at The Linwood in Boston. And we'll be doing some shows in England this summer.

IO:

• Peter Irvine: voice, drums
• Tim Eriksen: voice, guitar
• Cath Oss: voice, bass

Thanks again for your time.