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Old 11-04-2008, 04:18 PM   #1
piecesofuk
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Default 10 Questions with Jewel (allaccess.com)

1) Congratulations on making a great album with a lot of depth. I heard you say in an interview that you actually made this record before having a deal. How did you get together with the folks at Valory? Your album was so good that it got a whole new 'imprint' off the ground and a staff hired.

I had been planning and writing this album for years - music has always been the easy part! The hard part was finding a good partner in today's ever-changing music business, one that had a fighting spirit and still wanted to stand up for music that wasn't 'safe.' After several meetings, I began to feel I wouldn't go with a label, but go direct somewhere - but then I met Scott Borchetta. I could tell within an hour of talking with him that we came from a similar place; we were both aggressive and loved a challenge. I had a great feeling, like we would really enjoy working together - if he could just find time. Well, true to Scott's nature, he went ahead and formed a whole new imprint to make sure he had time! He put one of the finest promotion teams together and I feel so lucky to have such passionate, talented folks helping me get my music heard. I'm very lucky.

2) Some of the songs on the album are songs that you had been holding onto for a chance to cut a Country album, correct? Is the song, "I Do," a new song?

"I Do" is a brand new song that I wrote just before I cut the album. I have always been a pretty autobiographical writer. I believe in being honest and authentic when writing because I was so moved as a young person growing up when I listened to the honest writers like Loretta Lynn, Haggard, and Joni Mitchell who spoke plainly and poetically about real life. I obviously wrote this about Ty and our considering getting married, which we ended up doing!

3) I heard you say that you look at songwriting like a painter would approach it when doing a portrait, and that you got that from Joni Mitchell- true? And was she a big influence of yours?

I loved Joni Mitchell, Townes Van Zandt, Gram Parsons, Loretta Lynn, Merle Haggard and Cole Porter, too. My whole life I have had such a love affair with words. As a child I never tired of putting words together and exploring the sudden and rich worlds and emotion-scapes that could be created when writing. Music made me feel less alone as a kid and I appreciated writers and poets like Bukowski, Anaisniin and Pablo Neruda because they had the courage to be honest. They were not using art as propaganda to be famous. It has never been about fame. It has been about trying to be honest and authentic, and to be great at the craft.

4) Your background is so vast, interesting, and I am sure you won't mind, complicated. I mean, how many kids grow up in Alaska with seven brothers and sisters and then were raised by grandparents who escaped Nazi Germany? I know that your grandmother Ruth had a huge impact on you and that she also believed a great deal in your gifts- did she help steer you towards your career path?

I have had an unusual and complicated life! After the divorce, my dad raised my brothers and I on the Homestead he was raised on. His mother Ruth no longer lived there; she had moved to Knoxville, TN and remarried years before. But even from far away, she had a huge influence on me. She had eight children in a dirt-floored log cabin in Alaska, and she taught all the kids to sing and play instruments. She had come from Germany and gave up her career as an aspiring opera singer so that she could have kids in a free country. Her dreams lived on in her children, and they were passed on to me. She sacrificed so much, and the fact that she got to see me become successful was very special for her. She was so proud, and I am truly in debt to her sacrifice, for without it, I would not be able to enjoy the American dream the way I do. Each time I sing, I sing for my whole family. They are all so talented, and I am lucky that I inherited their musical genes.

5) It seems that you are steeped in Country tradition, yet when your first single was released and you were introduced to a bunch of radio guys who may not have known your background. Was the welcome what you expected- did you find yourself having to justify yourself?

I was raised on a ranch my whole life; we killed and skinned our own beef, managed large cattle drives, and lived off the land - we even rode horses to school. My dad was a cowboy and we broke colts each spring, and I cooked for all the summer hands that would help us bring in our hay. When I was 25, I met my future husband and we lived on his ranch in Texas where we work 500 beef cattle each spring and fall, and bring in 600 acres of hay each summer. I spent the next ten years going to rodeos and cheering Ty on in the saddle bronc, bareback and bull-riding events. He would come with me to shows on his days off, and on my days off I'd be in a dusty bleacher watching the man I love compete in the greatest American sport. One day we would be doctoring a calf, or heeling calves to brand them, and the next day I'd be at a red carpet event in a fancy dress! I have always lived and loved the country lifestyle - and have been blessed to make a living as a songwriter - so it was funny to find myself this year in radio stations in cities, being asked by city slickers radio folks who have never even been on a horse what makes me "country." I have always tried to be subtle, and not use the media to create sensation, so I was happy to let folks know where I'm from. My dad taught me to try to let hard work and talent speak for itself. That's what I try to do. I have never felt entitled to anything, and have been very happy to work as hard as I have to introduce myself to folks who may not know me, but there have been many days where I'd have to chuckle to myself. I'd like to bring some of the folks to the ranch and let them work like I do on my days off, and see how they do - see how country they are! Mostly though, everyone has been really nice and very open and receptive; my welcome into the format has exceeded my greatest hopes.

6) Years ago I can remember you opening for grunge bands and singing folk songs. How did that happen and what was the audience response in general?

I always had to be a scrapper to get my music heard! I have never really fit in anywhere. No one ever knew what I "was" musically. Was I Country? Rock? Folk? I didn't care what anyone called me. I wrote honestly and if someone would let me sing for them, I did. Even if it was opening solo acoustic for the Ramones, or Peter Murphy, or whomever! Luckily, by the time I was 18, I had 10 years of bar singing experience - my dad and I were a duet and we sang in honky-tonks and biker bars - so I was able to hold my own and even win some tough crowds over! Shockingly, yodeling is universally loved by bikers, punks and country folks alike!

7) There are not a lot of artists out there who have performed for the Pope, sang with Bob Dylan and can yodel like a true champ- by the way, who taught you how to yodel? Did I hear that your dad is from Switzerland? And what was it like to sing at the Vatican?

My grandparents came from Switzerland, and escaped Europe during the Second World War. But my dad learned to yodel by listening to Jimmy Rodgers records! He taught me to yodel when I was six years old. My parents sang in hotels for tourists; it was a variety show and I got up and yodeled.

Singing at the Vatican was amazing! I sang a song I wrote called "Hands" with the Vatican Orchestra. To sing something you wrote and hear it played by such beautiful and talented musicians in a place I thought I'd only read about - well, it was just amazing!!!!

8) My pastor often says that the way that you walk through your circumstances gives you character and can influence others. I say that because you were homeless as a teenager and had so many hurdles and challenges to deal with, yet you carry yourself with a sense of being very proud of who you are and where you came from. You are also very involved with homeless teenagers, who you deemed 'the invisible children." Has your story helped you in relating to some of these kids? And finally, can you point anyone who wants to get involved to a website?

Poverty either makes you bitter, or it makes you more compassionate. I made a choice when I was young to try to be careful which way I went. I have always tried not to ever have a big ego, but to have pride. I won't push someone around, but I won't be pushed, either. I ended up homeless because I wouldn't have sex with my boss. I saw other girls who would, because they were scared or unsure, and I would not be taken advantage of. Music saved my life, and I believe in music because I think it can be more than just a narcissistic way for someone to get attention and media buzz. Music does matter - it's the cheapest and most affordable therapy out there! We are all worth something, no matter our economic backgrounds or education. To this day, I have people try to make me feel less than them because I never went to college. I don't care. My life is what I make of it, and if I couldn't afford college, I'd read more free books than any college kid paid for. We are so lucky in America to always have some control of our destinies, even in the darkest hour, if we have focus and determination and a will to work we can improve our lives, but we all need help. While I was homeless, there were people who were kind to me - kind for no reason, just because I needed help. It was so humbling and I am grateful to this day. That's why I try to help. If you want to get involved you can look up links on my website: www.jeweljk.com.

9) You can hear lots of influences in your music- can you tell us who some of your favorite Country artists are? There are some moments on your album that seem like a nod to artists Tammy Wynette or Barbara Mandrell.

I worshiped Tammy Wynette, Loretta Lynn and Crystal Gale. Merle Haggard is hands down one of the best songwriters alive. And of course I loved Kristofferson, Emmylou Harris, Townes Van Zandt and Gram Parsons.

10) Can you share briefly about your cause, "Operation Clean Water," and your partnering with Richard Branson- are there ways that radio stations can get involved with this?

My brother and I started Project Clean Water in 1997 and we now have 35 wells in 15 different countries. We help villages and their communities get drinkable water. Richard Branson and I teamed up and I help him with many of his causes - like teen homelessness - and he helps me with my Project Clean Water. We can always use donations, and you can go to my website if you are interested.


Bonus Questions

So what is this "Special Discovery" you made during your Radio Tour in East Lansing?

Ha Ha Ha. Well, Jon Loba kept talking about this amazing sushi restaurant that Chris Tyler and he always visit. He talked about it so much, I had to find out what it was all about. He was right. Not only was the sushi incredible, but the General Manager brought out a sample of a sake I had never tried before- SPARKLING SAKI of all things- and it was SO GOOD. I have it on my bus all the time now- although it's hard to keep stocked because everyone who comes on has one sip and are hooked!


Chris.
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Old 11-04-2008, 11:51 PM   #2
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I enjoyed reading this, thanks!
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