Hailing from Rhode Island, Allysen Callery first
came to the Terrascope’s attention back in 2008
courtesy of fellow singer-songwriter (and
Terrastock veteran) Marissa Nadler, who suggested
that she got in touch with us. And were we ever
glad that she did. It was immediately apparent
that Allysen is an artist with an ear for a good
tune and a delicate touch – “the sound of a petal
lifted by a warm breeze, the poetic lyrics
delivered with sensual passion over the gossamer
fine guitar notes,” we enthusiastically wrote at
the time. The only question really is why it’s
taken so long for us to feature her in print, so
when Josh Burkett - who many
readers will fondly remember from the Woolf 1
festival back in 2013, and still others may recall
from the mighty Vermonster - offered us the chance
of an interview, you will readily understand why
we bit his hand off, so to speak.
Q:
When did you start playing and what are your
influences? I hear some
British folk in your sound...
A:
I took up the guitar after my father died, he
played a beautiful
nylon string Martin, & I played that guitar
all through my teens. I asked a
teacher at my arts based private school to teach
me fingerstyle so I could play
'Young Edwin' by Steeleye Span. My parents were
both gone , all I had were
these few British Isles records & it made a
bridge for me & my past.
Q:
Ok, how about 'ghost folk'... Where is this
phrase from...are
real ghosts ever involved?
A:
One of my first reviews said “Fragile finger
picking and a haunting
delivery reverberate with the ghosts of British
Folk like the hybrid, conjoined
spirit of Sandy Denny & Nick Drake" & my
first label Woodland
Recordings coined “Ghost Folk “ to describe my
music" There’s
definitely ghosts involved, I have no idea how
the music gets written. I’m just
a conduit.
Q:
So, you are from New England.. like me... can
you talk about it?
A:
New England is a frosty & magical world
right now, and
Winter may be my favorite way to enjoy its
beauty. Silent and still, for
solitary creatures and a few starts of color
from wild birds. I love to walk on
the beach in Winter. I think the land is
reflected in my music.
Q:
When you play longer concerts (2-3 hours
sometimes right!!??) what
are some of the 'deep cuts' you pull out of your
hat?
A:
Haha you’ll hear more covers for sure , I am a
huge Neil Young fan
and I’ll do a Neil at
9:00 Block sometimes.
Q: What does being part of the Terrascope
community mean to you?
A:
I was late to the internet, & pretty
hermitic as a young mom. I
played guitar alone in my bedroom & wrote
poetry. Then I heard Will Oldham
by chance on a college radio station & went
to a record store (a rare
thing).. the clerk told me about a festival I’d
missed that I would have loved,
Terrastock, which had been in my own city of
Providence. I still feel like it
was meant that I should’ve been there, & I
long to be at one. But playing
this time ;) I feel such a sense of community
that has always
been elusive for me, and have been so glad that
a bit of that spirit exists
here in the states (I think in western Mass.)
Q:
Oh yeah.. I was going to ask you something about
Twin Peaks... since
we are both fans....
A:
My favorite character maybe isn’t a character,
but is that nightmare
dream-scape afterlife that Lynch weaves into all
his work, it’s unnerving &
uncanny , how he can tap into something that
exists in all of our psyches
somehow. Maybe that’s where songs come from,
too.
Q:
So you mean it all comes from a place with a
checkered floor?
A:
I picture the place where songs come from as a
land of dreams. My
dreams are more woodland and bare branched.
Q:
Can you talk about your first CD 'Hopey' - I
think that one is really special...
A:
Hopey was named after a real person, Hope,
who I never met, but was my friend's sister. Her
name was Hope and they called
her Hopey. Also, I actually wrote the songs to
my second CD 'Hobgoblin's Hat'
first.
Q:
What are your favorite venues to play? Is
it different playing small places and larger
ones?
A:
My favorite venues are art spaces & record
stores. I love a small room that’s really paying
attention, & I struggle
with stage fright so sometimes big rooms scare
me.
Q:
How have cats influenced your life and music?
(you
know how much they mean to me)
A:
I love all animals but I reallly love cats. If
you’re quiet , the cat will come to you. That’s
the way it works with the kind
of music I make, too.
Q:
Are there any musicians that you dream of/want
to play with?
A:
I love Mike Bruno’s (Philly) work, whether solo
or with Shadow Band, I think it would be really
magical to collaborate somehow.
Q:
Can you
talk about your upcoming album? have you written
the songs yet?
A:
All of the songs are written & tracked, I’m
working with my long time producer Myles Baer
again for this one. ( He’s worked
on a couple of Marissa Nadler’s as well) I trust
his excellent taste and I
can’t wait to share the music that we’re making
together . The first single is
called 'November Man'. You can listen on
Soundcloud.
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