A Conversation with Kathleen Edwards (continued)

PM: What's it like being a couple on the road? Does it make the grueling schedule any easier?

KE: Yeah. It definitely does. It makes things a lot easier. There are days where I feel bad for the other guys in the band because they both have girls at home, you know. It makes me really lucky. And Colin has been in the industry for a long time, he’s someone who's always got really valuable advice, both musically and in a business way, too. And I can't--I don't know how this last year would have been without him, I really don't.

PM: Have you guys tried writing together yet, or will you?

KE: Yeah. We co-wrote one song together so far that I've been playing, called "Summer Long." And it's going to be on the next record. But other than that, we really haven't written too much together, mostly because there just hasn't been time. But also I find the time that I do have, I tend to come up with stuff on my own.

PM: It's your orientation.

KE: Yeah. I always liked writing alone. And I kind of always need to be in a really solitary and private place to start writing.

PM: Yeah, it's kind of putrid that in Nashville co-writing is more than the way of the world. I mean, it's just simply the way it's done. And it's just not necessarily the way I like to write songs, not at all.

KE: Absolutely. It just hasn't worked for me, yet, with the exception of that one we've done. Colin is going to produce my next record with me, and so there's definitely collaboration on other levels than just songs, the specific songwriting aspect.

PM: How many months have you been out and in steady tour supporting Failer. Is it ten now?

KE: I started touring last fall in September. I was touring with a guy named Richard Buckner.

PM: Oh, yeah, that's right. I saw his link on your site, so I figured you were a Buckner fan.

KE: Oh, I'm a huge Buckner fan. He was like one of my biggest influences, actually. And to get to become a friend of his has been really amazing.

PM: And he seems like a fairly eccentric sort. Is he a good friend, then?

KE: Yeah. He's a good friend. And he's eccentric, but at the same time, I don't think of him that way. To me he's a normal guy. But I love his music, and he's truly one of my favorites of all time.

PM: Yeah. When eccentric people are your friends, they're not eccentric, they're your friends.

KE: Right. That's right. Unless I'm eccentric, but I don't think I am, terribly. So... [sighs]

PM: How is Failer selling? Is it selling like a son-of-a-bitch?

KE: I don't know. I think if downloading didn't exist, it would definitely be selling more like a son-of-a-bitch.

PM: Yeah.

KE: You'll have to call my manager about that. To be honest with you, I'm not entirely sure.

PM: Yeah. And half the reason for the question is to get the relationship of the artist to things like that, where a lot of good artists say, "I don't know, man, I'm playing the songs. Don't know how it's selling. I don't worry about that."

KE: Right. I think it's definitely like I'm about to wind down and take a break and work on another record.

PM: So, when you wind down, are you going to go somewhere for a while and chill out, or--

KE: The only place I really want to go is home, so I'm going to go back to Toronto where I live now. But Ottawa was my home up until last year, and so I'm going to go home and maybe spend a few weeks there and see my friends and visit with my family and hang out with my cats. Someone's been taking care of them, so I've missed them terribly. And I just sort of want to not feel like every day there's something that's looming over my head that I have to take care of.

PM: Yeah, because I'm sure you're on call 24/7. Your family must be pretty amazed the way things have gone, right?

KE: Yeah. They've been really supportive. And they've been so encouraging, and they definitely are the proud parents.

PM: Are there other kids?

KE: I have a brother who's the greatest.

PM: Oh, that's right. It was his record collection that turned you on to Dylan and Neil Young.

KE: Yeah, yeah. I got a great brother who's my biggest fan. A lot of my friends are in the music business, they're musicians or whatever. So when I tell them I opened for Bob Dylan they're kind of like, "Yeah, that's cool." But then when I tell my brother he's like, "Oh my God!" And he kind of reacts the way that you think everyone else should. [laughs]

PM: What's his name, your brother?

KE: Tim.

PM: And what's he do?

KE: He's actually sort of been holding out for this job he really wanted at Foreign Affairs, the Canadian Foreign Office. So he is on a very different path than myself. He's a great guy. It's always a pleasure to hang out with him. I feel like I'm five again. Whenever I see my brother we act like little retards all over again. It's great.

PM: [laughs]   continue

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