Joanna Newsom
Joanna Newsom
Joanna Caroline Newsom is an American harpist, pianist, vocalist, lyricist and actress...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionMusician
Date of Birth18 January 1982
CountryUnited States of America
school
I went to school to become a composer.
cross deterrent expensive huge record tour
I would like to be on a record label, because it is very expensive to tour with a harp. It's a huge deterrent for me to go cross country.
american-musician good influenced invalid pleased sounds strokes valid
It's valid that the Strokes and the Pleased have been influenced by some of the same bands. But it's invalid in the sense that we listen to the Strokes and try to sounds like them. I think that they are a good band.
american-musician felt songs urge
Well, yeah, I wanted to resist the urge to thicken everything up with instrumentation, because I just felt like I was interested in seeing how the songs did on their own.
voice track people
I definitely don't subscribe to the theory that more instruments, or more vocal tracks, harmony, or double tracking the voice, is a good thing. People do their early albums very stripped down, then each album becomes bloated.
circles musical way
I didn't really know a lot of the history when I was younger. I didn't realize that the harp is coded in such a specific way in musical circles. It's kind of this society instrument because of its history as a young woman's parlor instrument.
say-anything able mets
If I ever met Dolly Parton for sure, I would just not be able to say anything. I love her.
expression play people
I don't look at people's expressions, because I still get nervous when I play, especially when I first put the harp up there. I just try to tune - it takes me a half-hour to tune, and I get nervous if I look at anybody when I do it.
get-away folks rooted
I have a deep rooted folk sensibility that I can't get away from completely.
ideas people negative
I've been unaware of how people react to the instrument. People have ideas of what a harp is supposed to sound like, and a lot of them are negative ideas.
ideas delight lines
Lyrics are very different. There is a clear line between that and a poem. Something that has been a source of great excitement and delight for me is this idea that I get to rhyme.
classical-music relation experimental-music
I am not doing something that it is experimental music in relation to classical music.
trying sound corny
I am consciously trying not to make it sound Celtic or African.
fundamentals instruments appeals
There's something fundamental to the harp that has retained its appeal my whole life. It's an instrument I am just in love with.