 |
"Be careful what you wish for. Enjoy every day." |
ANNE MCCUE: BALLAD OF AN OUTLAW WOMAN
Guitarist-singer-songwriter Anne McCue’s latest album is entitled ROLL and is available on Messenger Records. Anne grew up in Sydney, Australia but has traveled the world with her guitar in hand. She has wowed audiences with her intense slide playing skills and blues based songwriting. A true artist, Anne has never given up on her dream of self-expression through music and art. Check out Roll and turn it UP! We think you’ll agree that the CD should have been named Rock and Roll because it does just that!
FPE: Do you track your guitar and vocals simultaneously or during different takes?
Anne McCue: “Actually, it's a mixture. I think it's preferable to do the live vocal thing but it's often just a matter of confidence or getting the words right. On $50 Whore, Machine Gun, Hangman and Ballad Of An Outlaw Woman we tracked the vocals and guitar live. Some of the others I hadn't finished the lyrics, or I really wanted to concentrate on getting the guitar part right, or I didn't feel confident.
Who are your musical influences?
“Everything I've ever heard has influenced me in some way of course, whether it's to do with what not to do, or what to do. This album, I'd have to say Neil Young, Lucinda Williams, Tony Joe White, Nick Cave, Leonard Cohen, The Byrds, Jimi Hendrix and John Lee Hooker.
What brand of strings are you using?
“D'Addario.”
 What is your main electric guitar?
“A 1979 Les Paul Custom with triple humbuckers.”
What do you typically write first - your music or your lyrics?
“Usually the music, but the lyric ideas follow fast.”
How has your extensive touring helped your playing?
“It's helped me a lot. Doing so much solo touring got me in touch with my songs more. I could see and hear more clearly where the songs were coming from and how they should be recorded. The Lucinda Williams tour opened my eyes as far as that was concerned as I realized that I didn't need to add a whole lot of stuff to make my songs work. They work with just the vocals and guitar so we really just needed bass and drums.”
Tell us about the recording of the song Hangman on your recent release Roll. That's a great slide part in there...and how did you get that cool vocal effect?
“Well, I played lap steel on that one which is a new instrument for me. Because it's so new I have a real sense of abandon with it - nobody's told me how it should be played. And I sang through a five watt amp with the overdrive turned up. We did that one live-in-the-studio.” Did you study guitar formally?
“For a couple of years I studied music theory and guitar with this Australian jazz legend called Bruce Clark. He'd been playing guitar for about fifty years and was a real task master. It was hell but good discipline. Of course now I try to forget all that I learnt when I play.”
Do you have any special tunings you'd like to share?
“Well, I have some secret tunings that I won't share just yet. But then I use open D tunings and DADGAD as well. Sometimes it's good just to change one string but I usually change all which is hell in the live situation.”
Do you set your guitar's action high to accommodate your slide playing?
“Not on my Les Paul or my acoustic. I'm yet to come by a dobro but I do have an ARIA hollow body that I just set up for slide but I haven't been able to spend time with it just yet.”
The leads on Roll and Nobody's Sleeping are smoking. Do you compose your solos in advance or improvise them?
“Well, with Nobody's Sleeping, I had a melodic idea but Dusty (producer) said to start out with something more dissonant. Like what Neil might do, for instance. So one thing led to another with that. Roll was another instance of us just playing the song for the first time and seeing what happens. So I came up with the riff and middle solo on the spot. Then Dusty had the cool idea of overdubbing several different lead breaks for the outro and he said, just play the blues. It was a real workout for me. At first I was playing too many notes and Dusty suggested I simplify the parts. Interesting.”
How do you feel meditation has helped your music career?
“It definitely helped me focus. Before I did the meditation course I was floating around without direction. After I did it I gave up drinking for five years in which time I really got a lot of things done instead of sitting around dreaming of the things I wanted to do. Also, I deal with my anxiety better now and it doesn't take up as much of my time. more time
to be creative and productive.”
What advice do you have for aspiring guitarists and songwriters?
“Be prepared for rejection. Unless you have rich parents, be prepared to go without nice things. Focus, practice, and just get into the music. Beware the devils dangling the carrots. But it is a business, so you have to face that too. Nobody succeeds by mistake. Even Kurt Cobain was entirely focused on succeeding in the music business. He just didn't like what he found at the top, I guess. Be careful what you wish for. Enjoy every day.
Official Website: http://www.annemccue.com
Record Company: http://www.messengerrecords.com |
