Interview with Tanya Donelly

Over the past few weeks Newport musician Bob Kendall has curated a series of acoustic shows at the brand new upstairs venue located at The Salvation Cafe on 140 Broadway in The City By The Sea. Rhode Island-based musical acts and artists such as Haunt The House, Allysen Callery, The Silks’ Tyler-James Kelly, Jess Powers, Smith & Weeden, Luke Randall and William Schaff have been part of the series so far and on Jan 29 and 30, a highly influential Newport native will be headlining. You might know her from ’80s alternative rockers Throwing Muses or ’90s alt-pop act Belly, but Tanya Donelly has also forged a path as a solo musician. I had a chat with her about being entwined in both music scenes in Boston and Providence, nervousness on stage and the Swan Song series.

Rob Duguay: What do you enjoy most about playing in your hometown?

 

Tanya Donelly: It’s been a really long time; I guess it’s been about 15 years or maybe longer. It’s interesting because in looking forward to it I feel comfortable and also really terrified. I think because it is a room full of people who have watched me grow up and vice versa. It can be a very nice feeling and I’m really looking forward to that and most specifically looking forward to playing with the musicians I grew up with and who sort of made me the musician I am now. It can also be nervewracking to sit in front of these people.

&nbsp

RD: Around these parts, musically it’s always been a tale of two cities with Providence and Boston. You’ve made your mark in both areas by putting yourself in both music scenes, sometimes at the same time. People say that there’s a little rivalry between the cities, especially now when both Providence and Boston have so many talented local musicians performing and honing their chops. What’s your opinion on what’s happening in both cities right now? Is it any different than when you were starting out in the early ’80s?

 

TD: I think that scenes always regenerate themselves generationally; that just happens and it’s always been the case. I can’t really speak about what’s new about what’s coming out of either city, which is sort of shameful, but for the most part when I play out and when I go out, it is to see the old guard of people that I continue to write with and play with. Occasionally there will be somebody new who floats into my limited orbit, but for the most part I’m not as on top of things as I used to be. Rhode Island has the most amazingly fertile, creative soil. There’s non-stop artistry and there’s this musical reinvention that always happens, which is pretty amazing. Boston has that too, but most of the people there came from somewhere else where in Rhode Island there are a lot of natives, which makes it a little bit different.

 

RD: You mentioned earlier that you feel a little “terrified” about performing at The Salvation Cafe. Some musicians I know have said that they feel a little more nervous performing by themselves than performing with a band. So what do you do to calm the nerves when it’s just you and an acoustic guitar?

 

TD: I’ve remedied that by asking people to come play with me tonight. I have Dave Narcizo, who I played with during my time in Throwing Muses; Fred Abong, who has played with me in both Throwing Muses and Belly; Gail Greenwood, who was in Belly with me; Bob Kendall and his brother are going to play; my husband is going to play; and Craig Jordan, who I’ve collaborated with a lot, is going to be on stage with me. So I’m having people stepping on and off with me all night.

 

RD: So you kind of have an all-star collaboration thing going on.

 

TD: Yea, I am a collaborator and a team player. I don’t like doing things by myself. For me, music is a communal experience so that’s how I always choose to do it.

 

RD: That’s a great way to look at it. You can very well be considered one of the first torch bearers of independent music in the early 1980s, so what do you think has changed the most when it comes to independent music in the last 30 years?

 

TD: The most glaring change is the fact that people are genuinely DIY now on a level that was not possible back when I was starting. I know there are a lot of quirks and issues to work out on the Internet in terms of people being unfairly treated via Internet distribution, but I think in general it has been an amazing tool for people to forge their own musical path in a way that is really exciting. I think it’ll become even more empowering in the future.

 

RD: Do you think that there will be a big growth in digital purchases because of the Internet, or do you think that the boom in vinyl sales will combat that and both will come to a head?

 

TD: I think they are very complementary to each other, to be honest. I think having it available in both formats is perfect. In a lot of instances, the vinyl people are calling for the vinyl after the digital release, and so the one leads to the other and I don’t think they’re mutually exclusive. I like having something in my hands.

 

RD: Would you consider yourself a vinyl junkie?

 

TD: Yes. I have a 15-year-old who genuinely is; she’s a huge collector and that’s pretty much all of what she listens to when it comes to music. I am to a certain extent, even though I’m much more iPod focused than she is. She’ll be up in her room with the turntable and I’ll be downstairs listening on the iPod, so that’s a tad odd. That tactile experience of having something in your hands, I think it’s a human impulse so I feel that vinyl will always exist, CDs will always exist or whatever else it is that’s in your hand is still part of music. I don’t think that digital will ever replace the need to hold something.RD: I think that people naturally enjoy the physical aspect of things and that need itself will either neutralize digital music or at least keep the two level. Recently you’ve been doing a series of EPs called the Swan Song Series, with the most recent 5th volume being released last year in March. You’ve referred to the series in the past as your way of taking control of an exit strategy as you retire from the music industry. Is your show at The Salvation Cafe one of your final shows or will you still be making music over the next few years?

 

TD: I’m still going to be making music for the next few years, but the reason it’s called the Swan Song Series, which is slightly tongue in cheek, is because it’s a series without a definitive end. It’s the last outlet, basically, so whatever the last song that appears in the Swan Song Series is that’ll be the last song, period. I don’t have a time, there’s no end date to that. Mainly because I’m continuing to collaborate and people are still sending me stuff. Authors are sending me stories and musicians are sending me music. So until that dries up, I’ll continue on recording EPs. That’s the plan anyway.

 

RD: So would you say that you’re playing it by ear with this timetable?

 

TD: Yeah, I am playing it by ear. I’m not going to be doing big world tours or any of that kind of stuff anymore. I’m envisioning in the next couple of years just focusing on the benefits that I do; I will always say yes to that. There is going to be a point where I’m not seeking out proper shows anymore.

 

RD: Now what does the post-music career of Tanya Donelly have in store?

 

TD: I’m sort of a very part-time postpartum doula, I work with new moms a lot. I’m not sure, I do focus on my kids quite a bit so that’s a huge priority for me.

 

The Jan 29 show at The Salvation Cafe is sold out but there might be tickets available for Jan 30’s theatrics. Regardless, you can listen in on 90.3 WRIU where Boudin Barndance will be live broadcasting the show. Bring a canned good that will be given to families in need courtesy of the Martin Luther King Community Center. See you there and don’t be square.
Tanya Donelly’s website: tanyadonelly.com