INTERVIEW: ISMAY Finds Poetry in Home Ground Ahead of New Album Desert Pavement
When we last checked in with ISMAY, they had come off fresh from their appearance on the Apple TV+ reality show My Kind of Country and the release of their album Songs of Sonoma Mountain. As ISMAY explained in their interview with Staci B, they are a bluegrass lifer who finds joy in traditionalism. Their next album, Desert Pavement, will be out on January 26th, so ISMAY checked back in with Rainbow Rodeo to give us a preview of what’s next.
ISMAY’s interview will appear in issue 4 of Rainbow Rodeo next year! Get caught up on issues 1 and 3 here!
Explain the title of your album.
One of my obsessions over the past decade has been the natural world. In my work I love looking for ways to talk about how we see the synthetic vs. the natural world, and I often find my titles and artwork inspired by these inquiries.
A few years ago I attended the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering and attended a poetry workshop, where the teacher suggested this book called Home Ground: A Guide to the American Landscape. In there I found a term— “Desert Pavement.” This natural phenomenon is described as such: “In extremely arid places a combination of extreme environmental forces may combine to form desert pavement: broad barren areas of closely packed stony material, winnowed by the wind and abraded by sand…in hyper-arid areas, no seeds germinate…the more they are hardened by environmental forces, the more unlikely their breakup becomes.”
For me that so well describes the creation of an album. All of these forces come together to form a series of songs that capture a place in time, but ultimately all of the sounds become fixed in place. That is something that is so inspiring yet frustrating about making a record, is the way it sits in a pavement like form even as we change as artists and people.
Do you have any songwriting tips you can share?
This biggest thing I have learned about how to improve my songwriting is to do it in blocks of time with no distraction. Ideally you should sit down for 45 minutes to 1.5 hours without a break, no phone, no email, no social media. It is better to sit and be bored in silence, because I promise eventually an idea will come about. I love to follow inspiration when it comes, but I really don’t count on it and try to just put the time in. I find that whether I have I song I write from inspiration or from intentional blocks of time, it’s equally likely the song will be good.
Who would you love to collaborate with? why?
I would love to collaborate with Orville Peck on recording one day. I’m very curious to see his process. I’ve read that he played many of the parts on his record Pony. That is so totally opposite of how I approach recording. I really rely on others to bring their instrumental and creative capabilities to the room, and I am not able to tell other people exactly what to play. But because Orville Peck is capable of playing everything on a great record, I would love to see how that works. I think it’s amazing when an artist can hear exactly what they want from different instruments, and while I may never be that way, I’d like to work with someone who can do that.
How do you manage having a good time at shows, but also trying to stay mentally and physically fit?
One thing I do accept as part of being an artist, is that it’s normal to have deep angst about our worthiness. There will always be highs and lows, and I’ve found it helpful to come to peace with the fact that there are waves we ride in our careers. I shy away from seeking admiration, and would rather earn respect. That same principle applies to playing shows. In my normal life I find it hard to allow myself to feel my emotions, but for some reason playing music that’s totally do-able for me. I don’t know, maybe I allow myself to be a more impassioned and real person as an artist than just as my day-to-day self.
I manage my fitness in a few ways. I don’t really drink or use any substances, and I never drink enough to feel effects before performing. I did that once and it went terribly. When I’m on tour I love the opportunity to just go out an take walks in the randomest places. I’ll do a walk-about anywhere from the side of the road in the remote stretches of Utah, to a charming city walk bike path through neighborhoods. It’s the greatest gift of being a musician to get to have purpose in places you’d never otherwise go.
What are some of the best venues you’ve played? Why?
There is something intangible about certain venues and certain nights where you connect with the audience, and those are always the best shows. Someone might think that playing a huge venue is the best type of gig, but that’s not really the case for me. My absolute favorite venues have been places where the audience is transported into another realm along with me. Also, when the people at the venue make you feel like you’re all part of a team that is fantastic. One venue that always makes me feel that way is The Chapel in San Francisco. I recently played Bristol’s Cider House in Atascadero CA opening for Sunny War and that felt great in that right way too.
Desert Pavement will be out on January 26th. In the meantime, get a stocking stuffer for you or your favorite queer country lover and snag a copy of Rainbow Rodeo!
