10/29/2016 Interview with Singer-Songwriter Kym TuvimKym Tuvim's music carries its heart on its sleeve, in the best, truest sense of the term, forging a durable connection with the listener that feels almost immediate, it's the type of thing that stops you in your tracks, what is that song, who is that voice? Songs like “I will” and “Falling Rain” are among the most beautiful, haunting and ultimately painful songs in existence. And it isn't just the incredible lyricism or musicality of her records that stands out, it is the voice that delivers them, as each song feels like a type of arrival, a soul-gift in the darkest of nights. Many songwriters aim in the direction of the heart, but Kym takes aim from her own. There is a way of hugging where two people lean in from the heart, a heart connection, we so often hug with our hearts on opposite sides, it's nearly impossible and awkward to always embrace each other in this way, but when, or if we ever do, it becomes more than a way of greeting a person, it's a way of feeling each others presence from the very root of our person hood, and this, to me, is exactly what the music of Kym Tuvim does, leaning in from the heart, sharing presence, pain, perseverance, all of those things that make for a truly transformative and irreplaceable art. AHC: What has this journey, this life in music been like for you, both the highs and lows, and what life lessons do you feel you've picked up along the way? Kym: When I was in 2nd or 3rd grade, one of the questions on a school paper asked something about personal identity. I don't remember the exact wording of the question, but I answered: "I am a musician", though I probably didn't spell everything correctly! I wrote my first song when I was 9 because I felt sure that I could. It was the singular thing in my life, at that time, about which I felt confident and able. And, I'm so grateful that I had music and songwriting to lean into when I was growing up, and to have stayed on this path, even when I didn't feel so connected. Music has brought fabulously gifted and magical friends into my life, sometimes for a brief time, and sometimes for years. Music and songwriting helped me heal after my Mom passed away in 2001. It's given me my profession as a music teacher, and that is something I will always be profoundly grateful for. I never intended to be a teacher, but I've come to understand that it's a big part of why I'm here on the planet. The life lessons I've learned on my own path, I try to pass on to my students. Lessons like failing and starting again, over and over. Fall down 7 times, get back up 8, right? And, how important it is to do what you feel called to do, even if you don't feel like you know how to do it. Just start. Wing it. Learn more. Keep going. Don't stop because you are afraid to fail. AHC: What first drew you to music and what was your early musical environment like growing up? Were there pivotal songs for you then that just floored you the moment you heard them? Kym: I was very fortunate to grow up in a musical family. My Dad is a musician and my maternal Grandfather was a musician and bandleader. Some of my earliest memories are of sitting at the piano with my Dad or with my Grandpa making up music together. As a family, we always sang in the car on long road trips, and sometimes short ones, too. When I wanted to start to learn how to harmonize, I remember my Dad would sing with me and help me along. There was music playing in our house more often than not. I grew up listening to Count Basie and Duke Ellington, James Taylor and Simon & Garfunkle, Joni Mitchell and John Denver, and so much more. I loved everything, but I was always drawn more to singer/songwriters. Songs that blew my mind and changed my life? I think the first album that really hit me deeply was James Taylor's album "In The Pocket". That entire album floored me. Everything on that record, every song, seeped into me and inspired me to want to write songs. AHC: Do you remember the first song that you ever wrote? Kym: I remember making the decision to write the song. I was 9. I was listening to Golden Moments by James Taylor, and something clicked in my head. I thought, "I can do this. I want to do this." I marched myself out of my bedroom and down the hall to the piano. On the way, I shouted to my Mom who was making dinner in the kitchen, "I'm going to write a song!". She shouted something back like, "That's great, Honey!". I finished the song that day, but I have no memory of what it was about or how it sounded. AHC: Who are some of your musical inspirations? Kym: There are so many people whose music gave me the shivers, made me want to sing, made me want to write, made me want to go to my instruments and play. There are so many, but here are some highlights. From when I was an itty-bitty: James Taylor, Simon & Garfunkle, Seals & Crofts, The Doobie Brothers. From when I hit my pre-teens, teens & young adulthood: Peter Gabriel, Joni Mitchell, Rickie Lee Jones, Tori Amos. In recent years, these are some of the folks I turn back to time and time again for comfort and inspiration: Rufus Wainwright, Kelly Joe Phelps, Rose Cousins, Mathias Duplessy, Xavier Rudd, The Woods Brothers. AHC: What do you think makes for a good song, as you're writing and composing, is there a sudden moment when you know you've found the right mix, that perfect angle of light, so to speak? Kym: Yes, sometimes, I just know it's right. Years ago, I started writing a song in the back of a van while on tour. The song is called, 'Mystery', and it's on the last record I made. The first half of the song came out all together - music, lyrics, melody - all in one go. I had no idea what it was about, but I knew it was potent. I held onto the song, and kept coming back to it over about a 2 year period until I was able to wrap my head around the meaning and finish it. More recently, I wrote a song after breaking with a long time partner. I knew it was strong. When the bridge came out, all at once, fully articulating something that I hadn't even been consciously aware of, I broke down. However, there are also plenty of instances where I've written a song and thought it was not good enough. "In My Head", another song from my last record, and one of the most downloaded songs from that record, almost didn't make the cut because I thought it wasn't strong enough. Clearly, I was wrong about that. AHC: As a listener of music I find a lot of healing takes place, for me, through songs, and I wonder if, from a creators standpoint, it plays a similar role for you, as its author? Kym: Absolutely. For me, songwriting is often synonymous with catharsis. It's how I process what I'm going through. And, it is often a way to access the truths I've been burying unconsciously. That said, whether I've been digging deep into my own awareness or accessing universal knowledge, songwriting has helped me to survive the most difficult and painful experiences of my life. So, yes, it's healing. No doubt about it. AHC: One of my favorite lines in one of your songs is 'How do you get through without coming apart?' I haven't found an answer to this, but it's part of what is so potent and powerful about music, a posing of the unsolvable but indelibly true and hard facts of living, 'I can't feel anymore today, I can't think without something breaking' as you write and sing so beautifully, at its finest moments this is the gift music has to give us, like a hand on the shoulder you didn't expect to feel when you needed it most. To be able to create an effect, a feeling like this in others, in an audience, must be immensely rewarding on an emotional level, it's hard to put words to (and certainly the creating itself must come from its own share of pain) do you see songs as a form of rescue or psychic soul surgery? Kym: I wrote that song after my Mom died. For a while, I wanted to die, too. I was wrestling with the question of staying here on the planet. Trying to understand the point of sticking around. Writing that song broke me down further to help me come through to the other side. So, yes, I definitely see songs as a form of rescue. AHC: What are your favorite on-tour, on-the-road memories? Kym: There was one very long travel day where I started my day in New England, near The Berkshires, and I ended my day in Florida. When I left, it was snowing. I drove and drove. At one point, many hours later, I pulled over for gas in Georgia and opened the car door. The air hit me like a furnace blast. And, the sound of the insects humming was palpable. I remember feeling immensely grateful in that moment for the ability to be a musician and travel, and to be able to have such wonderful adventures. AHC: Do you have any words of advice for young musicians and singer-songwriters out there who are trying to find their voice and their way in this world? Kym: The first thought that comes to mind is this: keep writing and making music, no matter what. When I stopped touring regularly in 2008, I struggled with the reason why I should continue writing songs and making music, even though I had done so for the majority of my life. I got stuck in this question: What's the purpose if I'm not going to make a new record and play shows? To answer this question, I had to go back to when I was a kid, motivated to write songs solely because I felt compelled to. Doing so made me feel happy, accomplished, joyful, and brought me to a cathartic place. When trying to become a 'professional' something, I think that process can be confusing and exhausting for most people. So, my best advice would be to continually go back to your happy place. Make music for yourself. Write songs for yourself. Write and play because you enjoy the challenge and the growth, the kinetic push and pull of digging deep into something and coming through the other side. Write and play because you want to continue to grow as a person, as an artist, as a musician, as a songwriter. And, find people you dig and who dig what you're up to, both musicians and listeners. Build community, even if it's small. AHC: Do you have any new projects in motion you'd like to tell people about? Kym: I'm happy to say that I'll be starting a new recording this year. My last record, Nothing Sweet Nothing, came out in 2008. I played 3 cd release concerts, and then took a sabbatical to get healthy, lose weight and, basically, change my life from the ground up. In the 8 years since, I've written a lot of songs! I also lost about 130lbs, picked up a couple more instruments, and built a home recording studio. That's where I'll be starting the record, and finishing it with Evan Schiller at zulusound in Seattle, who helped me finish my last record. For more visit www.kymtuvim.com/home.html 10/29/2016 10:35:55 am
Good to read all this! Keep 'm coming Kym! Comments are closed.
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