Interview with Singer-Songwriter Mary Palma

Mary Palma - Photograph by Emily Jean Thomas  www.emilyjeanthomas.com/


AHC: What has this journey, this life in music, so far, been like for you, the highs and the lows, and what life lessons do you feel you've picked up along the way?

Mary: I've always tried to take everything with a grain of salt. I think that's the most important thing. Dream big, but keep it in perspective. Do the work and if it works, it works. I've played to big, responsive crowds and to empty coffee shops where people are wearing headphones. When I lived in Nashville, it could get disheartening. I would see people I knew getting these big opportunities and it's hard not to be jealous. A lot of it was that they were putting in more work, and a lot of it was honestly luck. The best thing I learned in Nashville was to put your work first and make that the best it can be and worry about everything else after. That's why I ended up moving home to Phoenix and eventually writing this album, so that it could be the best it could be. 


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?

Mary: My parents are real hippies. They raised my sisters and I on music like Peter, Paul & Mary, the Grateful Dead, Bruce Springsteen, the Mamas and the Papas... My mom was more into country than my dad, and she played us the Dixie Chicks, George Strait, Faith Hill, Travis Tritt, etc... I remember my first cassette tape that I chose and was really mine was Blue by Leann Rimes. What a voice on that girl. Of course, my sister pulled out all the tapes and cut them with safety scissors. Pivotal songs were ones like "Blowing In The Wind" and "Born To Run." 


AHC: Do you remember the first song that you ever wrote?

Mary: The first one that really sticks out in my mind is a song I wrote when I was in 3rd grade and it was about a princess whose hand maiden told her she had too many shoes and basically the princess was like, "Shut up. No one has too many shoes." Really hard-hitting stuff.


AHC: Who are some of your musical inspirations? Which musicians have you learned the most from?

Mary: One of my biggest and earliest is Bob Dylan. Bruce Springsteen is really up there too. Joni Mitchell, Sheryl Crow, Dolly Parton, Jenny Lewis. I think the person who inspired me to really get into my own music was Avril Lavigne. I was, of course, a huge fan of hers when I was a kid and still kind of am. I really loved her 2011 album Goodbye Lullaby. I've always been drawn to songs with honest lyrics. I think that's what made her so great when she first started, because as much as I love Britney and Christina, they weren't as real. The same goes for Taylor Swift. What I love about her is that even in crowds of 50,000 she can play completely acoustic by herself and everyone in the arena is completely enthralled. From her, I think I've learned to be honest in songs and not let a fear of what people might think get in the way. She could have left out details in "All Too Well" so no one would know who it was about, but it wouldn't be the same, for her or us. The magic of that song lies in the details.


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?

Mary: The most important thing for me is honesty. If I feel like a song I write doesn't have something to relate to, I don't like it. It doesn't necessarily mean that everything you write has to be true, it just has to be real. I don't think there's ever a real ah-ha moment for me. Usually I write something, play it for a while and the good ones keep getting played and the less good ones fall off setlists. When I went to put together the tracklist for this album, I looked at what songs I love playing the most and what songs I've been playing longest. 


AHC: How has your music evolved since you first began playing?

Mary: First off, it's gotten a lot better. Besides that though, I think I've found my niche, where I want to be. When I first started playing, I didn't know what I wanted from it, and I couldn't always hear the whole song. I still write in the same ways, but I've gotten better at hearing the production.


AHC: Do you consider music to be a type of healing art, the perfect vehicle through which to translate a feeling, a state of rupture, hope lost and regained? Does the writing and creating of the song save you in the kinds of ways that it saves us, the listener?

Mary: Absolutely. Dave Matthews says in Funny the Way It Is "Someone's broken heart becomes your favorite song" and that is the truest statement I can think of. I think if I didn't write, I'd go completely insane. I've never been good at keeping journals or venting to friends, so I just write what I'm feeling into songs. Maybe that's why all my songs are sad.


AHC: What are your fondest musical memories? In your house? In your neighborhood or town? On-tour, on-the-road?

Mary: My first concert was the Backstreet Boys in 2001. I will always hold that so dear. This year, I got to see Bruce Springsteen and the man played for 4 straight hours. It set the bar pretty high for any show I ever go to now. I've seen my girl Taylor Swift twice, and both were wonderful shows. Death Cab for Cutie is my all time favorite and I've seen them at least 7 times. Noah Gundersen, Liza Anne, Matt Hires and Jenny Lewis have put on my favorite shows in the last year. 


AHC: What would be your dream gig, if you were asked to go on tour and open up for one of your musical heroes or heroines? 

Mary: Taylor Swift, for obvious reasons. Besides just the sheer honor of it, it's a no-brainer career wise. We could gel, even with her new pop sound. I'd love to go out on tour with Keith Urban or Kacey Musgraves, too.


AHC: Do you have any words of advice for other musicians and singer-songwriters out there who are just starting out and trying to find their voice and their way in this world?

Mary: Just keep writing. When I was 17, my friend Leah signed on the inside of her CD cover to me, "Keep writing" and every time I get down on myself, or feel like my "career"isn't going how I want it to, that's what I think about. Do the work. Don't listen to people who say you HAVE to do this or that, just do what feels right for you. When I was younger, I tried to write a song every day and I ended up frustrated and confused and out of material. Now, I only write if I have something specific I want to say. Even then, that's not a one-size-fits-all.


AHC: Do you have any new projects in the works you'd like to tell people about?

Mary: Nothing in the works, but I'm excited to see what's next!



For more information visit www.maryplaysmusic.com/

To purchase and listen to Mary's brand new release 'Drinkin' About You' visit maryplaysmusic.bandcamp.com/album/drinkin-about-you