Be there. Our picks for a week's worth of fun. First
person.
IRIS DEMENT
Sam Jemielity.
* 02/19/99
Chicago Tribune
(Copyright 1999 by the Chicago Tribune)
Singer and songwriter Iris DeMent bares her soul in the liner
notes accompanying her three stellar CDs. She talks about growing
up, the youngest of 14 kids, born in the boot heel of Arkansas and
raised by deeply religious, musical parents. She recalls her mom
letting slip an unrealized dream - singing at the Grand Ole Opry.
Her father gave up fiddle-playing for his faith. But these notes
can't convey one crucial gift from them: DeMent's stunning voice.
Her sound is a present to anyone who's heard it live or on 1992's
"Infamous Angel," 1994's "My Life" or 1996's "The Way I Should."
DeMent took a break to talk about her music, which she'll perform on
* Saturday (the concert is sold out) at the Old Town School of Folk
* Music. 773-525-7793.
Q. Is gospel the biggest influence on your music?
A. I grew up around a lot of people from the South, (so) I had a
lot of Southern sound in my life. There's something about that old
gospel singing from that part of the country - it's very open, kinda
full throttle. It's very, like, from-the-gut kinda style of singing.
And I love that sound, and I'm sure I adopted it.
Q. Your first two albums were acoustic and spare, while your third
album is more plugged in. Does that affect the songs you choose to
play on your solo tours?
A. As hard as it may be to picture, all these songs I wrote
standin' in the living room with just me and my guitar and my piano.
... So there's really few of my songs that I feel unable to take out
solo. I think when you see me live ... there's more of a sense of
continuity between the first two and my third record.
Q. Any new songs?
A. Well, I actually have one or two that I just finished the last
coupla days, but I haven't decided if they're good or not yet. So
I'm gonna have to live with'em for a while longer (laughs).
Q. So is there another album coming down the pike?
A. Yes. I have been saying I don't know, but I'm sure that the
answer's yes. I'm workin' right now and I'm close to gettin' some
things finished. I'm hoping that I'll be able to go in and start
working maybe in the fall.
