“Inspired by romantic relationships that get one crazy like in the best (and worst) of ways” — McKinney James’ “Crazy Like”
Sunday Songwriting Sessions at Wonderland Studios ATX. What inspired you and Eric to start the songwriting sessions?
Parenthood! Eric and I have much in common aside from music, in that we both started our respective families in our late thirties. Up until that time, we had no greater priority, cause for scheduling Sunday Songwriting Sessions. We simply met up at studio whenever we wanted, whenever there was a project, and for however long it took to complete the project.
Enter blooming families, with all the joy and work involved, and studio projects slid further and further down the priority list. We would meet up every once in a while, spend half the session catching up and exchanging stories about life and kids, lol, and the other half on writing and production. Until we faced the fact that if we intended to regularly turnout music, we had to make the time to put in the work, at least schedule and commit to a consistent weekly studio meetup.
Out of that commitment, and with the gracious support of our significant others, Sunday Songwriting Sessions were born, providing us both a nice little slice of work-life balance.
“Crazy Like” has a swampy-alt-country sound. How did you choose this particular sound for the song?
Lyrics alone, we knew immediately that Crazy Like wasn’t a contemporary country song. Like a teenager, it had a bit of attitude. Initially wading through lyrics and melody, we did so to an acoustic blues rhythm. I mean, what genre hasn’t been influenced by blues. Thereafter we started playing with sounds that would be a natural fit, alt-country quite familiar and fun for us. We just needed a little something extra that came in the form of a “swampy” stamp.
Swamp music has many sub-genres, making it difficult to define. One more commonality as duo McKinney James is that neither of us are tied to any particular genre and both enjoy music that doesn’t necessarily fit into this box or that box, and often find ourselves in a quandary defining exactly our own songs and sounds. The underpinning rock-blues-Southern “swamp” rhythm in Crazy Like was an instinctive production direction for us in creating another hybrid-esque tune.
Inspired by romantic relationships that get one crazy like in the best (and worst) of ways, I walked into the studio with my trusty notepad, the opening line in hen scratch — You got me Crazy Like the cover of a dirty book, so sexy I just can’t put it down. To which Eric and I looked at each other and asked, “Can we say that on a record?” Guess we know the answer to that question ;) What topics have you not written about but hope to soon?
An eternal optimist I find most uncomfortable topics of loss and grief. Even though they are facts of life, as universal as love and joy. It is not loss and grief that I am uncomfortable with, exactly, but more so the vulnerability associated with sharing those feelings. Defining and condensing them down and putting them on a record, completely bare with no detachment, seems a daunting task. Yet stepping outside one’s comfort zone, pushing that envelope, yields growth in not only art but in life in general.
We have a song on deck, Fall Heavy, that was inspired by loss, a miscarriage I experienced between my firstborn and last born. We took a swipe at it a while ago, but emotionally, vocally, I wasn’t there. I got in the recording booth and completely detached, unwilling to get uncomfortable, you know. Even sharing that here is a bit unpleasant. But perhaps the sharing, the acknowledgment will encourage some boldness.
I appreciated the nostalgia, the memory, of sneaking my mother’s Harlequin Romance novels off the bookshelf as a teenager…and leafing through to the “good bits,” lol. Shout out to your MIL for inspiring this song and e-book readers for letting more people read ‘steamy’ books without everyone knowing. Just one more way in which books and music often come together in inspiring my creative space. As an author, have any of your books been inspired by music?
The obvious answer to this question is my first novel, The Boots My Mother Gave Me, an Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Quarter-Finalist, that has its own original music soundtrack, making for a unique Audible experience. I was writing both the novel and the soundtrack at the same time, so it was difficult even for me to discern whether the songs inspired more the book or the book inspired more the songs. A truly organic process, they both came to fruition at the same time. And perhaps ahead of their time in 2010!
Nowadays “book playlists” are quite popular, whether created by authors or fans. So it’s quite evident that authors use music as inspiration for their stories, characters, and scenes. And that readers are equally inspired, creating their own book playlists that underscore for them the story being told. I have recently noticed quite a few books that come with original soundtracks. Although the majority of those I’ve seen are collaborations, where an author writes the book and an artist, perhaps of the author’s choosing, writes the album/soundtrack. We were definitely onto something special with Boots, both book and soundtrack coming from the mind/emotions of the same author/singer-songwriter.
Yet perhaps my favorite line from the song is You got me Crazy Like Chris Stapleton at the Super Bowl. Which other artists have influenced your songwriting?
Eric and I have similar tastes in music, quite varied overall, which makes for a natural fit in working together as a duo. From there, we’ve whittled it down from what we like as listeners to what we’re capable of as artists. The majority of what we’ve worked on together easily pulls inspiration from Sheryl Crow and Stevie Nicks/Fleetwood Mac, a few of our all-time faves, with our own twist of alt-country-pop production. At times, particularly if we’re working on songs to pitch, we’ll go a little more contemporary. It’s always a fine line, pulling from influences while staying true to your own sound.
Cardio workouts and choreography — how did your daughter’s 4th grade musical theater program go?
It is going! We’re well into the second month of rehearsals, whipping them into shape for performances come mid-April. In the past they have covered some Disney Jr. terrain with The Jungle Book and Moana. This year they are tackling a classic in The Wizard of Oz, a bit more dialogue-heavy with some physical acting prowess to add to their repertoire. They amaze us every year with their enthusiasm and hard work in putting together performances all can take great pride in. Proof that extracurriculars such as arts are as essential to the growth and development of our children as required curriculum.
The Boots My Mother Gave Me