Sharon Van Etten’s earliest music was undeniably restrained. Armed with only her haunting voice and an acoustic guitar, she debuted with songs about a cruel breakup. When she made her first appearance in Chicago in September 2009 at the Empty Bottle as part of the Wire magazine’s Adventures in Modern Music festival, supporting her debut, Because I Was in Love (Language of Stone), her music was gentle and reserved, but there was nothing tentative about her talent and emotional intensity. With her new album, Tramp (Jagjaguwar), she’s turned that inner strength outward, through her powerful voice and songs marked by hard-earned triumph. Van Etten plays Lincoln Hall on Thu 2/16 and Fri 2/17 (see page B10 for more); she’s interviewed here by Chris Salveter of Judson Claiborne (and formerly of Low Skies), a guy who also knows something about transmitting your innermost thoughts through a powerful set of pipes. —Peter Margasak
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So you’re on a bit of a break from touring? I’m getting ready to leave in a week. And then I’ll be gone for a year.
I read something you said that was really nice, how returning to folk songs is like looking through old photographs, and by doing that you create a space for yourself to heal from whatever wounds the song might’ve sprung from. I feel music is the most universal language we have. I think about songs that I wrote when I was going through something really intense and that helped me get through it. I don’t feel like everyone would have that kind of connection to it, but I feel like it’s very common.
I don’t think so. I don’t know if the Sesame Street guys can be considered Muppets. Sorry, like Miss Piggy, right? What other Muppets are there? Beaker? He’s really helpful and he’s kind of klutzy, kind of nerdy, which is kind of how I roll. He’s not pretentious at all.
Can you foresee doing those kinds of experiments on your own records? Probably in different ways. I’m doing a lot more electronic music these days on the side, minimal vocals and super minimal drums, more ‘scape. I think with something like that it helps to have someone more jazz-oriented directing you a little.
