Dec. 07, 2011 - Issue #842: Hroses

Back to the studio

Kim Stockwood brings her first album in five years to Edmonton

Kim Stockwood
Thu, Dec 8 (7:30 pm)
Shell Theatre, Fort Saskatchewan
 

Fri, Dec 9 & Sat, Dec 10 (7:30 pm)
Arden Theatre, St Albert
 

A member of the Juno-nominated pop group Shaye until its 2009 break-up, Kim Stockwood's solo work was what brought her acclaim in the first place. Having released Back to the Water—her first solo album in five years, consisting largely of her favourite Newfoundland-penned songs—this past March, and with upcoming shows around the capital city, Stockwood took the time to talk about her latest endeavour.
 

Vue Weekly: How long did it take to make Back to the Water from the initial songwriting through to the end of the recording?

Kim Stockwood: Well I guess it took 10 years, and a lifetime in a way. I've always dreamed of doing it. The only original on Back to the Water was started about 10 years ago and only finished during the recording.


VW: When you were writing the songs, did you come at them in a particular way? Lyrics first? Music first?

KS: I only wrote a handful of songs for the record. Only one original made it. Every song is different, some start with lyrics some with music.


VW: What were the recording sessions like for this album? Is this the kind of thing you recorded live off the floor or did you piece it together one track at a time? Why?

KS: The recording was an incredible experience. It took us over seven months to finish. We had to do it in bits and pieces because I live in Toronto and I was pretty adamant that everything was done in St John's. A lot was done off the floor and then other tracks added.


VW: Were there any other songs written that were left off the album?

KS: There was one original that was left off, I guess because it wasn't 100 percent finished. Sometimes songs are not ready to be recorded. But I know it will be some day.

VW: How did you decide which songs to include on the album? Did you have an idea of what you wanted Back to the Water to be when you started, or did the finished shape emerge as the writing and recording went along?

KS: Choosing the songs for this record was the most difficult thing. I wanted to record my favourite Newfoundland songs and there were so many! They all revealed themselves in some way, we tried a whole bunch and some just didn't sound right or just didn't work out. I knew I wanted this record to be the most acoustic record I've ever done. I'm very thankful it turned out the way it did!

VW: You tapped Glen Tilley to produce the album. What drew you to him and what did he bring to the process?

KS: I'd known Glen Tilley through his work with CBC Radio for years. Always respected him and his work. My manager suggested him and I'm so glad she did. I trusted him completely with these songs. Recording songs that have been recorded a lot over the years is a difficult task. I loved his vision. It would have been a far different record if he wasn't the producer.


VW: If you were to trace the musical map that led you to Back to the Water, what would it look like? 

KS: Wow, cool question. I guess in a lot of ways I have gone right back to the beginning. The first song I ever demoed was "The St John's Waltz" [and] it was the first song I recorded for this record. With every record I've made I knew I wanted to do something more and more acoustic/voice based. With Shaye, my favourite songs were those that were a bit more traditional/roots based. I think one of the best things about getting older is that you know what you want to do. I'm so happy I got to make this record the way I did.

vueweekly.com comments: powered by Disqus