Mar. 11, 2009 - Issue #699: Witch

Romi Mayes

Ouch!: Romi Mayes is achin' in her bones

Winnipeg songwriter Romi Mayes scored big with her last album, Sweet Somethin’ Steady, when she hooked up with Texan producer Gurf Morlix, who was behind the board for a few of Lucinda Williams’s earlier records, along with a host of other artists. The teaming of Mayes and Morlix was an ideal fit, and the two of them recently wrapped up a second album together, Achin In Yer Bones. Mayes spoke with Vue Weekly about the collaboration.

 

VUE WEEKLY: This is the second album you’ve done with Gurf Morlix at the helm. Did you know you were going to work with him again after finishing Sweet Somethin’ Steady?


ROMI MAYES: Yeah, pretty much. I wasn’t a hundred per cent sure what was gonna happen, but the way it went was Sweet Somethin’ Steady was such a success and people liked it so much and then Gurf and I, we toured together, we stayed really close friends. I’d go visit with him and his wife and we’d go fishing. He’d already been privy to some of the writing I’d been doing and already had ideas, so by the time it was time to plan another album I knew I was going to use Gurf again, for sure.

 

VW: Was the recording process different this time, having done it once already?


RM: The chemistry between us was already there—our music sensibilities we had learned were the same, we’d spent a lot of time over the last few years listening to music together, going to see shows together and talking music together, so we knew we were on the same page. And then the fact that we were such good friends—last time when we did Sweet Somethin’ Steady we had to sort of find how to communicate with each other a little bit more sensitively, we were sort of being careful of how we said things and trying to be respectful, but this time we were just so relaxed, so the producer to artist relationship was so secure that the trust was there. 
 

And this time I had a lot more production say as well because I knew my boundaries with Gurf a little bit better, rather than with Sweet Somethin’ Steady I just sort of humbled myself completely to him and listened and learned. This time I went in with a little bit more confidence that I had a lot to bring to the table with ideas, and we sort of worked together more. He still played the role of producer really well, he still pulled out the best of songs and of me through the whole process, but it was smoother, it was almost safer to work together.

 

VW: What did Gurf bring to the album as a producer?

RM: If any other producer had approached this album it would have sounded completely different. The songs would still be somewhat the same—I mean, he didn’t rearrange the songs, I maintained the arrangements that I had—but the approach to each song, the groove to each song. Gurf’s style is a lot of half-time beats and a lot of space, and he’s really great with getting guitar tones and that’s such an important part of this album. This album’s sound is a lot of electric guitars and space, so I think if it was a different producer it could have ended up being just a straight rock ‘n’ roll album for all I know. I think that the producer’s role is often understated in a lot of albums. V 

Fri, Mar 13 (8 pm)
Romi Mayes
Haven Social Club, $15

New comments for this entry have been turned off and any existing ones are hidden. We apologize for any inconvenience.