The last time I spoke with Kelley Smith was just before her debut album, Moon Child, was released in 2022. So much for to catch up with her to learn more about her sophomore album, Flowers.
I love the new album, Flowers. What makes you most proud of the second album?
Thank you! And well, I’m proud that I finished it. A lot of growth and hard life happened in between “Moon Child” (2022) and this. It would have been reasonable to step away from this kind of effort, but instead I chose to take my time and let the album unfold slowly. As a result, it is very sentimental. From the folks who contributed to it [Adam Krinsky, Jed and Ariana LaPlant, Kathryn Severing Fox, diane from Liatris Records], to the songs themselves, and even the artwork. One of the recording sessions happened at my childhood home in the woods near Mille Lakes Lake, where I took a break to walk down to the water at dusk. I took some photos, which ended up as the cover art. Unfiltered, and a little foggy – like memories can be.
Please tell me about the song Flowers. The listener never comes to the song with empty hands, but it feels like a song about wanting something for somebody more than they want it themselves.
I knew that when I decided to include “Flowers” on the record, I’d want to say little about it. I didn’t plan to write it. It just kind of happened on a late night in the kitchen – it was cathartic. A release of tension, a scream, and…hopefully now a safe space for anyone listening to it for unresolved emotions / feelings of powerlessness in the face of someone suffering, who is dearly loved. In this case a parent and a child. I’m glad to share this song, because I feel like it’s a space not often offered to mothers, in music.
The idea of the Flowers Waltz is a great shift of gears. Which came first, the waltz or the song with lyrics and how are they connected?
In the past year, especially, I’ve composed a bajillion waltzes and other things on what I call my son’s piano. He’s a gifted player, and his grandparents acquired the piano for him and helped us heave it into our living room. It shows up several times on the record. I sit and play when I want to enjoy music without any pressure, and so I rarely record the compositions. They arrive for a moment, and then they’re gone. This one however, I recorded as a voice memo on my phone – while he was downstairs pounding out a jaunty Gershwin tune on a keyboard. The juxtaposition of the two musical moods made me grin. Flowers Waltz has a feeling of innocence, and when I hear it, I picture all of my kids – young – in a flower field. I included the waltz on the record because it’s a hopeful lift. A juxtaposition. I don’t recall which came first, but including it was a last minute decision that I’m pretty happy with.
I am a big fan of Neutral Milk Hotel and they historical song. The dip into time is so rich, as it is with Lydia. I wonder if it’s inspired by a real story or person or just a figment of your imagination?
It’s a real story. I also entered into it and used my imagination, some. But a lot of the lyrics are actual details about my Polish Grandmother, who was taken in 1939 by Nazi’s. And never saw her family again. This was another cathartic write. I spelled out her full (real) name in the liner notes, for anyone who has the LP / CD. There’s a book about this, too: “Wearing the Letter P” – about Polish women as forced laborers in Nazi Germany. It’s very specific but this is also a universal thing. Still.
Please tell us about your upcoming tour.
For our Twin Cities community, there will be a show at The Cedar Cultural Center on January 8. One of my favorite guitarists/artists Mike Munson will start the night off at 8pm, in trio form with Lars-Erik Larson on drums and Nick Salisbury on bass. I’ll be joined by my friends, the LaPlants: Jed + Ariana LaPlant of the MN band Wild Horses, as well as Emily LaPlant of LaPlant Road. This is a rare occurence! We’re looking forward to it. Tickets are available at www.thecedar.org/events, and we’d be so grateful if folks purchase in advance. ALSO – Coming up very shortly, is a duo release tour with my good friend Kelly Hunt from Memphis. She has just released her third full length work “Requiem For A Sleepless Night.” I’m a big fan. Check my website for details and tickets. We’ll be in Aitkin, MN / Cambridge, MN / Ft Atkinson, WI / Ames, IA / Holmen, WI / Elkader, IA / Des Moines, IA from November 12-November 22. Thank you so much, Mostly MN!
