Mary Bragg someone you should know
Interview Conducted on Jan. 05,2019
by Daniel Locke
Acclaimed Nashville singer/songwriter and “Americana Queen” (Noisey) Mary Bragg announced today the release of her new album Violets As Camouflage on March 1st, 2019 via Tone Tree Music. Self-produced and self-engineered at her home studio in Nashville, TN, the fourteen-song collection is both beautiful and blunt, the work of an artist only just beginning to embrace the full range of her talents. This morning, Bragg released her new single “Fixed,” a tender, string-flecked track which takes on the skewed self-perception that many women grow up battling.
Daniel Locke: How do you descript yourself?
Mary Bragg: Small town girl turned city go-getter who loves to sing and write songs.
How do you define your music?
Focused on real-life experiences of my own and the things I see around me. It’s folk-Americana, sometimes soft and easy, sometimes heart-wrenching because you know – life.
What was your musical upbringing like?
Lots of singing in school, church, and at home – my family was and is very musical. I’m lucky to have been surrounded by beautiful, hard-working people who loved having music in their lives. Classical, rock, pop, country; we had a wide range of preferences since there were so many of us (I’m the youngest of four kids).
Do you remember your first performance?
I do – I sang at Swainsboro Middle School during the intermission of some function, probably a beauty pageant. I had my hair curled and my bangs high; it was the early 90s.
What is your favorite guitar year and make and model? And do you have a nickname for it?
My favorite guitars are ones I don’t yet own! One day I’d love to have a Gibson J-45 or a Martin D-28. The two guitars I have are lovely, though – my first guitar is a Martin DM that Santa Claus brought me in 1997. I still love guitar and even played it on my new album. My other acoustic is Gibson L4A that I tour a lot with. It’s gorgeous and that reminds me, I need to change my strings!
Being you have been a singer/songwriter since 2004. Where have you been?
Mary Bragg
Haha, I’ve been working hard at getting better at all the things – observing people and life situations with empathy and turning it into songs that are worth something. I’m always working to become a better performer, singer, and guitar player. And even though I’ve been at this thing for a good long while, it sure can take a bit of time for all those things to align and become something worthy of anyone’s time.
How has Nashville been for you?
Nashville’s fantastic because of the community here. Everyone wants you to make good work, learn more, get better, and succeed. And because so many of us are songwriters and musicians, there’s so much knowledge to go around, and lucky for the new kids in town (like I was 5 years ago), people so generously share it.
You call home Nashville. What are some of the best clubs to watch live music in Nashville?
The 5 Spot, The Basement, Family Wash (RIP), Rudy’s Jazz Room, City Winery.
In 2017 you were named by NPR, for the best for your LP Lucky Strike. What did you think after you hear that?
Mary Bragg
It honestly made my year. It was so out of the blue since the record had come out 7 months earlier. I remember texting my best friend, squealing to my husband, and calling my parents and crying into the phone. It was a very good day and I’m still so thankful for it.
In 2017 (10/22/2017) you performed at the Uncommon Ground in Chicago. Do you remember what that night was like?
I do! It was a night of good friends coming together to make music and community happen. I love Chicago and hope to come back again soon.
How was it to perform at the Songwriter Festival this year? I see you plan to do it again next year?
Yes! It’s a riot. Usually, when you play festivals, it’s just one slot and you’re done – but at 30A you play twice, sometimes three or four times. And I love playing, meeting more new people – the more the merrier, and at 30A, it’s a non-stop party with just about all of your songwriter friends.
I see you are planning to do some touring next year. Is there any festival planned?
Working on it, yes! There are several in the pipeline to be announced soon.
Would you like to play Chicago Lake shake or Country Thunder Music Festival?
Yes, please!
How did you start to record your latest album Violets As Camouflage?
Right here in my home studio. I started small and simple, with me and my favorite guitar player on earth, Rich Hinman. We did 8 basic tracks in one day and built from there over the following two months.
Tell me about your upcoming release?
The album comes out March 1 and I’m just tickled pink about it. These are songs that mean a lot to me and I’m excited to release them into the great stratosphere of a song.
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