‘Six Pence None The Richer’ Vocalist
Leigh Nash
Interviewed by
Jonathon Freeman-Anderson

LAFM: How do you feel about the Koffeehouse’s 4th Annual “Evening of Independence” charity concert benefiting MusiCares® on Sat, Aug. 7 at the magical Ford Amphitheater? I’M REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO IT. IT’LL BE FUN TO PLAY IN L.A.; IT’S BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE I’VE PLAYED ANY SHOWS THERE. BEING ABLE TO PLAY THE FORD IS VERY EXCITING AND WE’RE VERY SUPPORTIVE OF ANYTHING MUSICARES.

LAFM: Does Six Pence None The Richer have anything new coming out? You have not released anything since 2008. ICONVERSATION.’ IT’S SUPPOSED TO COME OUT EARLY 2011…SO SPRING TIME AND WE’LL HAVE A SINGLE OUT THIS FALL.

LAFM: Is the album completely finished? YEAH, THE ALBUM IS DONE. WE RECORDED IT WITH JIM SCOTT BACK IN FEBRUARY. IT’S COMING OUT ON BMI/CMG.

LAFM: How is having a family mixing with the music life? MY SON IS SIX AND A HALF. HE’S MUSICALLY INCLINED. HIS DAD’S ALSO A MUSICIAN AND HE WRITES LITTLE PHRASES ON THE PIANO JUST STARTING LAST WEEK. I WAS VERY IMPRESSED. I THINK MAYBE HE’LL BECOME A LITTLE COMPOSER. THAT’D BE FINE WITH ME.

LAFM: How do you feel about the internet affecting the music business? WELL, IT’S GREAT. WE NEED TO GET INTO IT A LITTLE FURTHER AND REALLY SEE HOW DIFFERENT IT IS. I RELEASED A SOLO RECORD ABOUT THREE YEARS AGO AND I ALREADY GOT A TASTE OF HOW DIFFERENT THINGS ARE NOW. I MEAN I’M ONLY IN MY EARLY 30S, BUT IT’S FUNNY HOW QUICKLY ALL THIS HAS CHANGED. I FEEL THAT JUST SO MUCH HAS TRANSPIRED IN THIS INDUSTRY THAT IT’S ALMOST UNRECOGNIZABLE. IF YOU JUST DISAPPEARED FOR TEN YEARS THEN COME BACK, YOU’D BE LIKE WHAT IS THIS? IT’S A WHOLE DIFFERENT PLANET. IT’S TAKING A LOT TO GET USED TO AND FOR A BAND THAT STARTED IN 1992. SO IT ALMOST 20 YEARS LATER NOW BUT WE’RE STILL YOUNG SO IT’S WEIRD, REALLY WEIRD.

LAFM: Do you have to reestablish yourself? EXACTLY. IT HAS BEEN A LONG TIME. WE UNDERSTAND THAT IT’S KIND OF LIKE STARTING OVER. A LOT OF WORK THAT WE HAVE TO DO IS JUST GOING TO ENTAIL FINDING OUR OLD FANS AND GETTING THEM TO CONNECT AGAIN AND ALSO, OF COURSE, CONNECTING WITH NEW FANS HOPEFULLY.

LAFM: with songs featured on Dawson’s Creek and Smallville, are you planning to get your new songs on any of the many teen vampire shows out now? I KNOW. OUR MUSIC IS VERY APPROPRIATE FOR VAMPIRE LOVE SCENES. SO, HOPEFULLY THAT’LL WORK OUT. HAHAHA.

LAFM: How is the band’s sound evolving? YEAH, WE SET OUT ON THIS RECORD TO MAKE A SIMPLER SOUNDING RECORD. IT’S NOT A TON OF ORCHESTRATION. THE SONGS ARE RECORDED PRETTY SIMPLY WITH A BAND PLAYING ALL TOGETHER AS A BAND ALONG WITH MY VOCALS AND EVERYTHING. WE MADE A CONSCIENCE DECISION THAT BEFORE WE STARTED RECORDING THAT ANY PART THAT
WAS ADDED AFTER THE BASIC TRACKS WOULD BE ADDING TO THE SONG AND POINTING TO THE VOCALS OR IT WOULDN’T BE PUT ON IN AN ATTEMPT TO MAKE A CLASSICALLY POP RECORD. WE FEEL THAT IT IS ONE. WE LOVE IT. WE THINK IT’S PRETTY COOL. WE HOPE YOU LIKE IT.

LAFM: How do you feel about producing albums in the music market today? I ALWAYS THOUGHT IF I WAS GOING TO HAVE A SOLO CAREER, AND I GUESS I’LL TRY TO MAKE RECORDS AND DO SOME STUFF WHEN ‘SIX PENCE…’ IS NOT BUSY, THAT SOUNDS IDEAL BECAUSE I ENJOY DOING LOTS OF DIFFERENT THINGS, BUT
I ALWAYS THOUGHT IT WOULD BE REALLY COOL TO JUST RELEASE SINGLES. I THINK THAT’S A REALLY AWESOME CONCEPT. I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK, ‘OH NO, NO DON’T DO THAT. DON’T KILL THE ALBUM,’ BECAUSE IT’S SUCH A BIG DEAL TO PEOPLE. I UNDERSTAND THAT, BUT I’M THE KIND OF PERSON THAT I REALLY LIKE FOR MYSELF ONTO A CD OFF MY ITUNES, IT GENERALLY ALL OF MY FAVORITE ARTISTS’ HITS. THAT’S WHAT I WANT AS A LISTENER. I’M NOT THE OBSCURE-ALBUM-TRACK-GIRL AND A LOT OF MY FRIENDS AND THE GUYS IN THE BAND ARE VERY MUCH LIKE THAT GETTING MORE OBSCURE STUFF. I GET LIKE ‘BARRY MANILOW’S GREATEST HITS.’ I’M KINDA SORRY I SAID THAT, BUT IT’S TRUE.

LAFM: What new artists or music are you listening to for inspiration? I WENT TO A SHOW THE OTHER NIGHT. WILLIAM FITZSIMMONS, I REALLY ENJOYED THAT A LOT AND I NEED TO GET HIS RECORD. I SAW THAT IN NASHVILLE, MY HOMETOW, THERE’S A LOT OF ORIGINAL STUFF HERE. IT’S A TREASURE TROVE OF LOTS OF ORIGINAL BANDS. YOU DON’T HAVE TO LOOK MUCH FURTHER THAN YOUR OWN TOWN. I BET
IT’S LIKE THAT WITH LOS ANGELES TOO.

LAFM: What do you say to new artists? ALL THE “NEW” ARTISTS ARE 10 YEARS YOUNGER THAN ME THAT I SEE I NASHVILLE. TO A CERTAIN EXTENT, THEY SEEM TO KNOW MORE ABOUT WHAT’S GOING ON THAN I DO. THERE ARE SO MANY SELF-STARTERS. WITH THE CLIMATE THE WAY IT IS YOU HAVE TO BE SMART, MOTIVATED, AND AWESOME. I HAVE A LOT OF RESPECT FOR THOSE KIDES COMING UP.

LAFM: Have you thought about working with other mediums? IT WOULD BE REALLY COOL TO HAVE A SIX PENCE CARTOON. WE’RE JUST TRYING TO DO WHAT WE DO, HOPEFULLY WE’LL FIND THE RIGHT MEDIUM, AND MAYBE THOSE OPPORTUNITIES WILL ARISE TO GET US MOTIVATED AND EXCITED. RIGHT NOW, THAT’S MAKING THE MUSIC THAT WE LOVE TO MAKE AND GETTING OUR AUDIENCE BACK, BUT UNDERSTAND THAT IT TAKES TIME.

LAFM: How has your label been working out for you? THEY HAVE BEEN SO EXCITED AND WONDERFUL DURING THIS PROCESS. WE HAVE NEW MANAGEMENT ALSO THAT WE’RE VERY EXCITED ABOUT AND WE FEEL LIKE IT’S A GOOD FIRST PAGE THAT WE’RE STARTING ON BECAUSE IT’S BEEN AWHILE SINCE WE’VE DONE THIS.

LAFM: How is touring look for the album? WE’RE WAITING FOR OFFERS AND TRYING TO GET THE RECORD OUT THERE SO WE CAN GET ON A DECENT TOUR IN THE FALL, OR IN THE NEAR FUTURE.

LAFM: Whom would you like to open or close for soon? OH, THERE’S A PRETTY GOOD LIST, BUT UNFORTUNATELY A LOT OF THE BANDS THAT WE WOULD HAVE LOVED TO TOUR WITH AREN’T TOGETHER ANYMORE. I MEAN I ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT IT WOULD BE AWESOME TO DO SOME SHOWS WITH GARBAGE, LIVE, AND OF COURSE, THINKING WAY TOO BIG, BUT I ALWAYS THOUGHT SIX PENCE AND U2 WOULD JUST BE THE BEST SHOW EVER. HAHA.

MAYBE I’M TAKING IT A LITTLE BIT TOO HIGH AND WHO KNOWS WHEN THOSE GUYS ARE GOING TO TOUR AGAIN. YOU KNOW IF COLDPLAY WANTS, BUT MAYBE THAT’S TOO LOFTY ALSO. HOPEFULLY, THE RIGHT THINGS WILL COME ALONG. WE’RE FANS OF LOTS OF DIFFERENT BANDS. I KNOW BONO’S A FAN, BUT I THINK THAT THE FACT THAT WE HAVEN’T BEEN ON THE ROAD IN EIGHT YEARS MIGHT
MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

LAFM: Is there are any favorite genres of music for you that you think need more publicity? A REALLY ENJOY MINDY SMITH FROM NASHVILLE. SHE’S KIND OF AN ALT-COUNTRY-POP CATEGORY. I THINK SHE’S AMAZING. THERE’S A SINGER/SONGWRITER NAMED KATE YORK THAT SINGS HEART-WRENCHINGLY BEAUTIFUL SONGS.

LAFM: How do you feel about new sounds in the music? I LIKE THAT BAND PHOENIX. UNFORTUNATELY, I TEND TO CATCH ONTO THINGS WAAAY AFTER EVERYONE’S KIND OF OVER IT. I DON’T KNOW WHY. I KIND OF JUST LISTEN TO MY FAVORITES, PEOPLE WHO AREN’T MAKING MUSIC ANYMORE MOSTLY. I LISTEN TO A LOT OF LEONARD COHEN AND OLD COUNTRY MUSIC LIKE GEORGE JONES, DOLLY
PARTON, AND LORETTA LYNN. OLDER STUFF APPEALS TO ME MORE. MATT, MY PARTNER IN THE BAND, REALLY SEEKS OUT NEW MUSIC AND IS A HUGE FAN OF A LOT OF NEWER ARTISTS THAT I’VE NEVER SEEN OR HEARD OF. I TAKE A LOT OF COMFORT IN THE MUSIC THAT I’M FAMILIAR WITH, YOU KNOW. I THINK I’M AN OLD LADY IN MY SPIRIT. I CLING TO THE PAST.

LAFM: Your hit ‘Kiss Me’ will always be a classic song. How do you feel about it still having decent rotation? I’M VERY THANKFUL. I’VE BEEN SO BLESSED SO THANK YOU. GOD IS THE AUTHOR OF THAT SONG.

LAFM: Do you have any final words of wisdom? I’M SO THANKFUL THAT I GET TO BE A PART OF PEOPLE’S LIVES WITH MY VOICE. I FEEL SO BLESSED TO GET SO MANY WONDERFUL MESSAGES ON FACEBOOK ON THIS AND THAT FROM FANS THAT MAKE ME FEEL LIKE WHAT I DO IS WORTH IT. I’M THANKFUL TO GET TO DO IT AND HAVE A VOICE IN THE WORLD.