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Post by sabrafan on Sept 22, 2017 4:00:30 GMT
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Post by sabrafan on Sept 22, 2017 4:06:54 GMT
Q&A: Sawyer Fredericks goes back to his roots
He has freedom to enjoy his own musical style; will play Amsterdam music fest Saturday
Indiana Nash | September 21, 2017
Musicians are always on the move. And singer/songwriter Sawyer Fredericks is no exception. But this weekend he’s back in his hometown and is slated to perform on Saturday at an Amsterdam music festival. The Montgomery County native was playing local shows well before he won NBC’s “The Voice,” a reality talent show, two years ago. But since then, he’s made a name for himself on the national music scene. Several songs from his albums “A Good Storm” and “Sawyer Fredericks” are on the Billboard Hot 100 and 200 charts, and he’s been steadily touring throughout the country. With his soulful voice and thoughtful lyrics, reminiscent of Johnny Cash and Creedence Clearwater Revival, he’s won the hearts (and ears) of many. Since breaking ties with Republic Records earlier this year, Fredericks is getting back to his roots with his new album “Hide Your Ghost.” It’s a more mysterious album, with deeper lyrics and vocals. When Fredericks takes the stage at the Sticker Mule music festival on Saturday, there’s no doubt that he’ll have more than a few hometown fans in the crowd. The festival starts at 11 a.m. at the Wilbur H. Lynch Literacy Academy and Fredericks will be playing around 5 p.m. Here, Fredericks takes a few moments to talk to The Gazette about his music, the festival and his hat collection:
Q: How does it feel to perform back at home versus somewhere like Louisana? A: I think there’s always a better turnout when I perform in my hometown because I have a lot of supporters here. But I would say it’s definitely louder.
Q: Earlier this year, you decided to go off on your own and become an independent [artist]. How is that going? A: I’ve been really enjoying it. This next album that I’ve been working on, it’s called “Hide Your Ghost,” and it’s given me a lot of freedom, with the creativity of what goes on the track and what stays on the track. A lot of the songs that I’ve been recording, they start off with just me and my guitar and my vocals so I’m able to add other music to it and not change it but just enhance it.
Q: When did you start to believe that this could be your [career]? Was it well before “The Voice”? A: I would say it would be before “The Voice.” It wasn’t actually that I was thinking it could be my full-time job, it was always like “I am a performer [and] I sing, that’s who I am.” So I’m going to do this, no matter if I’m working and doing something else. I’m going to do this.
Q: You’ve been touring for awhile now this year and you have more [shows] coming up. Is this where you hoped your career would be? A: Yeah. I’ve been enjoying touring a lot. [We’ve] had great turnouts and the audience has been great and the venues have been awesome as well. I like going to new places and having these new people hear my music.
Q: How do you feel like your music has developed over the last couple of years? A: I think my music is constantly evolving. My writing process has grown a little bit just because I’ve lived longer so I have more to say.
Q: What about [your musical] style, especially on the new album? A: Style-wise I think it’s going back to my roots. It’s what I wanted to do with this album because I really want this album to be completely my style and my music so I can establish who I am as an artist. [After this] I can just start doing whatever.
Q: Why go back to your roots now? A: On the show, I was singing all those covers so I don’t think that completely conveyed my original music. For the “Good Storm” album, there was a good amount of conflict that went into that. Also, after the show they had me doing a bunch of co-writing, which wasn’t exactly sure about. It was fun, but when you have other artists and other producers, often you can be taken away from your style and it leads you to something else. For this album, I really want to show what kind of music I write and do.
Q: Are you still in touch with anyone from “The Voice”? A: Yeah, I keep in touch with a lot of the contestants and actually this last leg [of the tour] I’ve been touring with Gabriel Wolfchild.
Q: OK, I have a goofy question for you. Has your hat collection grown in the last few years? A: My hat collection has grown a lot, mostly because I’ve gotten a ton of hats from my fans. A lot of them don’t fit me, so I have a lot of hats that just don’t fit me. So actually I don’t change what hat I’m wearing that much when I’m on tour now, I have the second bowler hat I ever got and I just wear that.
Q: I noticed you have a fan club on your website too. When did that start? A: I forget exactly when it started. When I was on the show, a ton of fan pages popped up.
Q: Was that a strange experience or did you mostly feel supported? A: I felt supported, but it was also quite strange to me. When I first started out I wasn’t really on social media. So they told me, you have to be on Twitter while you’re on the show. So the first time going on that and seeing how the social media stuff goes it was very strange.
Q: What do you think the setlist will be [on Saturday]? A: I’m trying to play mostly new music. It’s probably going to be a lot of stuff from the “Hide Your Ghost” album, which I’m still working on. But I’ll be playing a little bit of old music. Also in the solo set, I take requests, so there will be a little bit of that.
The interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
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Post by sabrafan on Sept 22, 2017 4:10:14 GMT
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