Danielle Howle is an amazing performer. Based in Columbia,
South Carolina, she first rose to prominence as a member of
the rock band Lay Quiet Awhile, before forming an equally
impressive ensemble called Danielle Howle and The Tantrums.
She tours tirelessly, writes songs that are like individual
works of art and spreads good vibes (in the day I would have
written "groovy vibes") where ever she goes. We
caught up with Danielle to talk about her music and her new
album, Thank You Mark.
Where
were you born and raised?
My family is from what they call the Flatland, or the Peedee
region of South Carolina. My Dad was in the military and I
was raised up by Southern people in the military and hung
out with my family but got to live all over the place.
Who were some of the earliest musical influences
that you remember?
One of the first shows that I ever saw was Duke Ellington,
because my mother was very pregnant with me. That was in New
Orleans. We were in Hattisburg, Mississippi at that time.
Both of my parents were musicians. We listened to everything.
When did you first start playing the guitar or were
you writing songs first?
I have been writing songs forever, and I didn’t even
know that was what they were. Just putting down words and
music all the time .I didn’t really play guitar until
I was 21. I kept a journal from 3rd grade until 10th grade
pretty diligently and that is where I worked out most of my
songs. I didn’t really play anything. They were just
songs in there and I would have to remember them. Then in
high school I had a Casio keyboard and would work them out
on that.
Do you still play with the guys from Greenville?
I play with them on occasion and then I have another band
that lives in the northeast in New York that I play with in
that region. There are some other folks I get with in other
areas depending on what region I am in at the time.
Tell me a little brief history of the group you had
called The Tantrums and some about Lay Quiet Awhile....
Lay Quiet Awhile already existed and I took them into a new
direction when I joined them. I happened to get them a record
deal. The Tantrums had a drummer from Lay Quiet Awhile before
I was in it. He is a very dear friend of mine, Troy Tague
who now plays with Iron and Wine. When The Tantrums stopped
playing we never really broke up, just quit playing. We were
all good friends and everyone just got busy doing other things.There
were some guys from Blightobody and the old drummer from Lay
Quiet Awhile. I tell you, everyone got along together very
well. We all worked very hard and were dedicated. You know
when you hear about people being in bands with their best
friends, I definitely got to experience that in this situation.
It was a fantastic musical and business experience. The guys
were bringing all of themselves to the situation 100% and
it was fantastic.
At one point you were associated with The Indigo
Girls and their label right?
Oh yeah, they put out 2-3 records for me and I am good friends
with Amy Ray and the label is still in existence. I am going
to tour with them on the West coast and in the Midwest in
July. That association continues and they are very generous.
Tell us a little bit about those ladies...
Well, they are fifth generation,Southern Atlanta women, both
of them. Amy started that label a long time before we met.
I just happened to get a call one day from Kevin at The Music
Farm in Charleston, and he said that if we would come down
there he would get us on 98 Wave and we could open up for
the Ellen James Society. I told him cool but I didn’t
know them, they were this band on Damon Records. We got down
there and were very excited. We play and there is this girl
in the audience that happened to be Amy. She introduced herself
and said she wanted to sign Lay Quiet Awhile. I didn’t
know that stuff like that really could happen and we got a
distribution deal with a company overseas and we toured over
then with Indigo Girls and it was pretty fantastic.
One thing I found out today when I was scouring the
internet on you, all of a sudden there you are in Andy Warhol’s
Interview magazine...quite a glamorous shoot too...
Oh yeah, I have been in there twice. I had a publicist, named
Felice Eckhart and they worked for Girly Action Publicity.
They are awesome. They would find little things like that
for me to do. At the time the roster was me, Napster, Elliot
Smith, Ben Folds Five, and it was an insane roster. I did
end up doing a tour with Elliot Smith in my days when I was
putting stuff out on Damon Records and that was really cool
too. I was around him a lot before he got fancy and famous.
We were touring buddies.
How do you feel about the state of the music business
today, and I know that is a lot to answer, but there is allot
going on with digital and there is a lot happening with the
big record companies and independent seem to be in my opinion
coming out of the wood work... what’s your opinion...
Well, everything goes in phases and when I started out there
were lots of indie labels and they went away and now they
are back again. Some have stuck around and I don’t really
know what that means for anyone who is like me, an individual
with a mind and a reason and nothing else but mere existence
alone for putting out music. The reason that I exist on this
earth is because I make music and because I am lucky and that
is what I was put here to do.
Although, indie labels are good for someone like me because
there are lots of us out there and it makes me feel like I
belong to a family that I don’t even know. That whole
thing about interesting interest stuff like iTunes and other
stuff are a good thing and that gets people in touch with
the artists. As far as what the big companies are doing, I
am not really interested. Good luck to them and it seems that
the power is going back to the people and it’s easier
than ever to find music and not have to work as hard as folks
did back in the day. I remember having to really work to find
new stuff. I have no idea what this business will do, maybe
it will eat itself and explode. (laughs) Whether it is down
home indie rock business or large companies, and it doesn’t
make any difference to me. I am still going to play music,because
I keep showing up and doing it. I keep doing that and try
really hard to make the show work out. It doesn’t make
any difference to me about people making money off of other
people’s dreams... because you know I think that the
good stuff flips up to the top. People like you and me or
folks that are running things that matter- it ends up getting
into the right hands. It may not be as many
hands, but what is enough?
Now, I walk into the room and show up and people are there
to hear me. Maybe I would like to have more people to play
in front of, but it doesn’t really matter, because I
am fulfilling my destiny, doing my job, I am happy and a person
who is viewing the world who is watching history and writing
about what is going on around me. So I am really doing my
job and couldn’t ask for more. Even though people want
a little more all the time. I guess I would like to tour with
other artists that I enjoy and meet people that really love
music and perform for them. But back to that industry thing,
and I know there are a lot of people that do worry about that,
I did in the past and probably to the overkill, but now I
am thinking that I am aggressively fulfilling my destiny.
I don’t know what is going to happen with that music
business, and I do watch it all the time. I read up on music
people that work for the Future of Music Coalition, and what
they do to ensure our rights as musicians, and there are all
those new ways to download and I am seeing that everything
reinvents itself.
When the Gutenberg Press came out, mass communication tool,
there were lots of problems but it doesn’t really matter,
because if you can get something going on and have something
to say it will get out in the world anyway. Things go as they
go. You can work on something to death, and then there are
others that walk up and start things going. There is something
bigger out there. It might just be the force of life. Sometimes
I do get angry about some of it, and I am not leaving it all
up to metaphysics, but there is a time when you should be
smart and keep doing what you are doing. May the best man
win, when it comes to that capitalization of others dreams.
If you are wrong, a group of people will get together and
straighten it out. There is power in people banding together
and not let bad things happen to people. I am all about the
power to the people thing.
This feels like the 60’s again. (laughs)
I am a country person once removed and had a farming commune
type of mentality. Everything is pretty straight up in that
community. I have stayed away from politics pretty much but
it seems like as everyone is walking around in fear.
Could you give me some thoughts on that, Bush, the
war... our country....
I love our country and the people in it. Growing up military
again, you see the need for things. I don’t take a political
side, because I am a "may the best man win" type
person. I have not joined a political party and I just vote
for who I see is the best person for the job, male or female.
What is the state of affairs of the person standing in front
of you. The question I am asking myself is that what am
I doing today? Am I being right? Am I listening to others
and having compassion for others? Am I being true to myself
and nice to others? Am I being fair and respectful? Am I being
true to myself? Then I feel like after I ask those questions
I am doing fine and others will too.
I don’t have to get concerned about the state of nothing.
It seems like there is a lot of finger pointing going on.
We must stop that. I love this country. I do think everything
cycles around. Didn’t the Byrds write that "To
Everything, Turn, Turn, Turn?"
Yeah, and I think that is actually out of the Bible...
Those cats coming out of the 60’s was when the media
was a big deal and rock and roll was coming... I don’t
think I can keep up with all the wrong and right doings of
others because all I can really do is take care of where I
am coming from. Mostly I have strong opinions about how am
I behaving today. As long as I am not acting foolish
then maybe I will be wise enough to vote for the person that
can do the most for others. I don’t keep up with politics
because there is a lot more than goes on behind the eye...I
am not joining any of their damn teams, man. I am just country
and old school, man... I know you know what I mean...(laughs)
The other thing is what is coming up for you in the
immediate future... I love your new album... tell us about
it and what else is happening...
Well, that record, me and Mark Bryan from Hootie and The Blowfish
made it of course, I had all these songs and I didn’t
know what I was going to do with them, I was just picking
and playing in some folk venues and occasionally meeting up
with the not so average rock star opening up some of the shows,
just feeling pretty lucky and struggling by like everyone
else. It has not been a bed of roses, but I do know that this
is what I am supposed to do. It has taught me much about life.
Some people are writers and some grow plants, and others
are lawyers and we all pick something and hopefully it is
something that we like. I have had a lot of jobs in my life
that I did not like, I have worked in stock rooms and been
a professional maid for seven years, and I have done all kinds
of things that you would not believe. They all taught me something
though. Maybe that I wanted to go back and do music whenever
I can. We got this group of people together and made this
music on a porch in front of a large body of water that acted
like a huge reverb tank. The band sat in the living room and
I looked through the window and helped to direct them. I got
that coming out and I am in a super creative period in my
life where the craft is starting to get to me. I know enough
to get myself in trouble now. I have to watch out for wanting
too much. I am a very ambitious person. I have all that going
on, and this Valley Entertainment thing has been a blessing.
This work needed a home and no wonder I waited for awhile.
These people are as enthusiastic as I am about it.
There are lots of things I want to do, and many records I
want to make. I am glad to get out into the world and listen
to others songs. I am influenced by it all. I hear music everywhere
and I see magic all the time.I like that and sometimes it
does get in the way when you are trying to balance your checkbook.
I just feel lucky.
http://www.daniellehowle.com/
