Last week I talked with Kelly McCartney at The Bluegrass Situation for an interview series they call Squared Roots, a conversation that looks at one specific influencer in an artist's work.
Over the last few months I've listened to a lot of Nick Drake and been blown away by him again and again. So I dug a little deeper and talked with her about his influence on my playing and writing. Below is the intro excerpt but the whole interview can be found here.
“Nick Drake is one of those musical unicorns who achieved amazing posthumous success, though enjoyed very little acclaim while alive. Having recorded and released three albums between 1969 and 1972 — Five Leaves Left, Bryter Layter, and Pink Moon — Drake was working on a fourth prior to his death by overdose in 1974. Drake was plagued by depression and his work reflects a depth of feeling that can often only come from someone who has faced those sorts of demons. Still, there’s a certain mellow peace in there, too.
It’s that peace that drew Courtney Hartman into Drake’s work. On the heels of three albums with Della Mae, Hartman recently released a solo EP, Nothing We Say. Though her earliest influences are guys like Norman Blake and Bill Frisell, Hartman was, in more recent years, drawn to Drake’s spirit and captivated by his craft.
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Also, this is a fascinating documentary about his life...