Music Break: “The One That Got Away” – The Civil Wars

Oh let me tell ya, my music lovin’ heart is so happy right now! My most favorite dynamic duo in the world, the lovely Joy Williams & the handsome John Paul White of The Civil Wars are at it again! They just released their new single, “The One That Got Away” on June 11th. It’s the first single to hit the airwaves from their brand new self titled album that is set to drop on August 6th!! Eek! Can you stand it?! I can’t even! :D

Now if you’re familiar with TCW you know that they have been on a hiatus since citing “irreconcilable differences of ambition and internal discord” in the fall of last year. So it was very much a surprise to hear news of a new album. Is this a reunion? Have they resolved their issues? That remains to be seen. Since the majority of this album was completed before the split it makes one wonder if this is more of a swan song for the Wars.

What is quite evident is that pain and tension make for some great art! And that pain and tension is felt in every single note of this very intense & somewhat brutal song. I’m addicted.

“Oh, if I could go back in time
When you only held me in my mind
Just a longing gone without a trace
Oh, I wish I never ever seen your face
I wish you were the one
Wish you were the one that got away”

The tension of their personal issues, whatever they may be, almost seem to be fueling their art. It’s all a bit darker this time around. In a recent newsletter about the album they have stated, “The album was recorded amidst a grueling touring schedule, exhausting workload and a growing disconnect from their families.” 

It’s also a little bit of a departure from their usual sparse instrumentation. I was quite surprised to hear drums on this song…but it actually works.

If this track is any indication of what the album is going to be like, August 6th cannot come fast enough! Whatever the future looks like for TCW, I honestly couldn’t be more excited for this new album and just feel very thankful to have more music from them to treasure.

To pre-order the album click here. Also, to see their live in studio cut of this song, which is possibly even more intense yet beautiful, click here.

Is This the End of The Civil Wars?

Be kind for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle.” – Plato

It’s no secret that November 6th 2012 was a very upsetting day for a lot of people. There were tears. There was anger. There was confusion. And quite frankly, I am still in mourning. No, I’m not talking about the election… I’m talking about the day one of my very favorite bands, The Civil Wars, broke up. Or, aka, the day the music died.

Yes, I was perfectly fine stressing about the election that night until I saw a tweet, a tweet that broke my music loving heart to shreds. Someone I follow on Twitter said that it looked like The Civil Wars had … broken up. Insert gasp and me loudly yelling “Noooo!!!” at the computer screen here.

So, after I regained composure and started breathing again, I immediately raced to their Facebook only to have my fears confirmed by their official statement:

“We sincerely apologize for the canceling of all of our tour dates. It is something we deeply regret. However, due to internal discord and irreconcilable differences of ambition we are unable to continue as a touring entity at this time. We thank each and every one of you for your amazing love & support. Our sincere hope is to have new music for you in 2013.”

I think I can speak for all fans when I say we were somewhat shocked and confused. Was this a canceling of just a tour or the break up of a band? And really, that still remains to be seen. They did after all say they hope to have new music out this year. But “internal discord” and “irreconcilable differences of ambition” certainly doesn’t sound good.

Not gonna lie, my reaction was something akin to this lol. I mean c’mon, it had to be a joke… a totally not funny, super late April Fools joke, right?… Right?! I knew they had canceled some of their shows but to cancel the slew of sold out European tour dates that were already underway … I never saw that one coming. So at that point, as you can imagine, I was like “who cares about the election?! Don’t you understand The Civil Wars just broke up?!” lol. Okay, slightly over dramatic, maybe. I guess it just goes to show you where my priorities lie, ha!

The Civil Wars formed when two burned out musicians, Joy Williams and John Paul White, had a chance meeting in 2008 at what’s called a “songwriting camp” in Nashville, TN. Straws were drawn to decide who would get paired up to write together first that day and John Paul was the straw chosen for Joy before she even arrived. The two say that as soon as they started singing together they could tell that this was something different, something special. And the rest as they say is history. Oddly enough, later on they found out that they both tried to get out of even going that day. Meant to be? I think so.

I think the news came as even more of shock to those of us who’ve been around since the two began and have watched their incredible rise to success.

I’ve actually been following Joy’s career ever since her very first CCM album (still have it, by the way, ha!) in 2001. And it’s been amazing to watch her musical progression and see how she’s grown as an artist over the years. I remember being really excited when in 2009 she announced on her MySpace a new duo she was a part of called The Civil Wars along with musician (& Johnny Depp doppelganger), John Paul White. And later that year seeing the music video for their first single, “Poison and Wine” and being totally blown away. You couldn’t help but be moved and fall in love with their music, their voices, and their striking chemistry. There was no denying, this combination was pure magic.

While The Civil Wars were still gaining steam, in the spring of 2010 Joy released a solo EP entitled, "We Mapped The World". My sister & I fell in love with those songs and decided to try and get an interview with Joy for our blog, The Waking. Joy was so sweet to answer all of our questions about the EP, songwriting, and of course, The Civil Wars. This was very exciting for us and something that still makes me smile to look back on.

Not long after they released the next single from their yet to be released album of the same name, "Barton Hollow", things really took off for the band. They were quickly selling out shows, making their rounds on the late night talk show circuit, and stealing people’s hearts. The album released in February of 2011 to much anticipation and just a year later won two Grammys and earned the band a small spot performing on the live telecast. “Barton Hollow” went Gold in September of last year selling 500,000 copies.

So what could cause a band who in the matter of just a year won 2 Grammys, an Americana Music Award, was nominated for a Golden Globe, & had a Gold record, to either break up or go on hiatus? I don't know. What could've caused irreconcilable differences of ambition and internal discord in a duo that seemed to have a really strong bond and such insane chemistry on stage that they were often mistaken for a married couple (they're both married to other people)? At this point fans can only speculate.

And speculate they are ... almost daily it seems on the band's Facebook. In fact, the mood is turning rather hostile as some fans are angered by the bands confusing explanation. While I understand the confusion, I also think it's pretty sad considering these same fans claim that The Civil Wars are their favorite band. We need to remember that while Joy & John Paul are musicians, and amazing ones at that, they are also people. Whatever happened that caused them to make this decision, I feel pretty safe in saying, it probably wasn't made lightly.

Though I am still lamenting the fact that I didn't get to see them live! Ugh! I can't even stand to think about it! The band that Adele called quote, "the best live band I've ever seen"... and I missed my chance to see them. This has actually made me pretty paranoid about seeing my favorite bands live a.s.a.p lest they soon share the same fate.

If “Barton Hollow” is The Civil Wars’ first and last album I see it becoming a classic. It’s something we listeners will pull out even years later and still be completely enchanted by because it’s simply timeless. I see it as an album that our children will discover as they’re rummaging through our cd or vinyl collection. They will fall in love with it and treasure it too. They will also be totally heartbroken to learn it was the bands one and only album.

The irony is not lost that a band with a name like The Civil Wars is now going through a war of their own. Their name inspired in part by the Plato quote at the top of this post. Hopefully this war will have a happy ending.

So Joy and John Paul, on the very off chance you ever find yourself reading this blog we fans truly hope you guys can work things out. But just know that we are thankful for the magic you’ve given us through your music, even if it was for just a short time. It will be terribly missed. But if you two ever come back, whether together or (dare I say it) apart, know that you have a slew of fans just waiting to welcome you back with open arms and ready to sing along to new songs. Grace & peace to the whole Civil Wars crew.

Interview with singer/songwriter, Joy Williams

 

I’m so excited about this interview with one of my very favorite artists, Joy Williams! I’ve followed Joy’s music for years now. I started listening to her when she released her first Christian/pop cd back in 2001. Now a successful indie artist with her beautiful solo music as well as in her duo, The Civil Wars. This interview was originally posted on the E-zine I co-run with my friends called, The Waking. Not sure if I’ve ever talked about The Waking on here before. But we do interviews with creative people, reviews of cds/books/movies, write blogs on God & life, and post recipes. I’m actually planning to start posting some of the artist interviews we’ve done on The Waking here on Ink & Frosting! We’ve had some good ones so I was thinking of posting one each month. So be on the look out for that, I think you guys will enjoy them! And please check out our E-zine sometime!

But for now I hope you enjoy this interview with Joy Williams, and don’t forget to check out her music!

TW: In April you released your 4th solo Ep, "We Mapped The World", which we loved by the way! Could you tell us what the writing and recording process was like for this Ep?

Joy: Glad you like it. I really enjoyed the process of making the EP. Writing wise, those songs came in a season where my husband, Nate, and I traveled Europe together for over a month. We wanted to travel light, so our suitcase was just one standard school-sized backpack that we shared. We wanted to see, to explore, to be unfettered! We visited 6 different countries, and the unique feel of each place we experienced seemed to linger with me even after returning home. When I managed to finish all the songs, I worked with an amazingly talented artist/producer named Daniel James. We set out to create a different sound on the EP than others I’d made before. I wanted this one to match that batch of songs, which seemed to be a bit moodier, a little mysterious, slightly more raw sounding. So, we limited ourselves in studio to inspire a unique kind of creating. We set to stomping our own feet to create drum tracks, used other unexpected ambient noises in lieu of some more obvious sounds/tones, etc. I was really pleased with the way it all turned out, and really felt like Daniel helped capture what I’d been hearing in my head all along. 

TW: "Lover, Find Your Cover" is one of our favorite songs. The lyrics are so poetic and beautiful. Can you tell us a little about the meaning behind this song and what inspired you to write it?

Joy: Believe it or not, “Lover, Find Your Cover” is one of the very first songs I’ve written completely on my own. I’d spent years co-writing, collaborating, etc, but as I made a point to create alone...this song rose to the surface for me. After our European adventures, I found myself home alone on a rainy night, contemplative, red wine in hand, at the piano. And these lyrics started pouring out- about savoring the quiet, the comfort that night can bring, being present to recognize the beauty in small things, the power in being vulnerable, of loving and being loved in those moments. That description might sound broad and meandering, but in all honesty? I never tried to wrangle the inspiration that night. I didn’t want to force it to fit into anything too “scene-specific”. I just followed the Muse, and that is where she led me. 

TW: "Woman of a City" is such a unique and interesting song. We love the sound of the pounding drums! What's the story behind it?

Joy: “Woman of a City” was inspired by Prague, actually. When Nate and I stepped off the train there, I could almost feel the history in the air. Political and economic strife within that region has been plentiful over the years, but the art, architecture and the music seemed to only become that much more breathtaking because of it. To me, there was a kind of moodiness that soaked Prague- unflinching, intriguing, lovely. I wrote a blog about the city a few days later, describing Prague as if it was a woman worn wise with time, with stories and beauty...all born out of struggle.

TW: So many of your songs have been used in tv shows such as; "Drop Dead Diva", "Grey's Anatomy", and "90210".  How did those opportunities come about? And what is it like to have your music exposed to such a wide audience; how has the response been?

Joy: It’s been a fun surprise to see several songs get picked up for TV and film. I work with a great company out in LA who pitches songs, but a few of those placements came from personal relationships I and Nate had organically with people in the business. Responses over some of the songs has blown me away. Placements can be like lifeblood to an independent artist, bringing exposure and income to make it all the more feasible to do what it is that I love to do: keep making music. :)

TW: Apart from your solo music you are also in a incredible duo called, "The Civil Wars", along with musician, John Paul White. Can you tell us how you two met and how this collaboration came about?

Joy: We met at a random co-write that our (then) publishers arranged. The moment we started singing together, it was like we’d been singing for years. It was beyond strange, but magical for both of us. Months later, we decided to stop shuffling around and both agreed to start a band together.

TW: I recently heard you guys are recording a full length album. What is it like to record with John Paul? And what can we expect to hear on it?

Joy: We are making the final touches on the full length this week, actually. It will be releasing soon! I’m thrilled with how it turned out. The only thing is that it’s really awful recording with John Paul. We don’t work well together, enjoy each other’s company, or crack jokes all the time at all. (pause) See, if John Paul were here right now, he would inevitably have something witty and impishly sarcastic to throw back at me. It’s just plain weird talking about John Paul and The Civil Wars without him. :) Honestly, he is like family, and I’m looking forward to many years of writing and touring together.

TW: The song "Poison & Wine" cemented our love of The Civil Wars. What was the inspiration behind that song?

Joy: Truly, that song took on a life of it’s own even as we were writing it. We wanted to create something that could reflect not just how each of us battles within romantic relationships, but also reflect how someone might battle dealing with addiction, a job, their faith, their past, etc.

TW: Who or what inspires creativity in you? And what do you do when writers block sets in and the songs don't seem to flow as easily?

Joy: Truth and beauty inspires me. The art of story inspires me. When writer’s block sets in, I worry just like every other songwriter might. Then I go for a walk outside, or I re-read books like The War of Art (by Steven Pressfield) and Bird By Bird (by Anne Lamott). I am reminded that it is not as scary as it may feel. And then, a little later, I sit myself back down at the piano and try again...and again...and again...

TW: What are some things you love to do in your spare time, when you're not touring and recording?

Joy: I love hanging with friends and family, I love being creative in the kitchen, I love being outdoors, love reading, love watching movies, etc...

TW: What plans are up ahead for you and for The Civil Wars?

Joy: Well, with our full length set to release in the near future, The Civil Wars has just hit the road this week for a 20+ city tour. (Come hang out with us, if you like! For show listings, see www.thecivilwars.com). We are out on the road with a good friend and great artist, Madi Diaz. Solo-wise, I am writing consistently for tv/film, and am also trying to give myself a little headspace to concoct the next batch of songs for a hopeful solo full length in the not too distant future.

You can purchase Joy's Ep, "We Mapped The World", as well as others at iTunes or Amazon.

www.myspace.com/joywilliamsmusic
www.thecivilwars.com