{"id":20090,"date":"2020-12-10T14:18:58","date_gmt":"2020-12-10T21:18:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/?p=20090"},"modified":"2020-12-10T14:18:58","modified_gmt":"2020-12-10T21:18:58","slug":"video-interview-grace-pettis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/2020\/12\/video-interview-grace-pettis\/","title":{"rendered":"Video &#038; Interview Grace Pettis"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_20098\" style=\"width: 670px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-20098\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-20098\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Grace-Pettis-09-Photo-credit-Nicola-Gell.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"660\" height=\"441\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Grace-Pettis-09-Photo-credit-Nicola-Gell.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Grace-Pettis-09-Photo-credit-Nicola-Gell-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-20098\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo credit Nicola Gell<\/p><\/div>\n<h1><strong>Video Feature &amp; Web-Exclusive Interview<\/strong><br \/>\nArtist:\u00a0 <strong>GRACE PETTIS<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/h1>\n<h1>Video:\u00a0 \u201c<strong>White Noise\u201d<\/strong><\/h1>\n<h1><strong>GRACE PETTIS &amp; PIERCE PETTIS AT BLUE ROCK ALIVE! <em>COOL NIGHTS 2020<\/em> <\/strong><strong>THIS THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10<\/strong><\/h1>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Fb4srtsNSI8\" width=\"660\" height=\"420\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Grace Pettis is an award-winning singer-songwriter from Austin via Alabama. She\u2019s been characterized as \u201ca little bit folk, a little bit country\/Americana and a whole lot of soul.\u201d She, along with her renowned singer-songwriter father Pierce Pettis, will be featured at the Blue Rock aLive! <em>Cool Nights 2020<\/em> virtual concert series this Thursday, December 10. The series is \u201cfor the songs, for the artists, for all of us.\u201d You can buy a Season Pass for only $105\u2014and have a seat in the house by sending in your headshot. They will place the large headshot on a seat, so you will literally be <em>sitting<\/em> in the room.<\/p>\n<p>Blue Rock\u2019s innovation, quality and creativity is evidenced in concerts produced with broadcast quality audio-video from their renowned Texas room\u2014streamed straight to you. Individual tickets can also be purchased for $25: <a href=\"https:\/\/bluerocktexas.com\/events\">https:\/\/bluerocktexas.com\/events<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Grace Pettis recently released \u201cDrop Another Pin\u201d\u2014a visually lyrical song with an infectious groove and a radio-ready vibe. You can\u2019t help but smile and sing-along as you are moved by the story she weaves across the map. We featured that video in September on Mmusicmag.com.<\/p>\n<p>In between recording her forthcoming debut album for MPress Records and hosting\/playing on a multitude of virtual concerts, she has been actively advocating for racial justice. The powerful song \u201cWhite Noise\u201d was recently released, with all proceeds donated to Color of Change, an organization devoted to racial equality. Along with Rebecca Loebe and BettySoo, Pettis is also a member of the Americana\/folk-pop trio Nobody\u2019s Girl.<\/p>\n<p>We talked with Grace Pettis about her passion for songwriting, the intricate way she weaves a story, what inspires her creative process and what keeps her honest and hopeful in these unique times.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_20097\" style=\"width: 670px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-20097\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-20097\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Grace-Pettis-08-Photo-credit-Nicola-Gell.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"660\" height=\"549\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Grace-Pettis-08-Photo-credit-Nicola-Gell.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Grace-Pettis-08-Photo-credit-Nicola-Gell-300x250.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-20097\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo credit Nicola Gell<\/p><\/div>\n<h2><strong>GRACE PETTIS<\/strong> Interview<\/h2>\n<h2>with\u00a0<strong><em>M <\/em><\/strong><strong><em>Music &amp; Musicians<\/em><\/strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong>magazine publisher,<strong> Merlin David<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong>Tell us about a song you\u2019ll play at Blue Rock\u2019s <em>Cool Nights 2020<\/em>.<br \/>\n<\/strong>I released \u201cWhite Noise\u201d this summer as a stand-alone single on MPress Records. All proceeds from sales go to Color of Change, the largest online racial justice organization in the country. As a white person, I believe that saying \u201cblack lives matter\u201d is the very minimum that I can personally do to confront the realities of racism. \u201cAll lives\u201d can\u2019t and won\u2019t matter in this country until Black lives matter.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Why it so difficult for so many to say \u201cBlack Lives Matter\u201d?<br \/>\n<\/strong>I watched this summer as that simple baseline request that we recognize (that a black life \u201cmatters\u201d) was met with misunderstanding, fear and hostility. This song is my own way of saying: a \u201cblack life matters.\u201d I wrote it for Breonna Taylor and her family, and for other victims of racist brutality. It\u2019s also an attempt to explain the concept to my white friends and family who may still not understand it.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_20096\" style=\"width: 670px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-20096\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-20096\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Grace-Pettis-07-Photo-credit-Nicola-Gell.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"660\" height=\"441\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Grace-Pettis-07-Photo-credit-Nicola-Gell.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Grace-Pettis-07-Photo-credit-Nicola-Gell-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-20096\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo credit Nicola Gell<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>Why did you write \u201cWhite Noise\u201d?<br \/>\n<\/strong>I wrote it because the message of Black Lives Matter has been co-opted by the \u201cwhite noise\u201d that works to drown out black voices in black spaces. I don\u2019t want to add to that noise. I\u2019m so grateful to my label (MPress Records) and the musicians\/creatives involved with producing and releasing this song. They gave their time and talents to help me point this arrow back around. It was important to me that this song be released apart from the machine of my own career. This song is just a starting pistol for me\u2014personally. There\u2019s so much more I want to do to help bend the arc (that MLK talked about) toward justice. Color of Change is one organization doing that work. If the song moves you, please consider donating to them. You can learn more about their work at\u00a0ColorOfChange.org.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How did the idea of the powerfully moving \u201cDrop Another Pin\u201d come to you?<\/strong><br \/>\nAs a kid, we moved from place to place every few years and back and forth between divorced parents\u2019 homes. Both parents are nomadic, so while growing up I traveled to a lot of places. I\u2019ve chosen a nomadic profession myself. So maybe change is comforting to me. (<em>Laughs<\/em>) At some point in my adult life, I came to the realization that the main constant in my life has been movement. That\u2019s where \u201cDrop Another Pin\u201d came from\u2014trying to make sense of that incessant motion and trying to find a fixed point in the center of myself, in the moment, wherever I happen to be. [https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/2020\/09\/video-web-exclusive-interview-grace-pettis\/]<\/p>\n<p><strong>What did you learn about yourself while recording this new album?<\/strong><br \/>\nIt\u2019s the first album I\u2019ve ever made exclusively with women and non-binary folks. It was a conscious choice that started as a thought experiment and became a statement. I thought I was making the statement for other people\u2014for all the women and non cis men in my industry who go underrepresented, underpaid and unseen. Turns out, it was for me too.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_20095\" style=\"width: 670px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-20095\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-20095\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Grace-Pettis-05-Photo-credit-Nicola-Gell.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"660\" height=\"441\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Grace-Pettis-05-Photo-credit-Nicola-Gell.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Grace-Pettis-05-Photo-credit-Nicola-Gell-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-20095\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo credit Nicola Gell<\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote>\n<h1><strong><em>Grace Pettis writes visually lyrical songs with an infectious groove and a radio-ready vibe. You can\u2019t help but be moved by the stories she weaves.<\/em><\/strong><\/h1>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>Did you notice a difference in your approach in the studio?<br \/>\n<\/strong>When I walked into the studio that first day and settled into playing and working with these incredible Nashville badasses, I realized this was going to be the first solo album I\u2019d ever made where I wasn\u2019t the only girl musician in the room. Even when recording with my all-female trio, Nobody\u2019s Girl (with BettySoo and Rebecca Loebe), we\u2019re outnumbered. That\u2019s the industry standard. Most of us are completely unaware of it. We\u2019re just fish swimming in water\u2014we don\u2019t see the water, at all. Being in a majority female session, as opposed to majority male session, allowed me for the first time to feel like just another musician in the studio. It was incredible. I was able to fill my own shoes a little better. I felt more confident as a vocalist, songwriter, bandleader and artist.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Who originally inspired you to write songs?<br \/>\n<\/strong>My Dad, Pierce Pettis. I grew up with his music. As a kid, I thought he was the best songwriter in the world. I still do. I thought, \u201cWell, if he can do it\u2014maybe I can too.\u201d I wanted to at least try.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What songwriting tip would you like to offer?<\/strong><br \/>\nMy Dad said \u201csave everything. When you\u2019re starting out, you think your songs are terrible\u2014save them anyway. Fill up notebooks. Write it all down. You\u2019ll be a better songwriter years from now, and you can go back and mine those notebooks for inspiration. You can re-write those terrible songs and salvage whatever was working. Craft can be learned but inspiration is like gold. Save every single song idea you have.\u201d I tell this to teenage songwriters. We feel things more intensely at that age than we ever will again. Nothing hurts like that first heartbreak. We can reanimate those feelings years down the line when we actually know how to do them justice\u2014if we save the idea. So never throw anything away.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_20094\" style=\"width: 670px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-20094\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-20094\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Grace-Pettis-04-Photo-credit-Nicola-Gell.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"660\" height=\"441\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Grace-Pettis-04-Photo-credit-Nicola-Gell.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Grace-Pettis-04-Photo-credit-Nicola-Gell-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-20094\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo credit Nicola Gell<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>What instruments\/equipment can you not live without?<\/strong><br \/>\nI need a guitar in my hands to write a song. Sometimes, I\u2019ll get an idea when I\u2019m away from my guitar. But even then, I\u2019m imagining the chords and itching to get home with guitar in hand to finish the song. I have a Moonstone guitar. It\u2019s a gorgeous instrument. More importantly, it\u2019s <em>my <\/em>instrument. There\u2019s nothing like playing my own guitar. There\u2019s no place like home.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What other tools do you use?<br \/>\n<\/strong>I use voice memos for songwriting ideas and Evernote to save lyric ideas. Save your ideas in the cloud, so if you lose your phone you won\u2019t lose years of ideas. It\u2019s happened to me before and it\u2019s tragic. I also use a Focusrite Audio Interface, combined with a Yamaha Mixer and an AKG Condenser Mic\u2014for making demos, my live webcasts and recording podcasts. My USB 3.0 Lightning Hub is indispensable\u2014because my MacBook Air only has two USB ports. It\u2019s a small, silly thing, but it\u2019s a lifesaver.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Any other essentials?<br \/>\n<\/strong>My manager recently got me a deal with Fender amps. I love their little Mustang LT25 amp, combined with a (borrowed) Epiphone electric guitar. I bought a great drafting chair from Amazon\u2014a desk chair with wheels. I can change the height and it can go pretty high, plus the arms fold back, which is important for playing guitar. A good desk chair can change your whole life\u2014happy back, happy life. (<em>Laughs<\/em>)<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_20093\" style=\"width: 670px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-20093\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-20093\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Grace-Pettis-03-Photo-credit-Nicola-Gell.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"660\" height=\"441\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Grace-Pettis-03-Photo-credit-Nicola-Gell.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Grace-Pettis-03-Photo-credit-Nicola-Gell-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-20093\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo credit Nicola Gell<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>Any accessories?<br \/>\n<\/strong>I use Elixir strings. I love Kyser capos. I picked up my first Kyser capo at Camp NashBill from Bill Nash, who has MS. Late at night, when I was stumbling around the Kerrville Folk Festival campfires (an incredible community of songwriters), looking for Camp Nashville\u2014I stumbled onto Camp NashBill. Bill plays with Kyser capos\u2014the shortcut ones which cover three strings in the middle. I combine it with a regular Kyser and it gets all these wonderful sounds. It was my first experience. I like the way those capos feel.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is the best advice someone has given you?<\/strong><br \/>\nA while back I was complaining about something\u2014some career hurdle or why I felt stuck. My very kind, always supportive, sweet-to-the-core mother uncharacteristically cut me off and said, \u201cGrace. You have to be unstoppable.\u201d That really hit home. She wasn\u2019t diminishing the struggle or making light of it. She was pointing out the obvious: There\u2019s always going to be something in my way. Everybody has hurdles. I\u2019ve had my share and I\u2019ve also had many fewer than others. I can\u2019t let that stop me from pursuing what I want out of life. Moments come and go. I have to seize the moment I\u2019m in and not let anything (even a pandemic or the voices in my own head) keep me from reaching my own potential. It\u2019s a privilege to have the opportunities I have. I can\u2019t waste them.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_20092\" style=\"width: 670px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-20092\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-20092\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Grace-Pettis-02-Photo-credit-Nicola-Gell.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"660\" height=\"440\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Grace-Pettis-02-Photo-credit-Nicola-Gell.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Grace-Pettis-02-Photo-credit-Nicola-Gell-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-20092\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo credit Nicola Gell<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>Do you have \u201cpinch me\u201d <\/strong><strong>moment?<\/strong><br \/>\nI once opened for Jimmy Webb. That was a pivotal moment. He was unbelievably nice and signed my songwriting notebook.<\/p>\n<p><strong>In this unique socio-political time, how do you remain hopeful?<\/strong><br \/>\nI\u2019ve been writing a lot more socially-conscious songs lately\u2014a natural byproduct of being more aware. Plenty of other artists are focusing on writing exclusively happy, positive, uplifting songs. Songs you can dance to. Songs that make you smile\u2014that\u2019s important too. I\u2019m not that kind of songwriter, but I respect that calling. I write from wherever I happen to be. If I\u2019m happy, I write a happy song. If I\u2019m sad, I write a sad song. If the world is on fire, so are my songs. They\u2019re fairly candid that way. Not always toe-tappers, but I come by them honestly.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Where can new fans get more info and stay updated?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gracepettis.com\/\">www.GracePettis.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.patreon.com\/gracepettis\">www.patreon.com\/gracepettis<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/gracepettismusic\">www.facebook.com\/gracepettismusic<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Instagram: @gracepettis<\/p>\n<p>Twitter: @gracepettis<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/GracePettisVideos\">www.youtube.com\/GracePettisVideos<\/a><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_20091\" style=\"width: 670px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-20091\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-20091\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Grace-Pettis-01-Photo-credit-Nicola-Gell.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"660\" height=\"441\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Grace-Pettis-01-Photo-credit-Nicola-Gell.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Grace-Pettis-01-Photo-credit-Nicola-Gell-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-20091\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo credit Nicola Gell<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Video Feature &amp; Web-Exclusive Interview Artist:\u00a0 GRACE PETTIS Video:\u00a0 \u201cWhite Noise\u201d GRACE PETTIS &amp; PIERCE PETTIS AT BLUE ROCK ALIVE! COOL NIGHTS 2020 THIS THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10 \u00a0 \ufeff Grace Pettis is an award-winning singer-songwriter from Austin via Alabama. She\u2019s been characterized as \u201ca little bit folk, a little bit country\/Americana and a whole lot [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20100,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7725],"tags":[12604,12159,12160,12162,12165,12166,12167,8271,9885,12127,11644,11616,9481,11385,12128,12170,12171,12173,12174,9490,12176,7560,3352,9751,12177,12178,12179,12180,1689,12181,3235,1817,12182,12088,5140,5142,11646,11799,12188,3549,12605,141,12190,10386,9850,7566,12192,12242,3010,12359,7978,12194,12195,9127,10198,12197,12198,12199,12200,12201,483,12202,12203,12196,12206,12207,12208,12606,12209,9990,12210],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20090"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20090"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20090\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20099,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20090\/revisions\/20099"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20100"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20090"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20090"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20090"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}