{"id":20101,"date":"2020-12-10T14:52:06","date_gmt":"2020-12-10T21:52:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/?p=20101"},"modified":"2020-12-10T14:52:06","modified_gmt":"2020-12-10T21:52:06","slug":"video-interview-pierce-pettis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/2020\/12\/video-interview-pierce-pettis\/","title":{"rendered":"Video &#038; Interview PIERCE PETTIS"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1><strong>Video Feature &amp; Web-Exclusive Interview<\/strong><br \/>\nArtist:\u00a0 <strong>PIERCE PETTIS<br \/>\n<\/strong>Video:\u00a0 <strong>\u201c<\/strong><strong>The Adventures of Me (and This Old Guitar)\u201d<\/strong><\/h1>\n<p><strong>PIERCE PETTIS &amp; GRACE PETTIS AT BLUE ROCK ALIVE! <em>COOL NIGHTS 2020<\/em> <\/strong><strong>THIS THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/t7kIKA0vBok\" 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>Pierce Pettis\u2019 songs have been recorded by Susan Ashton, Dar Williams, Garth Brooks and Art Garfunkel. He was a member of the Fast Folk movement in 1980s New York.\u00a0He released one independent solo album before signing with High Street Records, a division of Windham Hill.\u00a0There, he released three albums. His second album there was <em>Tinseltown <\/em>and his relationship with producer Mark Heard transcended the album.\u00a0After Heard\u2019s untimely death in 1992, Pettis committed to including a song of Heard\u2019s on every one of his own albums, a practice that continues to this day.<\/p>\n<p>Pierce Pettis, along with his award-winning singer-songwriter daughter Grace 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>Pettis was a staff songwriter for PolyGram from 1993-2000. When his High Street Records contract ended, Pettis signed with\u00a0Compass Records. After a lifetime of crafting finely-wrought, heart-touching songs, singer-songwriter Pierce Pettis feels that he\u2019s finally found his comfort zone. \u201cThe biggest change,\u201d he says of this point in his career \u201chas been getting over myself and realizing this is a job and a craft. And the purpose is not fame and fortune (whatever that is) but simply doing good work.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-20107\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Pierce-Pettis-01.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"660\" height=\"660\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Pierce-Pettis-01.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Pierce-Pettis-01-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Pierce-Pettis-01-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Pierce Pettis\u2019 songs instill inspiration and challenge us to question deeper meaning. Wisdom, introspection and vulnerability are seen in precise proverbs\u2014always searching while shining a light on revealed truth.<\/p>\n<p>We talked with Pierce Pettis about his approach to songwriting, the way he approaches life, what inspires his creative process and how he learned a wealth of lessons along the way.<\/p>\n<p><strong>PIERCE PETTIS <\/strong>Interview<br \/>\nwith\u00a0<strong><em>M Music &amp; Musicians<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>magazine publisher,<strong> Merlin David<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Tell us the story behind one of the songs you\u2019ll play at Blue Rock\u2019s <em>Cool Nights 2020<\/em>.<\/strong><br \/>\nA few years ago, I wrote \u201cIf It Wasn\u2019t For the Night\u201d with my friend, David Wilcox, who came to my house wanting to work on Christmas songs. Instead of typical Christmas songs, he wanted to focus on Advent\u2014the dark time preceding Christmas. Advent was traditionally a time of fasting and reflection, so we dug into St. John of the Cross\u2019 poem \u201cDark Night of the Soul\u201d\u2014on which the song is largely based.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-20108\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Pierce-Pettis-05.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"660\" height=\"429\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Pierce-Pettis-05.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Pierce-Pettis-05-300x195.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>How did the idea of \u201cThe Adventures of Me (and This Old Guitar)\u201d come to you?<\/strong><br \/>\nI was thinking of my kids more than me\u2014despite what the title would suggest. My three grown children have all launched into music in one way or another. Knowing what I know, I wouldn\u2019t be much of a father if that didn\u2019t worry me to some extent. The song is a bit of a warning and perhaps an explanation for how a musician\u2019s bond to his instrument and work can be an obsession that alienates him from home, family, friends and pretty much the rest of humanity.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What did you learn about yourself after recording 2019\u2019s <em>Father\u2019s Son<\/em> album?<\/strong><br \/>\nBy far, my most enjoyable recording experience\u2014though the years of false starts leading up to it were a bit frustrating. When we finally got into the studio it was great. Garry [West] did a superb job producing. It was wonderful working again with Stuart Duncan and Reese Wynans. Of course, it was great having Grace there.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h1><strong><em>Pierce Pettis\u2019 songs instill inspiration and challenge us to question deeper meaning. Wisdom, introspection and vulnerability are seen in precise proverbs\u2014always searching while shining a light on revealed truth.<\/em><\/strong><\/h1>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>What is your creative process?<\/strong><br \/>\nI usually have to get someplace quiet and try to squeeze into my right brain. Since I do my own booking, promotion, publishing\u2014it\u2019s hard sometimes to turn off that side of your brain that makes the trains run on time. But I have to do it. I have to get back to the child\/dream side where I have permission to <em>play<\/em>. Sometimes I need some help. I have folders on my laptop with literally hundreds of song starts, ideas\u2014half-written, half-baked stuff. Sometimes just combing through the files, I\u2019ll see something that sparks me. Sometimes I can only add a few lines before the fire burns out. But I can always come back to it. Other times I\u2019ll write the whole song in under five minutes. I think my best songs have taken either five minutes or 15 years, with not much in-between.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What songwriting tip would you like to offer?<\/strong><br \/>\nTwo tips (not that I feel entitled to preach): If you want to write, <em>read<\/em> and <em>listen<\/em>. It\u2019s not about you\u2014it\u2019s about the song. In other words, when I write I\u2019m serving the\u00a0<em>song<\/em>. I might very well use events, people, places from my own life\u2014but strictly as\u00a0<em>material<\/em>. I believe the purpose of the song is not to bring attention to me, but to bring attention to the song. I don\u2019t want the listener to think about me and my life, but to find something they can relate to in their own lives.<\/p>\n<p><strong>First lines of great songs are strong and set the stage. Tell us about \u201cJust Like Jim Brown (She is History)\u201d\u2014one of the best opening lines ever written: <em>She walked away, just like Jim Brown\u2014when he laid that football down; and walked away because he could\u2014all the way to Hollywood<\/em>.<\/strong><br \/>\nIt just fell out of the sky. I always admired the way Jim Brown accomplished every goal he set for himself in football\u2014then just walked away from it at his peak, without a word. What a mensch. He moved from football to Hollywood the way people naturally move to a better seat on a bus or a plane. So the idea just hit me one day as I was thinking about my own life.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-20106\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Pierce-Pettis-02.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"660\" height=\"438\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Pierce-Pettis-02.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Pierce-Pettis-02-300x199.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Which songwriters inspired you to write songs?<\/strong><br \/>\nMy first and biggest influence was Bob Dylan, then T Bone Burnett, Joni Mitchell, Elvis Costello, Paul Simon, Randy Newman, Jesse Winchester, Eliza Gilkyson, Gordon Lightfoot, Jackson Browne, Mark Heard, George Jackson and Tom Jones III, Mac McAnally, Darrell Scott, Roger Williams, Hank Williams, Bill Withers and so many more.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Jesse Winchester\u2019s \u201cNo Pride at All\u201d is in our Top 100 Songs of All Time. Which of his songs made the biggest impact on you?<\/strong><br \/>\nIt was more personal than any of his albums. I toured with Jesse back in the 80s for the better part of a year. In the beginning, I wasn\u2019t even that familiar with his music. But hearing him night after night, I was exposed to the brilliance of one of our greatest American songwriters\u2014a huge education for me. By the end of that year, my whole concept of what songwriting is all about\u2014changed because of him. He wasn\u2019t just a great writer\u2014he was a great guy with a very clear idea of what songwriting is about\u2014namely, the <em>song<\/em>. Listen to \u201cA Showman\u2019s Life,\u201d \u201cYou Remember Me,\u201d \u201cYankee Lady,\u201d \u201cSweet Little Shoe\u201d and \u201cTalk Memphis.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>What did you learn from Jesse Winchester songs?<br \/>\n<\/strong>Great songs are not about the writer, they\u2019re not an advertisement for the writer\u2019s ego or a cry for help. Jesse could write from some very personal events in his life\u2014but it was always about the song, not Jesse. He was very humble that way. I once had the privilege of spending some time with Eudora Welty and I asked her why her autobiography, <em>One Writer\u2019s Beginnings<\/em>, didn\u2019t seem to dwell on her life so much. She said, \u201cbecause it\u2019s not about me, it\u2019s about the <em>work<\/em>!\u201d I think Jesse had the same philosophy\u2014get over yourself and write! (<em>Laughs<\/em>)<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-20105\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Pierce-Pettis-03.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"660\" height=\"477\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Pierce-Pettis-03.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Pierce-Pettis-03-300x217.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Which Mark Heard albums influenced you the most?<\/strong><br \/>\nAgain, personal to me. Mark was my friend and produced my album <em>Tinseltown<\/em> for Windham Hill\/High Street Records. I practically lived with Mark and his family for several months\u2014working every day. I don\u2019t think I truly appreciated his impact on me and his brilliance as a writer until after he was gone. Over the years, his music has grown on me.\u00a0It gets better and better.\u00a0Musically, he was a genius. His melodies and chord progressions are so unique and so catchy\u2014almost Paul McCartney-like. As for favorite albums, I\u2019d go with the last three: <em>Dry Bones Dance<\/em>, <em>Second Hand<\/em> and <em>Satellite Sky<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>After Mark Heard died in 1992, you covered a song of his on every one of your albums. What an amazing way to honor such a wonderful person.<\/strong><br \/>\nAt first, it was because I felt this was someone who needed to be heard \u2014I still feel that way. But really, they\u2019re just great songs \u2014so much energy\u2014perfect for kicking off a concert or an album. He\u2019s doing a lot more for me than I could ever do for him. His \u201cLook over Your Shoulder\u201d is on my most recent album, <em>Father\u2019s Son<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What instrument<\/strong><strong>s\/equipment can you not live without?<\/strong><br \/>\nMy Lowden S25J (mislabeled, by the way\u2014it\u2019s a steel string. They must have had too much Guinness that day). (<em>Laughs<\/em>)\u00a0This is the guitar I waited for my whole life. I have often gone to the mat with flight attendants and stage hands over that guitar. Nobody touches my Lowden. I also love my other Irish guitar, the Avalon\u00a0Legacy\u00a0L32c \u2014killer spruce top.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-20104\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Pierce-Pettis-04.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"660\" height=\"880\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Pierce-Pettis-04.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Pierce-Pettis-04-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Pierce-Pettis-04-300x400.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Why are these so essential to you?<\/strong><br \/>\nThere\u2019s really nothing like a hand-made guitar. They seem to have more of the personality of the maker.\u00a0They\u2019re more <em>personal<\/em>. I\u2019ve been to Ireland and met the guys who made my Lowden and Avalon. I really believe those guitars have <em>soul<\/em>. There\u2019s just something really special about them. They bring something out of me that no other instruments I\u2019ve played can. That\u2019s just a fact.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tell us a \u201cpinch me\u201d moment when you thought \u201c<em>Wow, this is really happening to me!<\/em>\u201d<\/strong><br \/>\nWhen I was 20, watching Joan Baez record one of my songs. Also, working with David Hidalgo, Booker T Jones and Jim Keltner out in LA was pretty cool. It was awesome getting to spend an afternoon with T Bone Burnett and Elvis Costello\u2014though I\u2019m sure neither would remember me\u2014I was a fly on the studio wall. Blessed and honored getting to know Stuart Duncan (and Dieta) over the years. I was especially blessed by my early years at Muscle Shoals Sound Studios\u2014literally watching history being made.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How has living in the South\u2014living in Alabama\u2014influenced your music?<\/strong><br \/>\nThe South is the birthplace of pretty much all American music \u2014 jazz, black and white gospel, blues, country, bluegrass, rock \u2019n\u2019 roll. You can\u2019t really get away from it. Where I grew up was a crossroads with lots of musical influences\u2014pretty much all of the above. And my time at Muscle Shoals Sound Studios when I was starting out was hugely influential to my music \u2014as well as my outlook on life.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is the best advice someone has given you?<\/strong><br \/>\nBest advice was from Jesse Winchester when my oldest son was born: \u201cDon\u2019t let your kids grow up without you\u201d\u2014probably should have taken that more seriously.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-20103\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Pierce-Pettis-06.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"660\" height=\"660\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Pierce-Pettis-06.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Pierce-Pettis-06-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Pierce-Pettis-06-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Best advice you\u2019d give to your teenaged self?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Jimmy Johnson (of the MSRS \u201cSwampers\u201d\u2014Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section) in the form of a Socrates-like dialogue:<\/p>\n<p>Jimmy: <em>Do you want to be a star?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Me: <em>Yeah!<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Jimmy: <em>OK, you\u2019re a star\u2014<\/em>now<em> what do you want to do?<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Do you remember the first time you heard one of your songs on the radio?<\/strong><br \/>\nYes. I was in high school and the local radio station, WFPA, played a 45 I\u2019d cut with my band, \u201cKellett, Pettis &amp; Matthews\u201d over in Rome, GA. I thought I was famous.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How do you remain hopeful in this strange and unique socio-political time?<\/strong><br \/>\nMy faith in Y\u2019shua HaMashiach. God\u2019s in control, not me.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Where can new fans get more info and stay updated?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.piercepettis.com\/\">www.PiercePettis.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Instagram: @piercepettis72<\/p>\n<p>Twitter: @piercerpettis<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/artistdata.sonicbids.com\/band\/piercepettis\/\">https:\/\/artistdata.sonicbids.com\/band\/piercepettis\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bandsintown.com\/en\/a\/49322-pierce-pettis\">https:\/\/www.bandsintown.com\/en\/a\/49322-pierce-pettis<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/compassrecords.com\/artist\/pierce-pettis\/\">http:\/\/compassrecords.com\/artist\/pierce-pettis\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/piercepettismusic\">https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/piercepettismusic<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reverbnation.com\/piercepettis\">https:\/\/www.reverbnation.com\/piercepettis<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.songkick.com\/artists\/438940-pierce-pettis\">https:\/\/www.songkick.com\/artists\/438940-pierce-pettis<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/undiscoveredmusic.net\/artists\/pierce_pettis\">https:\/\/undiscoveredmusic.net\/artists\/pierce_pettis<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-20102\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Pierce-Pettis-07.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"660\" height=\"993\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Pierce-Pettis-07.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Pierce-Pettis-07-199x300.jpg 199w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Pierce-Pettis-07-300x451.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Video Feature &amp; Web-Exclusive Interview Artist:\u00a0 PIERCE PETTIS Video:\u00a0 \u201cThe Adventures of Me (and This Old Guitar)\u201d PIERCE PETTIS &amp; GRACE PETTIS AT BLUE ROCK ALIVE! COOL NIGHTS 2020 THIS THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10 \ufeff Pierce Pettis\u2019 songs have been recorded by Susan Ashton, Dar Williams, Garth Brooks and Art Garfunkel. He was a member of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20110,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7725],"tags":[12604,12607,12608,8413,10590,12609,12611,12610,12612,7517,8271,11644,11616,9481,11385,3592,2422,8422,8423,2328,3068,3070,12613,12501,12502,12614,9490,12615,12437,1070,12616,12617,12618,12619,12620,8428,4953,12621,12622,12623,3724,5140,5142,4338,12624,12625,11646,11799,12626,1625,12627,12628,12629,8694,3593,12630,991,12631,12632,8374,12634,12633,7566,3420,3422,12635,12636,3010,7978,12637,12638,12197,12639,12640,1673,1857,12200,12201,12641,8480,8361,12642,12643,12644,12645,12646,12647,12648,8451,12649,12650,12651,7404,12232,12196,12652,12653,12654,12655,12656,12657],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20101"}],"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=20101"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20101\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20109,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20101\/revisions\/20109"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20110"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20101"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20101"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20101"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}