AS YOU MAY WELL KNOW, MOST THEMES FROM BLUES SONGS COME FROM “CIGARETTES AND WHISKEY AND WILD WILD WOMEN”, WITH “MONEY HONEY” UP THERE ON THE MOUNT RUSHMORE OF TOPICS.
BUT WHAT IF YOU’RE A WOMAN? AND MARRIED? AND WITH CHILDREN? AND PART JEWISH?
CAN’T JEWS GET THE BLUES? OI!
ZZ WARD IS STRETCHING THE COLOR OF THE BLUES WITH RARELY SUNG STORIES, NAMELY MOTHERHOOD, FINDING A BABYSITTER AND HEY! WHAT ABOUT THOSE DIAPERS! YA THINK HOWLIN’ WOLF COULD HANDLE THIS?!?
WITH A NEW ALBUM ON SUN RECORDS RECENTLY RELEASED (LIBERATION) MS. WARD COVERS TOPICS THAT HALF THE WORLD’S POPULATION CAN FINALLY IDENTIFY WITH, AND IT IS RESONATING.
WE HAD A CHANCE TO CATCH UP WITH HER BETWEEN TOURS, AND AS WITH HER MUSIC, SHE IS TO THE POINT AND APPROACHABLE.
HOW IS MOTHERHOOD?
It’s amazing, the best. I have two boys
HOW DO YOU BALANCE MOTHERHOOD, WIFE AND CAREER?
It’s a very delicate balance, and I need help from my family and people around be.
When I first started out, I started trying as a mama getting back into my career and think ‘I’m gong to have the baby in the study, write songs with her on my lap there”. I tried that once and it didn’t work to well (laughs)
Now I know, that when I’m with my kids, or “with’ my kids, and when I’m working, I’m working. Being on tour has been a tricky, as this last tour was a lot harder with two kids than with one. I had to keep popping in and out as my role as a mom
When I’d go to sound check I’d announce it , to and immediately come back to being a mom. I tell my mom “I’ve got the show; you’ve got the kids” and return back to help.
It’s a bit easier at home with someone there to help me the washing and working. Yesterday, for example, I spent all day with them, so there was no time for music.
You really have to humble yourself and realize that your time is not yours anymore: It was before you had kids
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“I obviously have a different background and struggles than are different than others. So all I felt what I could do what to write about what I’m doing, what stresses me out and what makes me cry”
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THAT’S JUST WITH THE KIDS. HOW ABOUT BALANCING YOU MARRIGE TO YOUR HUSBAND?
It’s a battle, but the beautiful thing about it is that you have to have things going on in your life, and you have to have something to write about. You need experiences into which to channel your writing and that’s what I do.
That’s one thing I learned from the blues. The artists that I grew up with, like Big Mama Thornton, Son House and Muddy Waters, sang like I felt that I knew what was going on in there lives, so that’s what I wanted to do
EXCEPT FOR DONNA SUMMMERS’ DISCO SONG “SHE WORKS HARD FOR THE MONEY” YOU ARE UNIQUE IN HITTING TOPICS CLOSE TO A MOTHER.WAS THIS A CONSCIOUS DECISION OR ONE BY DEFAULT?
&&&&Writing is my therapy when I first became a mother to Ezra, it was such a life change and felt so overwhelmed, even some reaction, even thou I realized that having them was the best thing in my life. I’ve never do anything more important either, and I love them more than anything else in the world.
But when you talk about the pain and suffering that came out of early America with their stories, I obviously have a different background and struggles than are different than others. So all I felt what I could do what to write about what I’m doing, what stresses me out and what makes me cry.
For me, it was being a young mother and “Oh, My God! This is insane!” I’d see all these moms with their kids across the street and think of what an appreciation that I have for other mothers , and how much of a sacrifice that it is to themselves.
I just wanted to write about that . I didn’t think like “this will point out something in big business or relate to this demographic” . I’ve never though about issues like “Give It Back” Or anything..
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“The artists that I grew up with, like Big Mama Thornton, Son House and Muddy Waters, sang like I felt that I knew what was going on in there lives, so that’s what I wanted to do”
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DO FATHERS RELEATE TO IT
Yes, I remember when I made the album Til The Casket Drops, which now seems so long ago. My engineer Gavin was in the studio with his wife, who’s a nurse. They brought their baby who was maybe a year old, and put him into another room\
We were doing a night session, and he was sleeping, but the mom had to keep running back and forth
I look back on that now, and recently told Gavin about some live recordings I did as a mother. “I love this song” he gold me. But how could he relate to it as a father, as ten years ago he was trying to engineer my recording while taking care of his baby.
It’s kind of like this unspoken things that parents can relate to when they have kids; everybody goes through it.
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“Writing is my therapy when I first became a mother to Ezra, it was such a life change and felt so overwhelmed, even some reaction, even thou I realized that having them was the best thing in my life. I’ve never do anything more important either, and I love them more than anything else in the world”
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HOW SUPPORTIVE WASYOUR HUSBAND WITH THE BALANCE OF CARRER ANDMTHERHOOD?
We are learning as we go. I’ve had to humble myself We didn’t say “We’ve got this! We know how this works and how to have careers and still have kids”. That would be untrue.
At the end of the day, I think that Adam my husband really knows how passionate that I am about music. He’s also passionate about my music, so if I write a song and it’s a great song , he’ll love it. IF it’s not great, he’ll tell me. ]
It’s interesting because I’ve always written about my life and have never been able to separate that from the music. It’s the way I express myself.
We figure it out as we go, but there are times when I have to leave for a gig and he has to be the sole one looking after them.
There’s a sacrifice that comes to having to go out there and having a career, but he’s been nothing but supportive of me, and that’s why I’m with him. I need that in my life. Someone to help me with my passions.
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“I’d see all these moms with their kids across the street and think of what an appreciation that I have for other mothers , and how much of a sacrifice that it is to themselves.”
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IT’s FUNNY WHAT YOU LOOK FOR IN A GUY WHEN YOU’RE DATING AND HOW IT MEANS NOTHING TO BEING A HUSBAND AND FATHER LATER ON.\
You have no way of knowing. You can’t go back in time and go “He’s going to be like this as a parent”. You simply have no idea
LET’S TALK ABOUT YOUR ROOTS; HOW HAS Y OUR JEWISH ROOTS IMFLUENCED YOUR MUSIC?
It’s definitely more important to my now.
I didn’t know that I was Jewish when I was growing up .I’m a spiritual Jew; I’m not super religious, but doing Jewish traditions with their kids is something that is important to me and something that I practice with them.
I think we all have amazing opportunities to look into our roots now that we never had before. We can now know who we are and what our identities actually are . The more you 6666can find out about yourself on your journey to self realization
Knowing who I am more than I ever did before made me feel more confident and connected with my family. It also makes me really grateful
My grandmother hid the fact that she was Jewish; it was life or death.
I understand that now, and it makes me really grateful that I live in a place that I feel safe, and also having a career in music. It is a dream, and I don’t think I would ever have had them if it weren’t for her and the sacrifices that she made.
There are definite ways that it effects my life and music.
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“There’s a sacrifice that comes to having to go out there and having a career, but he’s been nothing but supportive of me, and that’s why I’m with him. I need that in my life. Someone to help me with my passions”
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WE’VE DONE THE ROOTS OF MOTHERHOOD, THE ROOTS OF JUDAISM, THAT LEAVES THE ROOTS OF THE BLUES
I grew up in the blues. The first song I ever sang in front of people was when I was twelve years old Albert King’s “As The Years Go Passing By”
When we moved to Oregon from the East Coast my dad got into a blues cover band and he was so encouraging of my. I’d come to the rehearsals and he’d encourage me to get up and sing. If it weren’t for that early encouragement I don’t think I would have had the confidence to do it. I owe so much to my dad
He’d have all the Big Mama Thornton, Son House and Muddy Watters records all around the house. Robert Johnson was always playing in the kitchen.
All of my friends were listening to pop records, but we had on the blues. So, the blues is home to me
When I started playing music professionally, I’d always incorporate blues aspects into my music. You’ll always hear that. My fans really love that about me
But it’s not until now that I’ve really felt bout becoming an independent artist for the first time, especially since signing with Sun Records. I feel I now have the freedom to make the kind of music that I’ve always wanted to make
The new album is deeper into the blues than it’s ever been for a long time for me.
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“the blues is home to me”
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WHAT HI T YOU ABOUT SUN RECORDS WHEN YOU WALKED IN?
The story works a little differently than you’d imagine, but I haven’t recorded yet at Sun Studio. But that is in my future.
The way I did this album was that I just knew that I wanted to make a blues album. I met with my friend Ryan Spraker and told him that I wanted to get deep in the blues and not worry about pop and just make the blues album that I’d love.
I wasn’t sure what I was going to write about, but I knew I wanted to do it, so I went in and made it with Ryan at his house. I wrote a lot of the songs at home. Almost all of the songs were co written
I had made the music that I had wanted to make
Sun Records heard the music, and I heard that they wanted to work with me. They were relaunching the label
This was the Sun Records that I’d see when I’d walk into second hand records stores with my dad , and he’s say, ”This is a Sun label; ;let ,me tell you about Sun Records. You need to buy this one because it is the roots of American music. ”.
So, they told me that this was the kind of music they wanted to relaunch Sun and I told them “I’m on board one thousand percent”
WAS ERIC GALE OR SLASH IN THE STUDIO WITHYOU, OR WAS IT SENT IN?
What you’re referring to was a photo of me with them. I have not recorded with them. I went on tour with them.
I was on tour with him for a summer, and there were some incredible artists on that tours: Kingfish, Keb Mo’, and Eric was on a different leg of that tour
He was at a show where I was playing in South Carolina. He wasn’t even on that part of the tour]]
DO YOU EVER PICK THEIR BRAINS FOR ADVICE?
When I meet people that I really respect, and I don’t have a lot of time, what do I want to learn from them.
I had the chance to talk to Keb Mo for quite a while, and I will say about him that he was so encouraging and empowering to me as a woman musician. He said “ZZ, you just must fight for it. Nobody knows what’s going to be great. You just have to know what you want, and you can’t let anybody stop you from getting that. “
Keb Mo is the nicest most humble human.
It’s so amazing talking to him. I was really geeking out! Laughs
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“(Keb Mo’) said ‘ZZ, you just must fight for it. Nobody knows what’s going to be great. You just have to know what you want, and you can’t let anybody stop you from getting that.'”
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WHEN’S THE NEXT TOUR AND WHO’S BABYSITTER
The next one is the Dirty Sin Tour, which includes fun VIP packages. I’m really looking for ward to that. The live show is where it’s at. That’s one of my superpower. Yes, I have to get a babysitter.
IF YOU GET A CHANCE TO SEE ZZ WARD IN TOUR, DON’T MISS IT, IT COULD BE A LIBERATING EXPERIENCE. AND TRY TO OFFER TO FIND HER A BABYSITTER!