Interview with Chastity Brown

The first time I heard Chastity Brown’s live show was at the 400 Bar, a bill I was also on. I was only able to catch the last song, but I knew immediately that I wanted to hear more. Luckily, I got to play with her again, opening up for PM Dawn back in April of ’08, and witnessed her tear the place down. I’m hard on singer/songwriters, simply because there are so many of them with similar styles and subject matter, so it was refreshing to discover a talent like Brown’s; she gets everything right in a traditional sense (great voice, catchy melodies, etc.), but also transcends the genre through quality songwriting that isn’t afraid to tackle difficult topics.

Her new album, Sankofa, will be released in March.

Kyle Myhre: In an age when a million singer-songwriters are out there singing about their relationships, how important is it for you to transcend that, to tackle other topics?

Chastity Brown: There is more to this human experience than just one thing. Honestly, it is easier for me to address or respond to subjects like American history, black history, sexual abuse, and beauty in the sacred, than it is to write about relationships.

KM: Along those lines, how do you approach “political” songwriting? You’ve got songs dealing with identity issues, social problems and much more—what’s your thought process like with those? To you, what is “good” political/activist/whatever songwriting?

CB: I am a part of my community and feel that what political views I express in my music comes from that place. So, I try to speak the truth as I see it or how it directly affects us. “Good” activist songwriting is just that: active and engaged and explicit.

KM: What role does identity (and more specifically, the spaces between different identities) play in your music– as someone who has lived on the east coast, the south and the midwest, as someone who kind of walks the line between folk and soul and acoustic pop, as someone who writes about political music but doesn’t really fit cleanly into the box of “protest singer,” etc.?

CB: This is a good question because it pulls on me in all directions, but I will try to be concise. Well, I was born in the north and raised in the south. My dad was black and my mother is white. The folk tradition of storytelling, the back beat in soul, and the roar of gospel music are all big influences. It’s the strangest feeling when a person feels just as strongly about one thing as they do another. All the places I have lived have shaped me. Being a mixed race has shaped me. But it’s not just about what is on the peripheral, but what is on the inside, the woman that I am.

KM: What does the future hold for you? As an artist, what are your goals? Do you plan on sticking around the Twin Cities or leaving for greener pastures?

CB: I just finished a solo project and will begin working with my band in early February on a record. We have been branching out regionally and I am hoping to go even further in my travels or wherever we are invited.

This year I am looking to connect with some of the many talented musicians and writers locally and see what magic can happen in collaborating. I will be heading on at some point, but there is some more work I’d like to do here.

KM: How can people hear more?

CB: You can order my new solo project, Sankofa, through MySpace or by coming to shows; my show calender is also on MySpace. I just recorded Sankofa this winter and will be officially releasing the album on March 6th at the 331 Club. After the official release date it can be purchased through CD Baby, Electric Fetus, and Arise Books.

Purchase | Official | MySpace

Also: Guante and Big Cats!, Chastity Brown, See More Perspective, the Tribe & Chantz @ Nomad World Pub