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Sonia Leigh will be getting your July Fourth weekend started a little early with her show on Thursday, July 2, at Downtown Alive. Five feet-four inches of old school country mixed with a spicy blend of more contemporary influences, Leigh has been recording her original songs since she was 14, and by the age of 21 had already released two albums. Sonia took some time out of her busy schedule to set our minds at ease regarding hounds singing the blues and what covers you might be treated to during her performance.
Describe your sound for someone who hasn't heard you before. What would be a good single to introduce your music? My music is a mixture of country/blues/Americana/rock...that’s the best way I can say it. I think “A Poem from the Ocean Floor” is the best representation for my sound. However, we have a harder sound on tracks such as “Skeletons” (featured on the record “Angel on My Shoulder”).
I understand you taught yourself the blues while working in a dog kennel. Would this produce bluesy howls from the hounds, and would you use this to gauge how your playing was progressing? Oh the dogs loved the music. It chilled them out and made my job that much more fun. I think that it was an extremely important step to learn the blues. Blues is the root of everything! I was lucky enough to be mentored by one of the greatest blues musicians of the new generation, Sean Costello, who has since passed away. He taught me that playing with taste and letting the music breathe is very important.
You had already released two albums by the age of 21, but you describe your last album, “Run or Surrender,” as your favorite. What has changed in your songs with age? I think that my writing matured quit a bit over time naturally and my song catalogue became very well rounded in styles. Everything is an inspiration and influences my writing. I love all kinds of music so I write all kinds of styles.
There's some nice footage online of you doing a cover of Old Crow Medicine Show's “Wagon Wheel.” Are you planning to drop any covers on us at Downtown Alive? Maybe... We like to do this Bob Dylan song “Meet Me in the Morning” off of one of my favorite records, “Blood on the Tracks.” We may pull that out for Downtown.
Atlanta is a popular destination for Greenville residents to catch shows of artists who don't come to town. What are some of the best spots to hit while we're in town, both pre-game and late night? Eddie’s Attic and Smith’s Olde Bar are two of my favorite venues in Atlanta. Also The Five Spot is a great venue with a laid-back atmosphere and great artwork. Blind Willie’s and The Northside Tavern are great spots to hit if you are in the mood for some blues music.
You took part in the Cayamo music cruise this year. Was that your first performance on an ocean-faring vessel? No I had actually had the pleasure of playing on the Gimme Three Days Cruise a couple years prior, and also I played on The Rock Boat this year as well. It was such a great experience to be able to hang out and jam with some of the artists I have spent so much of my life listening to.
Your sound is definitely steeped in the classic country sound of artists like Willie Nelson, but your lyrics strike me as somber and introspective, kind of like Townes Van Zandt. Do any artists nowadays inspire you like these pioneers? I am lucky to be working with some of my favorite writers (such as my partner in crime/ fiddle player) Levi Lowrey, Zac Brown, Nic Cowan and Wyatt Durrett (co-writer on most of the songs on Zac Brown’s “The Foundation”). I get to go on the road with these guys, and they all blow my mind all the time with their music. I am also a very big Chris Knight fan. Everything he writes is amazing. I have had the joy of sharing the stage with him three times, so I consider myself so blessed to have such great talent around me. It keeps me on my toes and challenges me to push myself to keep growing. I am always amazed by Brandi Carlile and the Indigo Girls. There is an undiscovered talent in St. Louis called The Rum Drum Ramblers. These guys are fresh!
Underrated/overrated:
Overrated: Ha ha. Twitter.
Underrated: Writing someone an actual letter and putting it in the mail (guilty of not doing that as much as I should).
How long has your current lineup been together, and what's the next move for you and your band? I’ve been playing with Levi Lowrey for almost four years. He is a gem (art highly prized for its beauty or perfection), and I knew it the first time I ever saw him play. I looked over at my friend and said "that’s my fiddle player right there." And I talked to him and invited him to sit in with me, and we have been working together since then. Little did I know he was also one of the most amazing songwriters I have ever met. The next move is getting into the studio in August with Zac Brown co-producing my next record. Who knows what the future holds? The sky is the limit!
Sonia Leigh performs Thursday, July 2 at Downtown Alive.
