Liz Durrett
Finally Taking The Foreground
originally published December 1, 2004
"I moved back to Athens a couple of years ago, after being away for a really long time. I had been playing and writing songs during that time," says guitarist, violinist and songwriter Liz Durrett, beginning to explain how she went from musical hermit to semi-frequent performer, "but not really playing out anymore. I have really bad stage fright and it works against me even though part of me loves to play more than just about anything. Anyway, Vic [Chesnutt] booked a show for me without telling me and that forced me to do it, which turned out to be a really good thing, and then I started getting my own shows and going from there."
Liz Durrett
Many folks, whether they know it or not, got their first listen to Durrett's talents either on her uncle Chesnutt's album West Of Rome or on Peter Sillen's accompanying documentary Speed Racer: Welcome To The World of Vic Chesnutt - both produced she was just 14 years old. It wasn't long after that she made the transition from session musician to songwriter. "Vic gave me my first guitar when I was 16," Durrett says, "and just sort of turned me loose to see what I would do. I was kind of going through a rough spot like a lot of people that age, and it helped me tremendously. It changed everything for me. Over the next three years, Vic and Tina [Chesnutt] recorded a lot of what came out of that…"
The resulting collection of songs, titled Husk, hits stores this February through the local Warm Electronic Recordings label, despite not having been recorded for that explicit purpose. "Brian [Causey], at Warm, came to one of those shows and wanted to hear what I had recorded and ended up deciding to put it out," Durrett explains, "I never really meant for anybody else to hear it, but I guess it's a little late for that now."
The songs themselves are decidedly downbeat, but softly so, much like many of her now-labelmates. Comparisons to Cat Power or Azure Ray wouldn't be far off, though Durrett says she doesn't hear that very often. And while the idea of this sort of tone may sound familiar to many a music fan, her songs tend to avoid the usual trappings of "verse, chorus, verse" style construction. "Mostly I just try to let whatever comes out, come out," she explains, "and sometimes I like it, and sometimes I think it sucks, but I try not to overthink it too much. For me, that's when I lose whatever was cool about it to begin with."
One might attribute this sense of structure to early experiences listening to her aunt and uncle's music. "I guess I've learned just about everything I know about playing music from them, and they may not want to take credit for some of that, but I'm giving it to them anyway," she jokes, but takes a serious tone as she continues. "When I heard Vic's records [as a teenager], it blew my little mind. It's profoundly affected the way I think about music, the way I think about songwriting, and it's had huge impact on my life."
Lately, she's been able to lend that musical sense back to Chesnutt, continuing to provide musical backing for the songwriter. Durrett also has begun playing in The Good Ship. "I'm a lot more comfortable being in the background, so I can relax a little and actually enjoy myself," she remarks. "It makes me think about song structure differently too, playing other people's songs. I really like the idea of trying to contribute something to what someone else created."
This week though, she'll be in the foreground twice - once at Flicker for her own show and once at the Little Kings as part of a Warm label showcase. Since these clubs are a bit smaller than her usual trend of performing opening slots for larger shows, the rooms may - for once - fit Durrett's quiet style. "I'm not sure how it is for everybody, but it can be a little hard for me sometimes," she says. "Volume tends to capture people's attention in a room, and when you take that out of the equation, you've got to find some other way to do it. Every once in awhile, it'll get quiet and you feel like you've got 'em, and that's pretty cool when it happens, but I usually have no idea what did it or how to sustain it, but I like trying to capture them."
Will Brooks
WHO: Liz Durrett
WHERE: Flicker Theatre & Bar
WHEN: Thursday, December 2
HOW MUCH: Call
WHO: Parker & Lily, Phosphorescent, Japancakes, Liz Durrett
WHERE: Little Kings
WHEN: Thursday, December 2
HOW MUCH: Call
Will Brooks
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Wayfaring Strangers
Shifting Lineups And Moving To Athens Helped Refine Disband's Sound
originally published December 1, 2004
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