BABE #322: MELODY WALKER - Lead Singer/Songwriter, Front Country
Melody is the lead singer/songwriter for Front Country, a progressive bluegrass, folk and pop band with a whole lot of soul. Though multifaceted, her responsibilities are creative-based and encompass envisioning the band’s songs and honing their messaging. She’s a firm believer in saying things that are worthwhile, and her passion for activism in the music industry and beyond is an evident part of her story. We loved chatting with her at Bourbon and Beyond and can confirm that this babe is, indeed, saying things that are worthwhile.
The Basics:
Hometown: Martinez, California
Current city: Nashville, Tennessee
Alma mater: Humboldt State University
Degree: B.A., Music
Very first job: My mom has run an auto body shop since I was a kid. Both of the painters are women—my aunts. My first experience making a couple of bucks on the side was sanding bumpers for my mom.
Hustle: Lead Singer/Songwriter, Front Country
The Interests:
Who is a babe you admire and why?
There are so many babes. I would have to say all of my friends in Nashville who are kind of in my freshman class of people who've been building their careers and trying to get that first slot on the side stage at a festival. We have a lot of friends who are in a similar boat trying to get better and better slots. We'll play that headline slot at smaller bluegrass festivals, but for something like Bourbon & Beyond we're a small fry, trying to hustle our way up. The only way to succeed is if you have attitude.
How do you spend your free time?
Cooking. I don't feel I'm off the road or relaxing until I cook on my own. I eat so much trash out on the road; when we have a day off on the road, if we're staying at someone's house (which is the best), we'll go out and shop and cook dinner for our hosts. Everybody in the band loves to cook.
The Hustle:
Tell us about your hustle.
In our band, I'm the lead singer and songwriter; my responsibilities are mostly creative: really envisioning our songs, especially with the messaging. The more our platform grows with this band, the more I feel a responsibility to say something that's worthwhile. The new album we just recorded that's going come out in 2020 is almost all protest songs, but in a variety of ways—not always to complain, but more just empowering people and creating a vision of the future that hopefully makes it accessible to people.
What's your typical workday?
Oh man. I mean, it is typical, even though it seems so atypical. Being a musician, the road could throw you any number of new things on any day. There could be a wreck, there could be no good food for 800 miles; that literally happens all the time, and then you're eating a hot dog from a gas station. Essentially, every day on tour: wake up, load all the shit in the van, drive to the gig, unload the shit, play a show, load the shit back in the van, go to a hotel, unload it again because you can't leave the stuff in the car overnight. It's just a lot of loading and unloading—and then the sweet part, which is getting to be on stage and connect with people and play music, which is—most of the time—pretty joyful. That passion makes those hard days easier to get through.
When did you first start playing music?
My dad plays music. I think that that's such a huge part. He's not a “professional” musician, but he does gigs all the time on weekends with his band. I think seeing that as a kid—seeing a parent play an instrument or even sing is so powerful and makes you think you can do it too. I think I've always felt a rock star, you know? Maybe I'm just delusional, but if people asked me what I wanted to do: hands down, rockstar. I'm not a "rockstar" yet—maybe it's not all it's cracked up to be, but I'm making my own version of that, which I think is better. I think part of what helped me decide to do it full-time was the death of a friend. We went to college together and we were in several bands together, and he started touring with one of his bands. They were the first band I knew that started touring. I was so jealous. I saw them go out and do their first national tour together, and he ended up dying really young in a car crash. It made me want to go out on the road and continue doing what he had been doing. I literally felt his energy—I could carry it with me. When somebody dies, I feel a little piece of that memory stays with you, and so that little piece of him I have with me on the road. That's not completely why I do it, but I feel that was a pivotal moment.
Who do you most want to tour with?
Oh my God, my dream opening gig would be with the Dixie Chicks. They're coming out with a new album next year; it's going to be called “Gaslighter,” which is amazing. They're not taking any shit. I love them. They speak their minds (and they always have) and they have so much integrity. I would love to open for them. Another person who has so much integrity and speaks her mind is Brandi Carlile. I love her. We'd love to open for her.
How have your past professional/academic experiences prepared you for the work you do today?
I went to music school—which did not prep me at all for being a touring musician. Most music schools don't teach about the business side of things. There are music business programs, especially in Nashville, but that's not what I did. It prepared me to be musical and think about arrangements and technique and things like that, which I think does help with the sustainability and longevity of your career. But there's so much you just have to learn by getting out there and doing it. We'll see people like Lady Gaga or Taylor Swift who've been in the business for 15 years and they're not even 30 yet. It's crazy. I'm 34, and I kind of wish I hadn’t taken the four years to go to music school, because maybe I would be that much further. But everybody has their own path, and I never would have met the people I'm in a band with now if I hadn't taken that time and gone to music school and moved back to the Bay area when I did.
How has being a woman affected your professional experience?
Being a woman definitely affects what I do, because I know that there's still a gender gap within festival booking. There are a lot of festivals that aren't in the 21st century yet. It's affected me in every way. I think maybe even though I was raised with a musician-dad, I think if I were a man, I would have probably been more encouraged to learn the technical side of music than I have been. I familiarize myself with a lot of things, but I still think there's also that tech space. For instance I hear from a lot of girlfriends and have experienced myself that when you get to a venue, the sound engineer—who's usually a dude; sometimes it's a woman, which is amazing and I always give extra love when it is, but it's usually a dude—he'll talk to just the dudes about the sound. That’s very typical, and the same thing can exist in the studio.
Career and/or life advice for other women?
Oh man—just smash the patriarchy in every way you can, and internally, too. I just try to subvert it as much as possible. I haven't shaved my legs this entire summer, and I feel really fine about it. I'm just always trying to twist what the expectation is for women, and that includes swearing whenever I want to. I think when we subvert gender norms, it opens up acceptance and inclusivity for all different kinds of gender expressions. I personally want to dig deeper with that myself. I think I've gone toward presenting more femme on stage because it feels more flattering to my body type or something, and I feel that’s BS. I don't want to be doing that; I want to tune into wearing menswear or a more masculine look, and I should feel open to doing that. I think the more we all clear these expectations, I think it's better for everyone. Everyone is their own person, and we're not stuck in these binary roles.
In partnership with: Bourbon and Beyond
Bourbon and Beyond is a Louisville, KY-based festival featuring a perfect blend of bourbon, food, and music. Learn more about the fest here and keep an eye out for 2020 dates soon!
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