Kim Richey spent the initial portion of her 15-year career chafing at various stylistic restraints, some self-imposed, others foisted upon her by others. Through the second half of the ’90s, the itinerant daughter of a Dayton, Ohio, record-store owner sampled and discarded various guises: new-country misfit (1995’s Nashville-friendly self-titled debut), Lucinda Williams in waiting (1997’s calculated Americana stab Bittersweet) and top-40 hopeful (1999’s super-slick Glimmer). And while those albums had at least two things in common—great songwriting and a soulful, not-in-the-least-bit-showy vocal approach—it wasn’t until more recently that Richey locked into a groove all her own. That in mind, Wreck Your Wheels (Thirty Tigers), her sixth and latest release, finds the artist reveling in a friction-free comfort zone somewhere along the well-read, emotionally honest folk/pop continuum. Richey will be guest-editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our Q&A with her.
Richey: They’re magic. It’s all in there, all the songs played and written on them. Each one has its own personality and sound. I think different guitars inspire different songs. I have a 1956 Gibson J-50 that makes me happy every time I pick it up. It was a gift from a friend many years ago.
Video after the jump.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6SgtDmEfuE
One reply on “Kim Richey’s Old Friend: Old Acoustic Guitars”
As a struggling musician, I just gotta say: guitar players talking about how awesome their vintage guitar is, is like listening to someone talk about how awesome their Ferrari is. We get it. It’s a great piece of kit. There’s a magic to playing/driving it that you’re not going to get with newer/more economical guitars/cars. This fact has long been established, so please stop rubbing it in. It’s awesome for you that you own a rare and expensive guitar. I’m so happy for you and your possession. I’m not rich enough to buy one, nor am I cute enough to charm someone into wanting to give me theirs. If I was, I’d get one in a heartbeat. I worked my ass off–ironically fixing other people’s more expensive guitars–to buy a Guild from the factory and I love it and am proud of the songs I’ve written on it.