You may not have noticed, but Newport Folk Festival three-time performer Sharon Van Etten and her band The Attachment Theory have been hanging out in Westerly all week, preparing for their winter tour, which begins Saturday at the United Theatre. Tickets are available here.
Known for her indie-rock vibe, Van Etten began her career as a more traditional singer-songwriter. She’s known for her evocative songwriting on tunes like “Seventeen,” several critically acclaimed albums, and her acting – the New Jersey native has starred on the Netflix showThe OA, and several films, including How it Ends, which features two of her songs.
I spoke to Van Etten and bandmate Devra Hoff earlier this week and learned more about their stay in Westerly. “We never have enough time out here when we pass through, so we thought, what better way than to rehearse in the place where we’ll be beginning the shows,” explained Van Etten. “They were nice enough to let us use the space – we’ve been rehearsing all week.”
The rehearsal schedule is busy, but “humane,” joked Van Etten. “It’s not just the new songs; we’re also touching on old material, working with 27 songs right now and learning how to interpret them with our new sonic palette.”
The shows will celebrate the February 7th release of the band’s new album, Sharon Van Etten and The Attachment Theory, a collaborative effort from the band. (Copies are expected to be available at the show.) “Sharon invited us all to write with her on this record, said bassist Devra Hoff. “Its always fun when the band comes together, it’s a nice way to all get on the same page musically. We wrote the record at a couple of writing retreats that yielded some interesting, creative results; there were some intensive trips that were very collaborative. We made a lot more music than anyone will probably ever hear.”
That songwriting approach was a shift for Van Etten, who typically writes solo. “My writing is always done from a very isolated, protective place, as an individual and a writer, so that’s why this was a really big deal for me. But collectively, in a group, I felt safe and most heard, I wanted to let go in this whole other way.”
“Everyone in the band are pretty much jazz heads, professional musicians,” added Van Etten. “I’m a songwriter; my strength is in my melodies and my songwriting. I trusted them completely to help me interpret my own stream of consciousness.”
Van Etten is constantly evolving as a musician. “My goal has always been to evolve,” she said. Every record, I try to throw in some element of change, so I’m not writing the same record over and over again. I’m growing with different ideas and different influences. Every new band member that comes into the band completely makes me pivot sonically in ways that I haven’t before. It continues to be a journey.”
A three-time Newport Folk Festival performer who first played Fort Adams in 2012, Van Etten appreciates the shared experience of musicians and fans that marks the event. “The first time I performed there, I was overwhelmed by the collaborations that were happening. At that point, I didn’t have the confidence as a performer to get up there and jam.”
Over time, Van Etten got more involved with the scene, especially the Deer Tick after-parties. “I would go to a lot of those. I love them as people, and they’re the epitome of knowing how to jam and improvise and bring in special guests. They embody that for Newport.”
“It’s such a beautiful collection of artists, old school, new school, and Jay (Sweet) is constantly bringing in all different types of music to drag the point home that folk isn’t just a genre, it’s a state of mind, and how inclusive that can be.” Hoff, who played the Jazz Festival with Nels Cline in 2016, says the Folk Festival is a bucket list item for him. “It was a really special day for all of us,” he recalled.
With the turmoil of national politics as a backdrop, Van Etten shared some brief thoughts on the present situation. “Now more than ever, I feel like you have to focus on your community and the things that you can control, and harness your own superpowers to be able to get past the things that we cannot control. I think about my family; I think about my band. Look at the fires in California, I see communities coming together in spite of it all. These are the things we need to remember.”
Sharon Van Etten and the Attachment Theory play the United Theatre in Westerly Saturday, February 1, at 8PM. She Keeps Bees opens. Click here for tickets.