Interview: Kacy and Clayton Discuss Their Influences, ‘The Siren’s Song’ LP

Though The Siren’s Song has been out for a couple of months, we keep returning to Kacy & Clayton‘s one-of-a-kind sound over and over. With an obvious retro influence, they’ve magically tapped into an older sound that has gone unnoticed for far too long.

“All I know is that it just makes sense to me,” Clayton Linthicum tells The Boot. “I don’t know what else to say. It makes sense to me musically in ways that I like. A lot of that older music … there was a real emphasis on rhythm, you know what I mean? When people learned how to play guitar, they learned how to play along with music that was rhythmically focused.”

That rhythm and influence is all over The Siren’s Song, but Kacy and Clayton don’t only tap into their vintage musical tastes. The second cousins are also driven thanks to their upbringing in rural Canada.

“Growing up on family ranches, you witness your mom and dad working a lot,” Linthicum says. “That influences your work ethic. That’s the most immediate thing I think about, your attitude toward what you work at every day. You really see that a lot when you don’t see your parents because they’re outside working all the time.”

“And it makes you think … I want to work hard at music because I don’t want to build fences and chase cows,” Kacy Anderson adds, with a hint of laughter and sincerity in her voice.

That work ethic has always been present in the duo. However, there is an obvious growth at play since their last LP — one of The Boot’s favorite records of 2016 — Strange Country.

“I definitely think we got a lot better,” Linthicum admits. “That sounds egotistical, but we’ve played a lot in between … we played a lot of shows.”

His partner-in-crime adds, “Yeah, we’ve improved, there’s no other way to say it. I got to watch Clayton play a lot, and that actually helped me. I never went on a ‘guitar mission,’ because I’ve always been able to play, but eventually I had to get comfortable playing guitar in our band, and so … I had to do it, so I just did it.”

As for the pair’s favorite tunes on The Siren’s Song, they agree that “A Certain Kind of Memory” has a little bit of everything for everyone, providing fans with a snapshot of what the entire album stands for. But if you ask them which song has elicited the most surprising fan reactions, there isn’t as much agreement.

“I was driving to get my oil changed, and on the community radio station, our friend was playing “Go and Leave Me,” which I thought was a really strange selection,” Anderson says. “I didn’t think anyone would play that one on the radio.”

“I feel that way about “The Siren’s Song,”” Linthicum confesses about the title track. “I mean, I like the song, but I thought it might be too poppy. I wasn’t sure if anyone else would go for it.”

Regardless of fans’ favorite songs or the most surprising tracks from the album, Kacy & Clayton simply want everyone to listen to their newest disc front to back and give it a chance.

“Give her a try,” Linthicum simply states, while Anderson is a little more honest: “We ain’t saying it’s good, but we’re not saying it’s bad,” she notes. “But hey, it’s not very long, so giver her a listen.”

New Country, Americana, Alt-Country, Bluegrass and Folk Albums Coming in 2018

This Article Was Originally Posted at www.TheBoot.com

http://theboot.com/kacy-and-clayton-the-sirens-song-interview-2017/

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