The Be Good Tanyas, an interview!

THE BE GOOD TANYAS, THE BAND WHO ARE BOTH ŒLIVING IN THE PAST, FLYING AS QUICK AND FAST AS THE LITTLEST BIRDS AND LIGHT ENOUGH TO TRAVEL AS FAR AND, DO SO PRETTY MUCH WHEN THEY DAMN WELL WANT....

After one of the most exhausting of tour schedules that stretches back to
the Canadian release of their album 'Blue Horse', the happy go lucky
Canadian folk trio, The Be Good Tanyas (Frazey Ford, lead / harmony vocals, Samantha Parton, lead / harmony vocals, guitar, mandolin, banjo and Trish Klein, harmony vocals, banjo, electric guitar graciously took time out at this year's 38th Charles Wells Cambridge Folk Festival to talk to about how life has been for them. In between listening to the likes of John Prine,
Iris DeMent and the likes of the Indigo Girls - that the girls listened,
intently, to we met up away from the ever deepening mud and bustle of the Cambridge crowd.

First off, how did you you become involved in music and, who were those that
you would first get to hear, Frazey?

My family were musical, my mom played accordion and sang a lot. One of my
first memories, she happily concedes, were listening to reggae, Emmylou
Harris - all kinds of stuff really.

This would be whilst you were growing up in Canada?

It was, but my parents are American. They were draft dodgers, Hippies. When
I was very young we lived in communes, in Ontario, before moving to British Columbia where there was these Russian Communists who lived in an old farmhouse and where there was lots of music.

So, it was an upbringing of a difference that you enjoyed?

It was. My parents were totally insane and are totally responsible for the mess that I am today jokes Frazey.

So what kind of education did you have?

I had a mixture of wanting to be a mid-wife, then I would be doing
sciences, then it would be back to that of a mid-wife, she smiles.

When was it that music became an option?

Oh, music was always a part of it. I had set out to do more responsible
things, but it would be like so what. Lets do another year studying music. Who cares if I end up on welfare, which does happen. Us all starting as a band, it just happened by accident.

Why did you titled this fantastic album of yours, 'Blue Horse' (on
Nettwerk)

It's a long story, (Frazey). It was just like one of those things that pops
into your head, chimes Sam. There was a song that the band used to do, before I was in the band. At the time I was away, travelling in Guatemala.

Prior to me joining the band in 1999 and I was getting e-mails telling me
that I should come home and come sing in this band. I was doing social work, states Frazey.