By Jim Barber
Tami Neilson’s life is about journeys. For a lot of her adolescence, the roots/nation artist travelled the continent of North America as a part of her household band. The Neilsons had been beloved entertainers who practiced a standard type of nation and western music with deep roots, resonant themes of religion and household and a wholesomeness and pleasure that’s missing in a lot of the music trade lately.
Later, as an grownup, she journeyed from her dwelling in Canada to actually the other facet of the earth each longitudinally and latitude clever, falling in love with a person from New Zealand, transferring to the land of kiwis, Crowded Home and Hobbiton, starting a brand new life as a spouse and mother in addition to a brand new inventive journey as a songwriter and recording artist in her adopted nation.
Any artist who’s true to their craft and calling, and who’s blessed (some could say cursed) with self-awareness, in addition to a ardour for storytelling and processing the vagaries and vicissitudes of the world via their artwork can also be on a journey. It’s a continuum of self-exploration, expression and progress as a musician, a lyricist and interpreter of life, each her personal and of these round her. Neilson has attained this stage of inventive apotheosis.
Her new album, Neon Cowgirl marks a key second in her journey because the idea of touring from place to put, touring via time and area, touring alone and along with her family members, touring to new locations and outdated haunts infuses ever fibrous musical tendon of the album.
The title is an actual object of some dimension and impressiveness. The Neon Cowgirl is a landmark in probably the most necessary and culturally wealthy hubs of American music, Nashville, Tennessee. It’s a image not solely of the solidity, significance and custom of the city, but additionally an necessary signpost alongside Neilson’s personal journey as a human and as a creator.
“The Neon Cowgirl, towering over Broadway just like the patron saint of heartbreak in downtown Nashville as she smiles over her shoulder in pink cowboy boots, watched me develop up. Basking in her glow, I walked wide-eyed into the Ryman Auditorium as a 16 yr outdated, clutching my ticket. Later that night time, dreaming of standing on that stage, I drifted off to sleep within the bunk of our dwelling on wheels on the KOA [campground] subsequent to the Opry. Once I was 18, she noticed me flipping via Loretta Lynn CDs within the Ernest Tubb Report Store after performing the breakfast and lunch exhibits on the Common Jackson showboat with my mother and father and brothers in our household band, The Neilsons. At 25 she watched me working throughout city, assembly up with different songwriters – writing, writing, writing – earlier than I needed to fly again dwelling to Canada once more,” Neilson wrote in a chunk included within the promotional materials for the album.
“At 30, I returned as a newlywed on my honeymoon, flying in from New Zealand the place I’d moved for love, holding arms with my new husband in Hatch Present Print, introducing him to her like a member of the family. A decade handed with out her as I constructed a life on the opposite facet of the world and raised two infants. My coronary heart raced as I returned to her once more to showcase at Americanafest, taking part in to 12 individuals at third and Lindsley. 5 years and plenty of showcases later, I swear she smiled proper at me as I ended to level her out to my two youngsters as we walked previous her, into the doorways of the Ryman to lastly carry out for the primary time. Neon Cowgirl represents a lifelong dream of chasing Nashville and nation music. I’ve beloved her my entire life, even when she breaks my coronary heart again and again.”
Within the leadup to writing and recording the brand new album, Neilson and her household actually loaded up a camper and drove hundreds of miles alongside the highways and byways of america and Canada, as a technique to not solely go to associates and family members, however hit places that had profoundly deep which means for Neilson.
“It was the way in which I grew up. So, it was sort of the equal of taking my youngsters again to my childhood dwelling, as a result of my childhood dwelling was normally on 4 wheels above a tarmac throughout the highways of North America. That’s how I grew up for over a decade, residing in a motor dwelling with my brothers and my mother and pop whereas we had been touring. So I wished to offer my youngsters the expertise of getting a bit of glimpse of what that felt like, how that was for me, as a result of you’ll be able to inform all of them the tales, however till they’re there it might be, I assume a traditional particular person’s model of taking them dwelling to the outdated household home and neighbourhood and them attending to stay there for 5 months. Immediately it turns into a shared expertise and a deeper stage of bonding. For me, it was actually necessary. From the time I had my infants I used to be saying to my husband that at some point I actually wished to spend greater than only a two-week vacation visiting household. I would like them to expertise residing in Canada and in North America and actually get to know that a part of their heritage and the muse of the opposite half of the place they arrive from. My oldest, Charlie, was a couple of yr away from beginning highschool, so this was the window of alternative; that is the window when each of the boys are sufficiently old to recollect, however younger sufficient to nonetheless like hanging out with us, you understand, earlier than the teenager years hit,” she mentioned, including that it’s really a part of the Kiwi custom to have these types of in depth journey experiences, particularly for younger individuals.
“The Kiwis, as a nation, as a individuals, prioritize journey. We’re an remoted nation on the backside of the world, they usually have a factor that’s referred to as an OE, which is your ‘abroad expertise,’ and everybody does it. They end highschool, or college and growth, they head abroad for at the least a yr. And it’s prioritized if you stay someplace so remoted from the remainder of the world. So after we went to go to their academics and mentioned this was what we had been pondering of doing, taking them out for 5 months is an enormous, huge ask, with out exception, from the principal to their academics all of them mentioned, completely. They knew the boys had been going to be taught a lot greater than sitting in a desk on this classroom for the following 5 months.
‘The journey was an opportunity to not solely have that particular expertise with my household, however I’ve constructed the profession that I’ve in two-week increments over the previous decade round household life and being distant from my youngsters. I don’t like being away from them for lengthy intervals of time, so I sort of cap excursions at two, three weeks tops. I believed this was my likelihood to be on the bottom nonetheless, taking part in exhibits, however not lacking anybody as a result of they’re with me, and I can hit it as exhausting as I can. We are able to all be touring collectively. That is my once-in-a-lifetime likelihood to actually make a dent in North America as an artist.”
That is the place issues take a little bit of a detour, if you’ll, and this proposed alternative for familial bonding and profession development got here to an abrupt halt as Neilson discovered herself on one other journey – one throughout the well being care system of New Zealand and the street to restoration.
“Two months earlier than we had been booked to fly out, I landed within the hospital in ICU with sepsis and a collapsed lung. So life had very completely different plans than I did. It was my gallbladder; it was gall stones. And I used to be instructed to not fear, it’s the most typical surgical process in New Zealand, everyone will get their gallbladders out. They mentioned I’d be up dancing by Christmas, and this was every week earlier than Christmas. And naturally you signal a waiver that claims there’s a one per cent likelihood that every one of this horrific stuff might occur. I assume I ought to have purchased a lottery ticket as a result of I used to be that one per cent. It bought fairly unhealthy,” she mentioned.
“We then had been considering proper up until a few weeks earlier than if we must always even proceed and do that tip. Was I bodily capable of do it. We did resolve to undergo with it, and it as a result of this journey of therapeutic – fairly literal bodily therapeutic, sort of occurred little by little as we drove throughout the nation with the children. Every gig that I had, one was a showcase that was just one track after which one other was a gap slot that was simply 20 minutes. So I used to be capable of get my legs beneath me slowly and as I needed to do vocal rehabilitation to increase my lung capability once more, I needed to decrease the keys to lots of my songs. So it sort of grew to become this unimaginable journey of therapeutic whereas additionally being so stuffed with gratitude on the identical time. I believe when you might have a near-death expertise, there’s a recent sense of gratitude for each little factor in life.
“I really feel this album and the songs and the tales round it are so vivid in a method that solely occurs after you’ve had a close to demise expertise. Like, you instantly discover each element and you actually treasure every little thing. You take a look at issues now like roots that stretch again 30 years. Immediately you’re seeing blossoms popping from these roots that you simply’ve been tending and tilling and nurturing and watering and digging within the filth for 30 years. That’s the way it felt and the way every little thing feels to me now. I do know that this journey can be one which stays with me till the top of my time right here.”
Two monumental and life-altering experiences particularly occurred alongside the RV-bound journey. One was a chance to audition on the massively common TV sequence, America’s Obtained Expertise. The second was the possibility to carry out on stage on the legendary Ryman Auditorium, former dwelling of the Grand Ole Opry, and nonetheless probably the most necessary of venues – a residing, working repository of the historical past of American music. That was particular sufficient, however what added far more emotional resonance to the event was that she was requested to carry out on the venue opening for Crowded Home – the New Zealand equal to The Beatles – and was requested personally by band chief Neil Finn himself. Additionally on the street journey, the household hit Salvation Mountain [which became another song on the album], Dollywood, the Statue of Liberty, Graceland and Yellowstone Park. Every member of the household had their choose, they usually visited all of them.
However first, let’s head to Hollywood and the stage for America’s Obtained Expertise, which was a cool expertise for Neilson on one hand, however a little bit of a downer in one other facet.
“We began the journey in Hollywood. I had a expertise scout ring me months earlier than they usually requested if I’d audition for America’s Obtained Expertise. I mentioned I used to be not American they usually mentioned it was okay, it’s simply the title, you will be from wherever. I mentioned ‘I don’t know the way I really feel. I’m already a longtime artist. I’m not going to faux that I’m undiscovered and all that.’ And so they’re like, ‘oh no, that’s not the narrative anymore.’ It was a type of wild issues. I auditioned and, once more, I had a collapsed lung. I used to be doing one track, the primary time performing and standing in entrance of the judges and in entrance of a stay viewers in Hollywood. I bought a ‘sure’ from all 4 of the judges. I bought a standing ovation, the entire 9 yards. And then you definately stroll off the stage and there’s a lawyer and he or she says, ‘congratulations on all of your votes. Congratulations on such an unimaginable efficiency. There’s no assure you’re going to make the present.’ And I didn’t make the present. Folks have to know that these exhibits are very a lot about constructing a story. It’s not in regards to the expertise. If I instructed them about virtually dying the month earlier than I most likely would have received the rattling factor, however I didn’t need to go down that route.”
The Ryman is among the most well-known and iconic performing venues in america. It’s has such significance and is such a mark of distinction that artists exterior of the nation and western vein vie to trod it’s boards.
“The following present I did after America’s Obtained Expertise was on the Ryman and it was opening for Crowded Home as an acoustic duo with my brother [Jay], one month after being within the hospital. It was my first time on that stage, so it was a bucket listing efficiency and there I’m with a semi-collapsed lung. It was simply wild,” she mentioned, once more reiterating the truth that it was a fellow New Zealander who bought her the spot.
Finn’s profession stretches again to the late Seventies when he helped kind the favored New Wave band, Break up Enz, who had huge worldwide hits similar to ‘I Obtained You,’ and ‘Six Months in A Leaky Boat.’ Later within the Eighties, he helped kind Crowded Home, who grew to become a part of the soundtrack of most music lovers all through the late Eighties and Nineteen Nineties with songs similar to “Higher Be House Quickly,’ ‘Don’t Dream It’s Over’ and ‘One thing So Sturdy.’ Finn stayed in his dwelling nation and has labored exhausting to develop and nurture the New Zealand music trade, along with his personal studio being at its epicenter.
Evidently, getting the nod of approval from Mr. Finn is the dream of each Kiwi musician, no matter whether or not they had been born in Wellington, or southern Ontario.
“He’s New Zealand music royalty. Truly, he’s music royalty interval, however he’s so beloved and is a really actual, accessible particular person, in a really New Zealand method. There aren’t issues like entourages and gatekeepers round. It’s like a small city. I imply in the entire nation there’s solely one million individuals. I’ve been a Crowded Home fan my entire life. I first met him in particular person after we had been each booked at a report retailer in Wellington for Report Retailer Day. We had been each on the invoice and he invited me to carry out the track ‘Distant Solar’ with him. I used to be so nervous, this was 10 years in the past now, and I used to be so overwhelmed to satisfy him and stand subsequent to him in a spot the place you wouldn’t usually see him, this little report retailer, not even at a venue or a correct gig. We had been on the identical flight dwelling [to Auckland] and our flight bought delayed so we had been sitting within the lounge chatting and attending to spend time collectively, which was like a dream come true,” Neilson mentioned.
“He’s very very similar to a father of the trade right here. He’s very a lot about elevating different artists, pulling up-and-coming artists, platforming and collaborating with them. He’s simply a type of individuals who simply loves music; he loves creativity and he stays recent and important. His inventive output is so prolific. And his boys are round my age and Liam and Elroy are each very concerned within the music trade right here and I believe that helps to maintain issues recent for Neil. It retains him actually plugged in. All three of them are influencing one another and creating collectively, they usually’re in Crowded Home now as effectively. So after I recorded Kingmaker [her 2022 album] it was achieved out and in of lockdowns and the pandemic, and all of the borders had been shut. So Neil was dwelling as a result of he couldn’t tour and I used to be recording at Roundhead Studios which isn’t solely his studio however he and his spouse Sharon stay above it, it’s additionally their dwelling. So he would pop down within the morning, and I’d see him along with his espresso and I keep in mind him shyly coming as much as me at some point to say, ‘I hear that you simply’re doing strings right now. Would you thoughts if I sat in and simply listened? It’s a fantastic technique to spend the day.’ He’s very expensive associates with Victoria Kelly who did all of the string preparations on my previous few albums.
“After I got here out of the hospital after my gallbladder surgical procedure, it was actually weeks and I used to be at a really small occasion {that a} mutual buddy was placing on they usually had requested me to sing a track. I instructed them I didn’t know if I might even sing very effectively, however I did it. Neil got here as much as me afterwards and he mentioned, ‘effectively, you’d by no means know there was something flawed.’ After which he mentioned, ‘a bit of hen tells me that the Ryman is your bucket listing venue. We’re performing there in Might [2023] are you going to be in Nashville in Might?’ I mentioned, ‘I’m now!’ I keep in mind individuals within the trade in Nashville saying to me, ‘you’re transferring to New Zealand? You’re committing profession suicide. Folks come right here to make it. Why are you going there? And I like that my first time stepping on the stage on the Ryman was due to my New Zealand neighborhood.”
All of those experiences knowledgeable the creation of Neon Cowgirl, an elevated benchmark of Neilson’s songwriting excellence in the way in which it takes all of the tales, all of the experiences, all of the adventures of the literal and figurative journey that Neilson went on via a lot of 2023 along with her household.
“The best way that I create most of my albums is I form of gather little scraps of concepts for a yr or two. I don’t normally go greater than two years between albums so I have a tendency to gather these scraps in between data and relating to pull them collectively I guide studio time and that’s my deadline. Okay, now it’s time to begin cooking. So I’m pulling out all of the scraps and the elements and every little thing that’s been stashed away on this little treasure field over the past yr, yr and a half and get to work. For this report, I believe that sonically I had a very clear path of what I wished it to sound like, which was the artists that had been influencing the tone. I had sticky notes caught on my window and after I’d end writing a track I’d put it beneath one of many sticky noes. There have been 4 of them – 4 pillars or factors of my compass for the album. And it was Roy Orbison, Ok.d. Lang, Patsy Cline and Elvis. They had been the angels trying over my shoulder. And if a track didn’t match these 4 pillars, I put it away for an additional time,” she defined.
“Thematically and lyrically, I used to be simply writing what was in me for the earlier yr and a half. Additionally I usually, or predominantly co-write with my brother Jay and in addition with one other frequent collaborator, Delaney Davidson, who doesn’t have a track on this album, however they’re sort of the 2 musical brothers, one being my literal brother, that I are inclined to collaborate with essentially the most. However on this album, as a result of I used to be on the bottom in Nashville extra usually, making these cool connections and friendships, I labored there extra. Getting to put in writing with Laura Rogers of The Secret Sisters on the track ‘Preserve On’ was wonderful. That session occurred the morning after performing on the Ryman for the second time, which was for a Patsy Cline particular that aired on PBS with this all-star lineup. I used to be nonetheless on cloud 9 after I virtually floated into this writing session and it was one other a type of deeply non secular moments for me. One other one who, like Willie Nelson, I’ve beloved my entire life is Wynonna Judd. You’ll be able to really hear her in my voice after I sing. She’s massively influential. The gateway was she’s on stage along with her mom [the late Naomi Judd] and after I was younger I used to be onstage with my mom. It’s sort of a solidarity you are feeling. And I bought to satisfy her for the primary time on the Ryman for that Patsy Cline particular.
“I misplaced my dad 10 years in the past. And in every single place I’m going, particularly for large milestone moments, like earlier than I carried out with Willie for the primary time, and earlier than I made my Grand Ole Opry debut, I’ve this letter that my dad wrote to me, that I carry in every single place. He wrote it to me after I moved to New Zealand. And now being a mother or father myself I can see that it’s him attempting to impart, attempting to infuse every little thing he desires for me in a letter to the opposite facet of the world. And he mentioned, ‘don’t neglect who you might be. Don’t surrender.’ It’s sort of prophetic in elements which have come to life, come to occur so many occasions. There’s even specifics the place he talks about Nashville and he talks about standing on the stage on the Ryman. So I learn this each single time earlier than one thing sort of huge occurs. I learn it backstage after which sang my track and at intermission I bought to go up and meet Wynonna. And my dad begins and ends the letter with the phrases, ‘carry on.’ And he finishes by saying, ‘carry on knocking, carry on writing, carry on emailing, carry on phoning, carry on, carry on, carry on – he says it thrice. As Wynonna was strolling previous me, she took each my arms and appeared into my eyes and he or she mentioned, ‘carry on, carry on, carry on.’ 3 times. After which she quietly walked away and left me, like, gob smacked and crying. So there’s a line within the track ‘Preserve On’ that claims, ‘although his flesh and bones have gone, he speaks to me via international tongues.’ And he has spoken via different individuals on a number of events. The following morning Laura requested me in regards to the night time and I simply burst out with all these tales about assembly Tom Hanks and First Girl Jill Biden. It was simply essentially the most surreal night time. I noticed Pat Benatar strolling round backstage and Kristen Chenoweth got here as much as me and mentioned, ‘I would like your voice.’ I used to be like, ‘are you kidding me! You’re Kristen Chenoweth!’ Of all of the unimaginable issues that occurred, I mentioned to her, it was the story of Wynonna that what the most important factor. And by the top of me telling her the story, she was sobbing and I used to be sobbing. That very same night time I additionally met Ashley McBryde and we ended up co-writing a track. So many of those songs had been born out of direct Nashville magic. It’s this loopy form of stardust that simply will get sprinkled on you if you’re there.”
One other musical icon with a connection to The Ryman and Nashville is Roy Orbison. One in all Neon Cowgirl’s most hauntingly lovely and spellbindingly compelling songs, ‘Silly Coronary heart,’ is a love letter of types from Neilson to the person whom she met as a really, very younger little one.
“I inform individuals I met him, however he met me. I used to be a child, so I didn’t actually fairly meet him. However he held me in his arms after I was about six or eight months outdated. My dad was taking part in a present with him they usually met backstage and my dad requested for a photograph of him with me. So he held me and I like to think about that as like my true Christening second. I’ve all the time felt this connection to him. And driving previous his home, the place he used to stay subsequent door to Johnny Money in Nashville, reflecting on the massive tragedies that he lived via in his life, which was a really brief life [he died in 1988 at age 52] and the influence that he made in that brief life. He handled tragedy that might most likely fell most individuals. However he continued on, after shedding his spouse and his youngsters. He should have endured insufferable, unfathomable grief. There’s a line in ‘Silly Coronary heart’ that claims, ‘tragedy performs with me like a marionette.’ These had been issues that had been past his management, however he nonetheless allowed himself to be susceptible and open as an artist and was nonetheless so giving of his expertise, and his voice, and that silly coronary heart that was, like, nonetheless beating. Once I first wrote that track, I used to be very a lot reflecting on him and the way grief bonds all of us. And I keep in mind the unique demo was referred to as ‘Orbiting Orbison’ earlier than I modified the title. So, yeah, I assume it’s nearly paying homage to him and acknowledging the ache and the grief that he went via, and in addition feeling that kinship and solidarity with somebody if you’ve walked via grief your self. He was a part of my life journey, again after I was simply getting began in life, and he’s been there ever since.”
Finn additionally makes an look, singing harmonies alongside Neilson on the album’s title monitor.
“He was on tour and I despatched him a message which included the track and I mentioned, ‘that is the title monitor. And I don’t know, however I really feel prefer it’s very Finn-like. It’s very Finny. And I can hear you singing harmonies on this one. However, you understand, completely no obligation.’ He got here again and mentioned that he beloved the track, and he was dwelling for actually three days between his U.S. exhibits and beginning his tour in Australia, months away from dwelling on each ends. So he was dwelling for simply three days and what did he do in these three days? He went into the studio, and never solely did he put down vocals and, as you’ll see on the album credit, he really did a bit of arranging on the track. He performs the keys within the intro. He secretly bought my producer Steven Schram, who’s the producer of Neon Cowgirl, but additionally the producer of Crowded Home’s final album, to ship him the track stems of the piece and did a bit of rearrangement magic and despatched it via to me. He’s like, ‘I hope I’m not stepping on any toes. I like the track. I simply hear some stuff. Do you thoughts if I’ve a play.’ I’m like, you’re Neil Finn, you are able to do no matter you need.”
Earlier this summer time, Neilson had the chance to take part within the tenth Anniversary Outlaw Music Pageant Tour, headlined by the legendary nation music artist and cultural icon, Willie Nelson, and in addition that includes the inimitable Bob Dylan and The Mavericks, amongst different acts. Neilson firmly believes being within the orbit of Nelson, seeing how he conducts himself on and off stage, and even simply his aura as a inventive soul rubbed off on her and influenced how she views life, her profession and music.
“I’d like to assume that a bit of little bit of his magic mud has settled onto my shoulders and I hope I’ll carry it round eternally. I actually consider there’s something to that. It sounds sort of ethereal fairy if you discuss issues like that however Willie is such a deeply non secular being. He has this unimaginable steadiness of being deeply grounded and an everyman’s man. However then if you look into his catalogue as a songwriter and recording artist – it’s out of this world. Folks have requested me what was my gateway into Willie’s music? I sort of got here at it in a method that’s very completely different from others. Lots of people know him from the ‘Outlaw Nation’ factor with Waylon Jennings and Johnny Money, or from the weed smoking and all of these issues. That’s sort of change into the stereotypical Willie stuff lately,” she mentioned.
“For me, I grew up singing Gospel music in a household band. And so did Willie. For me it’s all the time been this like sense of solidarity and kinship due to that. He spent most of his life on stage along with his sister [Bobbie Lee] and I’ve spent most of my life on stage with my brother [Jay]. The songs that he writes about his religion aren’t preachy and even what you’d possibly even deem to be Christian music, however it’s Gospel music at its core. It’s very private and non secular. I believe that, regardless, as a result of he’s so open-minded, it’s nearly spirituality and religion from one man’s perspective. It’s not about placing a label on what that’s or isn’t.
“I believe that if you meet Willie, and also you spend time with him and also you tour with him and also you watch the way in which he units the tone for everybody round him, proper from his quick band to the native crew that’s loading within the gear, all of them adore him and all of them are actual, gritty those who have an open arms coverage similar to him. In order that does have an effect on you as an individual and it does have an effect on the way in which you use on the planet. And if you see a 92-year-old man who’s been within the enterprise for seven many years as a songwriter and performer you’ll be able to’t assist however take it on board and check out to absorb, like deliberately absorb, the way in which he strikes and operates on the planet and attempt to emulate that and convey that into the way in which you deal with individuals round you and your friendships and your crew and your band and your loved ones. All of that inevitably finally ends up coming via in your craft and in your songwriting as effectively.
For extra info on Neon Cowgirl and when Neilson could return to her dwelling and place of origin for exhibits, go to her web site at
Jim Barber is a veteran award-winning journalist and creator primarily based in Napanee, Ontario, Canada, who has been writing about music and musicians for greater than 30 years. Apart from his journalistic endeavors, he works as a communications and advertising and marketing specialist and is an avid volunteer in his neighborhood. Contact him at jimbarberwritingservices@gmail.com.
