"When we first came out and started playing, you could see slight confusion--maybe intrigued confusion-- when they saw a bunch of country-western people," the 26-year-old singer/songwriter said by phone from Las Vegas, where she was currently "putting some lashes on.""Then by the end of the song they were kind of clapping a little more. Then the next song, claps got a little louder. By the time I got to 'Merry Go 'Round,' they were kind of singing along, and then at the end, I think they were excited. So it was cool to have the challenge of being in a different genre [and see] it go well."
Not that it's surprising Musgraves brought listeners on her side. In the last year-and-a-half, the Texas native deservedly has become the biggest new voice in country on the heels of her fantastic, unrestricted-by-traditional-genre-limitations album "Same Trailer, Different Park." For her biggest Chicago show to date, she headlines Saturday at the Riviera, a very rare case of a country music artist playing a big theater inside city limits.
You've said that growing up you had quite a bit of sass, and your teachers could give plenty of examples. Can you think of an untold story they might have about your sass?
[Laughs] Oh my gosh. Well, there's probably many. The main thing I got in trouble for was talking and talking back. And being late. I'm always like 5 or 10 minutes behind the world. Yeah, I couldn't help it: I was always late to class and always talking and socializing. I thought school was more of a social time than learning time. I enjoyed school, though, but I think it was because of the social aspect. I feel bad looking back. I was just a little bitch sometimes, talking back.
I remember this one time in chemistry, the teacher called me out because she said my skirt was see-through, and it was a white cotton skirt and it totally wasn't see-through. And it was me and the class against her, and they were all on my side. And they were like, "It's not see-through!" And she was like, "You're going to have to go home and change!" I was like, "I live 10 miles from here. I can't go home and change. I don't have a car. My parents are working. No." It turned into this massive thing, and my mom had to come up there. It was a big debate. They had this panel of people judging whether my skirt was see-through. It was a big mess.
What was the resolution?
I had to change, but ... my mom was pissed she had to leave work.
Last time you were in the Chicago area was as an opening act for Lady Antebellum at Allstate Arena. What's something you've learned being an opening act that will serve you well on this headlining tour?
Every time you tour with a different person you take away something different. 'Cause everybody's got their own way of doing things. Since being on the road with Katy Perry, I feel like I've definitely become a better performer. She leaves no room for you not to give it your all every night because there's so much going on with her show and she's such a performer. But then right before her, I was out with Willie Nelson and Alison Krauss, and it's just getting to see people who are just all about the quality of the songs above anything else, which was really inspiring, too. I've gotten to see the best of both worlds.
What can people expect from your live show at this point?
Mainly, I just want to create good vibes. Before I was an artist, quote-unquote, I was a songwriter, and every weekend I tried to play as many songwriting rounds as I could, so I really got into the whole "listening crowd" environment. I want there to be a way to blend some high energy with also the fact that people can listen to lyrics. Visually I like a theme, so it's colorful and western--we call it "acid western." There's neon cactus going on and cool desert stuff and sparkly suits; just fun visual candy, but just hopefully good country songs, too.
While it's kind of difficult for people to get their hands on your early stuff-material about which you've said you have regrets--someone posted full streams of your albums "Movin' On" and "Wanted: One Good Cowboy" on YouTube. Do you want me to see about getting those taken down, or are you OK with that?
Yeah, it's like I can't escape my past. At one point it was something I was really proud of, so there's no point in trying to cover that up. Even though it's wildly different than what I'm doing now, but at the same time it's weird, because I feel like people can hear my music [now] or see what I'm wearing or what our band is wearing and know that I was totally influenced by those old, traditional-type things that I used to sing and wear and play. There's still definitely big parts of that in me today, but it's just very different. [Laughs]
You co-wrote "Undermine" for ABC's "Nashville," which for a lot of people has been a way to learn more about the music scene there. How authentically do you think the show depicts songwriting and collaboration?
I haven't really gotten to keep up with the show as much as I would have wanted. I kind of get OCD about books and movies. I, like, start one and I start another and then never finish either one. I meant ADD, not OCD. Anyway. I don't know, I think it's a little more dramatic than real life. It's been interesting to see country music portrayed in that way. Entertainment, you know.
Rayna or Juliette?
Oh, I don't know! Characters aside, I love Connie Britton, so I might have to pick her.
Why are songs about trailers better than songs about trucks?
[Laughs] I'm nobody to say any song is better than anything. I like songs about trailers because, well, for one, I've lived in one, so I get to poke fun at it a little bit. Trailer parks are just a fun environment. There's a lot of people constantly moving in and out, so that lends itself to some craziness sometimes. It's just kind of an inspiring environment to me.
Are there a lot of misconceptions about them? Maybe that's why the storytelling becomes more interesting in songs about trailers because people know what's up with trucks but there's more to say about trailer parks.
Maybe. You know, I'm not hatin'. I like a good truck like anybody, so who's to say?
mpais@tribune.com, @mattpais
Kacey Musgraves, 7:30 p.m. Sat. at Riviera Theatre, $35.
Kacey Musgraves personality test
Ziplines or waterslides: Ziplines
Sushi or burgers: "Ooh, man! Both."
Mountains or the beach: "Ahhhhh! Damn, these are hard questions. I'm going to go with the beach."
2 p.m. or 2 a.m.: 2 a.m.
Tim Riggins or Matt Saracen on "Friday Night Lights": "[Laughs] Ooh, I don't know. Tim Riggins is such a douche! [Laughs] I guess Matt Saracen."
[Because she recently tweeted about the Wu-Tang Clan,] Ghostface or the RZA: RZA
Plus:
On Chicago: "I've had a lot of good times in Chicago. The last time I played there I believe it was Joe's Bar. Which is a fun time. I have some friends there. I always end up eating really great food and just having a good time and shopping, so I'm excited."
If she and Katy Perry ever talked about overlap between the tolerance and freedom encouraged in Musgraves'"Follow Your Arrow" and the different kind of experimentation in Perry's "I Kissed a Girl": "Yeah, I mean we definitely see a likeness in each other in the fact that we probably both came from past conservative backgrounds and just want to be ourselves regardless of what we've been told about whether or not we're being successful or not and still make music that you believe in. Yeah, I think that's really cool. That's one of the reasons I admire Katy."
When she expects marijuana to be legalized across the country [Musgraves sings about her endorsement of the drug in "Follow Your Arrow"]: "I don't know; they make a lot of money off putting people in jail for it, so I'm not really sure if they're ever going to fully legalize it. Though they could really turn a lot of things around in my opinion financially if they did that. You'd think it would be a city-by-city or county-by-county thing, but who's to say."
If she'd ever write a song about how she's buying the house she grew up in: "Possibly. It's a crazy full-circle moment, so it's good song food."
If people should always fully put themselves out there, even on a first date: "Well, I do think you should be yourself, but if you've, like, killed somebody, then maybe you should keep that to yourself for just a few more dates."
Watch Matt review the week's big new movies Fridays at 11:30 a.m. on NBC.
mpais@tribune.com
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