Fun Fun Fun Fest Interview: Angel Olsen

In one year, Angel Olsen’s released an impressive sophomore effort bound for most year-end lists, doubled her annual performance tally, and relocated from Chicago to Asheville, NC. A veteran of intimate indoor venues matching her stripped songs, the St. Louis native now steps up to outdoor festivals, including a Sunday afternoon set at Fun Fun Fun Fest.

Austin Chronicle: How are you liking Asheville?

Angel Olsen: I like it a lot. I’ve been here for a year now. Asheville moves at a much slower pace, which is partly why I moved here. It’s in the mountains, just beautiful. It forces you to slow down.

AC: After seven years in Chicago, what prompted the move?

AO: Well, I have friends here, and I’d recorded [February’s Burn Your Fire for No Witness] in Asheville, but I also kind of moved here for my health, honestly. Being in a non-stressful environment like this helps so much when I’m home.

AC: Glancing at your tour schedule, it doesn’t look like you’ve been home all that much this year.

AO: Yeah, it’s been pretty crazy. I get about two weeks at home between tours, but so far I’ve played about 100 shows in 2014. By year’s end, it’ll be 140.

AC: How does that compare to 2013’s tally?

AO: Last year I played 60 or 70 shows.

AC: Big leap. How do you maintain your sanity – and energy – while touring?

AO: I try to exercise when I can. I like running, but it’s hard to run while on tour, so I save that for when I’m home. We’re all pretty introverted in my band – we’re not a crazy party crew – so that reserves a lot of energy. I see many young bands being all crazy and “rock & roll,” but I worry that if you act like that, you’ll just be spent, and fast.

AC: You’re only 27!

AO: [Laughs] Yeah, but I’ve always felt like an old lady. I’m just old-fashioned about stuff, I think. My dad’s in his 80s and my mom’s in her 70s, and they’ve always had a big impression on the way I think about stuff.

AC: You seem pretty levelheaded.

AO: Well, touring can be dangerous if you’re not. When I first started touring [with Bonnie “Prince” Billy], I learned you’re given free alcohol wherever you go, and [if you partake], you eventually just feel gross. I mean, on tour, you’re basically living on crumbs. Then you get to the venue and you’re given all this wine and food, and you’re thinking, “Do they even realize I’m basically homeless?” [Laughs.]

AC: As an artist who tends to play more intimate spaces [like Mohawk’s indoor stage, and Central Presbyterian Church during SXSW], how does suddenly playing these big, outdoor festivals compare?

AO: I prefer to play indoors, just because the sound is generally better, but I feel privileged to be playing these loud festivals for the first time too, especially with my kind of music. I’d never received fest offers before [Burn Your Fire]. My group is intimate, but we bring loudness too, so we’re not super exposed.

AC: Have you started writing songs for your next album?

AO: Not really. I just haven’t had much time to myself. I’ve written and recorded a little bit at home, but I need more time to fully reflect. I’m not going to force myself to make another album right away just to keep the ball rolling. Like, if I don’t have a new record for a while and can only play tiny shows, then I’m okay with that.

AC: The “quality not quantity” perspective.

AO: Totally. I want to make music that I care about. There’s pressure in the industry to do things at a certain time, so people stay interested, but that’s all crap.

AC: As if following an exact timetable equates producing a quality album.

AO: Exactly. A lot of new music gets hyped, and some of that stuff I listen to and I’m like, “Man, I don’t feel anything in this!” Like it’s half-hype, half-reality. But people are smart. They look for the real stuff.