Weekend Two Saturday ACL Fest Interview: Margaret Glaspy
Cali songsmith possesses a stilling voice
By Libby Webster, Fri., Oct. 7, 2016
"I don't think you have to be loud to be good," muses Margaret Glaspy. "You can probably make people listen more when you're a little quieter, even."
Glaspy, a 27-year-old classically trained musician, performs with a trio, her rock & roll spacious, uncluttered, and led by electrified guitar licks and stirring vocals. Not basic, but simple and smart, the California native knows where to let her most compelling instrument, a voice that can unexpectedly drop to a gravelly growl and then rear into a clean belt, breathe.
"You and I," a confident strut contained in under three minutes, served as inspiration for the rest of her debut's sound. Emotions and Math, a genre-bender made up of both rollicking pop hooks and quiet moments, was released this summer on ATO, rooted in 2016 but with the lexicon of Nineties singer-songwriters. Glaspy's sincerity has rapidly resonated with listeners.
"When people sing along with lyrics, that's pretty wild," she laughs. "That really hits me pretty hard. It's cool and moving, and that's a point of connection I really take seriously."
Her approach to songwriting mixes cerebral and emotional, distilling everything down to the most fundamental element. Currently based in New York, she takes her newfound status as a full-time musician seriously, with discipline and practice. When Glaspy talks about her music and job, earnestness colors her answers.
"I feel like sometimes I get worse," says Glaspy, laughing. "I just gotta keep myself in check a lot, try and practice, just keep my head to the ground, because otherwise I start to slip up."
