Natalie MacMaster
MACMASTERFUL
Natalie MacMaster Is a Northern Star Ready to Shine
Born to a family steeped in the Celtic-inspired music of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia (her uncle Buddy MacMaster is considered a giant of the traditional style), Natalie MacMaster has brought the fiddle and step dancing of her childhood to audiences around the world. Touring with the Chieftains, sharing her Celtic charisma as opening act for Carlos Santana, MacMaster is already a star in Canada. On her latest release, IN MY HANDS, she pushes the traditional envelope even further with original compositions, and counts on guest artists like fiddler Mark O'Connor, accordion player Sharon Shannon, nuevo flamenco guitarist Jesse Cook, and Grammy-winning vocalist Alison Krauss to fill out her vision. Deep in tour rehearsals, MacMaster took a break to speak with bn.com from her home in Cape Breton.
barnesandnoble.com: If you had to describe Cape Breton fiddling to someone who didn't know the style, what would you say?
Natalie MacMaster: In my mind, its biggest asset is the rhythm. Somebody who doesn't know the music can certainly feel that. It's right there, the power and the lift in the tempo and the groove -- the feel of the music is just so strong. I think if you listen to the music, it's got a lot of spirit. It's raw -- there's nothing dainty about it at all.
bn.com: The title cut, IN MY HANDS, is a pretty unusual song for you, with electronics and spoken word vocal.
NM: It's an idea that I had tossing around in my head for the last year and a half or so. I just sort of worked on it here and there, but I never took it too seriously, never sat down and said, I need to write an amazing piece of music. I wrote some words down and I thought -- You know, maybe I can write some lyrics, maybe I could write a song to put on my next album. Should I make it a complete song? I'm not a singer, I thought. But there must be a way to do this -- I'll just say it! So that's what I did. There are some background vocals, and I'm doing those too -- which is a first. It's all a first. But the essence of the song is spoken. Writing songs with lyrics is not something I'm going to get into full swing on, but if I get inspired I can certainly see myself doing another one.
bn.com: Whose music do you listen to?
NM: Actually I was just listening to a CD of Donal Lunny, and I love Alison Krauss's new CD; I think it's just gorgeous. I listen to the Gipsy Kings and Sheryl Crow. When I want to get back to the roots, I get out old homemade tapes from parties and things, you know. I don't know if I should reveal this. I just bought a Backstreet Boys CD. I wanted their new single.
bn.com: You grew up in a family of musicians -- did you listen to other kinds of music growing up?
NM: When I was little, I didn't even know any other kind of fiddling existed really! But as far as singing goes, I listened to Anne Murray a lot as a kid, and then went through a Michael Jackson phase.
bn.com: Your live shows are so electric -- how do you keep that energy when you are recording in the studio?
NM: First of all, I absolutely adore both -- and being in the studio is just as much fun for me as being on the stage! What's good about the studio is that you have so much control and it's such a creative environment. That just excites me. The fiddle always sounds really good in the studio, and it's just inspiring to play. On the stage, you don't have those elements, but you do have the thrill of the live crowd, and if it's a festival, usually people are freakin' out, dancing and clapping and having a good time. That's what they're there for. It's very encouraging to me to play when I can see that.
--Kerry Dexter
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