Donna Britton – Interview – Thanks for Asking!

Donna Britton – Interview – Thanks for Asking! – by Liam Sweeny.

RRX: Every artist’s first song is a milestone. But so is the latest song. Describe the first song/album you recorded, and also the latest song/album you recorded; what are the differences?

DB: I only have two albums recorded, and my third is still “in process” and almost finished.  My first album, “Adventures” is almost biographical… from my college days camping with friends, a semester in Siena Italy, falling in love, breaking up, traveling on my own, falling in love again, and being content with life. My second album “It’s Time to Play” was created from songs I made up while singing to my two boys when they were little, so it’s basically for young children.  These songs were influenced by things that would come up in our day to day life. Here are a few examples:  The id ea for the song “Books should not be Eaten” was sparked when I was reading a book to one of them when he was teething, and he started chewing on the book. Another is “Dinko the Alien Goober” based on stories my other son would tell me about his imaginary friend. My current LP project, “The Journey” has a mix of themes.  Some songs are still based on adventures in my life, but some are influenced by what I see on the news, stories about other people, and there’s one about our old dog…. I like variety!

RRX: Artists, musicians, we immortalize. We set it in stone. Is there anyone who has passed that you feel you have immortalized in your work? If so, can you tell us a little about them?”

DB: One that stands out is a song called “Berry Pickin’.”  My mother-in-law needed some care after a fall, and while I was sitting with her, she would tell me stories about her childhood. She was born during the depression and was one of nine children.  She often talked about her mom’s homemade bread, her dad hunting and fishing, and berry picking with her brothers and sisters up on the hill behind their house near Crane Mountain. I wrote the song based on her stories, performed it at our family reunions, and later recorded it and created a music video for it using photos I was able to get from family members.  Most of her brothers and sisters lived into their 80’s and 90’s.  She passed away in January at the age of 91, and we played the video at her funeral.  Here’s a link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYQx9qTFUYQ&list=PLA12GRSA5TMAsvLslWle4OD9xgeTgNAVE&index=11

RRX: We all get a little support from those around us. And we also can be impressed by our fellow performers. Who do you admire in your community, and why?

DB: There are so many talented musicians around here it is hard to choose!  Of course I have to say my husband, Jeff, because in addition to being the “wind beneath my wings” he’s an amazing drummer, and is awesome at producing my songs.  He and I currently have a duo, and also play in three other bands together (Gregson Brothers, Crick City and Barkeaters which all have musicians I greatly admire!)  I’ve also admired Mitch Frasier over the years. He was one of the first solo acts I saw when I was old enough to go to a bar, and he inspired me to perform. He would let me get up and sing a few songs while he was on break, and I caught the performing bug! Richie Ortiz has a unique voice, can play bass pedals and guitar, run a looper and play solos over it all at the same time.  I’m amazed at his talent and coordination!! He also has great original songs. Margo Macero also has a unique voice, rocks at guitar, and is a very energetic performer.  And lastly, Tim Ellifritz is an incredible guitarist who plays in a few bands and shares his love of local, original music in his monthly streamed show “Sip N’ Stream.”

RRX: We have to play somewhere, and sometimes those places have more going for them than a stage and a power outlet. What is a memorable place you played, and bonus points if it’s not a well-known place.

DB: One of my first solo gigs where I performed mostly original songs was at the Fairbanks Folk Festival in Alaska.  A friend from college moved there and I went to visit him.  He signed me up for it, and I borrowed a guitar from someone and got to perform!  Last year I was at a music festival in Connecticut and I ran into a guy who was wearing a T-shirt from the Fairbanks Folk Fest that I played at. I had to take his picture!  I mean… that was from 1988!!

RRX: Tell me about your most recent song, album, or video (you pick.) Tell me a story about what went into making it. Not a process, but a cool story that took place within the process.

DB: I guess this would be about the “songwriting process” for one of my newer songs. I hiked up a trail near Lake George to see a waterfall with a few friends and we came across a girl who couldn’t find her dog. His name was “Ghost.” We kept our eyes out for it, spotted it, but it wouldn’t come to us.  We decided against going all the way to the waterfall because we didn’t want the dog to follow us, and we hiked back to find her and let her know where we saw it.  The next day I hiked up by myself to see how close we had been to the waterfall. I started thinking about the hike, the girl and the dog, and the dog’s name, and created a spooky story about them in my mind.  I hiked back down to the lake, sat on the beach and wrote the entire song. You can see my video for it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rae4v8pqWF4

RRX: Part of learning to be a musician is to fall in love with a song, an album, and hammer away at your instrument until you can play that whole thing. What was that song for you? Was there a hardest part?

DB: My first instrument was piano. I played by ear and took lessons, as well, so I can read music.  I always loved artists and bands that had a lot of keyboards like Carole King, Billy Joel, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Yes, Supertramp, etc.  There are a few songs on the Trilogy album by ELP that flow together: The Endless Enigma and Fugue.  When I was in high school I figured out part of the piano parts by ear, but in Fugue it went very fast with both hands playing intricate melodies over a bass part that is also very busy, which made it extremely hard to figure out what the heck the left hand was supposed to play.  A few years ago I found sheet music for it online and have been plugging away at it.  I feel I can play all the notes now, but not quite as fast as Keith Emerson played them!

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