Brittany Haas Interview
Below is the transcript of my interview with the phenomenal fiddler Brittany Haas. You’ll find the link to take you to the video and podcast versions, as well as show notes with all the links. Brittany Haas is widely regarded as one of the most influential fiddlers of her generation. In this wide-ranging conversation you’ll be hearing about her early career, touring with Darol Anger at age 14, the bands Croooked Still, Hawktail and Punch Brothers with Chris Thile. She reflected on the challenges and thrill of a touring life, the Nashville scene, her teaching through Artistworks, and dynamics of being a woman in Bluegrass. We talked about mentors Bruce Molsky and Tony Trishka, her time at Princeton studying Evolutionary Biology, and the need for self-care and boundaries.
We are featuring music from several of her albums, including her recent projects with sister Natalie and the Swedish musician Lena Jonsson.
Brittany Haas (00:00:00):
Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. And just opened my mind in a really big way, and he still, I still have so much to learn from him, and he actually lives in Nashville now too, so I get to hang out with him, and that's really wonderful. And yeah, just his approach, his singular sound is so special. I think having that as an example for me was really awesome. And I think it's something that you don't necessarily figure out exactly how to do, but just the idea of sounding only like yourself is a powerful one, especially in the mind of a young person. It's like that's something to emulate. And he's got just such a deep understanding of music in general and a real love for all of it. So I think that's been cool too, because it's easy to just get narrow into something that you like and be a specialist and dive deep, which is also so valuable. But then just remembering how much other stuff is out there and combining it in your own music and writing, I think is a great lesson.
Leah Roseman (00:01:10):
Hi, you're listening to Conversations with Musicians with Leah Roseman, which I hope inspires you through the personal stories of the diversity of musicians with in-depth conversations and great music that reveal the depth and breadth to a life in music. Brittany Hass is widely regarded as one of the most influential fiddlers of her generation. In this wide-ranging conversation you’ll be hearing about her early career, touring with Darol Anger at age 14, the bands Croooked Still, Hawktail and Punch Brothers with Chris Thile. She reflected on the challenges and thrill of a touring life, the Nashville scene, her teaching through Artistworks, and dynamics of being a woman in Bluegrass. We talked about mentors Bruce Molsky and Tony Trishka, her time at Princeton studying Evolutionary Biology, and the need for self-care and boundaries. We are featuring music from several of her albums, including her recent projects with sister Natalie and the Swedish musician Lena Jonsson. Like all my episodes, you can watch this on my YouTube channel or listen to the podcast on all the podcast platforms, and I’ve also linked the transcript to my website Leahroseman.com .The podcast theme music was commissioned from composer Nick Kold, and you can use the timestamps to navigate the episode. It’s a joy to bring these inspiring episodes to you every week, and I do all the many jobs of research, production and publicity. Have a look at the description of this episode, where you’ll find all the links. Now to Brittany Haas!
Leah Roseman (00:02:31):
Hi Brittany. Thanks so much for joining me here today.
Brittany Haas (00:02:34):
Thanks for having me, Leah.
Leah Roseman (00:02:36):
I have to say thanks to Joe K. Walsh for introducing us.
Brittany Haas (00:02:39):
Yeah,
Leah Roseman (00:02:40):
When I interviewed him for the podcast a few months ago, we finished recording. He said, Leah, you've got to get Brittany Haas on this podcast. I'm going to introduce you. So I was delighted.
Brittany Haas (00:02:48):
Oh, cool. He's awesome.
Leah Roseman (00:02:51):
I thought it might be interesting to talk about the Valley of the Moon fiddle camp where you spent some of your childhood.
Brittany Haas (00:02:57):
Sure, yeah. It was a very formative place for me. I definitely credit it with the reason why I'm a musician today, because that was the first place where I kind of saw the music community in action. And it's also where I got to meet a lot of my heroes and mentors. Actually both of my main fiddle teachers, heroes, mentors, I did meet there, Bruce Molsky and Darol Anger, and Alistair as well is super influential just as a musician, but really the world that he's created there is such a special place. And I think now there's a lot more of them as the Fiddle camp thing has kind of taken over the world. There's just lots of them because it's such a great place to meet and share time and tunes and just have a good time around the music and meet people to play with. So yeah, it's super special, and I learned so much there. He's got a great way of bringing in different traditions, so it's not all just, it's called Valley of the Moon Scottish Fiddling School, but he always has three fiddle teachers from all over the world. So yeah, I was exposed to a lot of music and you get to be near the people that you're listening to and you get to watch them and hang out with them and talk to them. So yeah, it's wonderful. Can't say enough good things about it.
Leah Roseman (00:04:17):
When I was looking at their website, I noticed that your sister Natalie's actually teaching there, and I had also read that your parents didn't kind of put pressure on you two to play together as children. It wasn't like a pressure situation.
Brittany Haas (00:04:29):
No. Yeah, they were, I think because neither of them, well, my mom did play some music. She used to play piano when we were first starting and doing Suzuki method, she would play along. So she had, I think, a pretty musical ear. She always loved music and had played a little bit here and there, but neither of them were really players, so they didn't have, I think that sense of understanding what we were going towards or that it could be a profession. So they were always just really encouraging of us having fun with it. And then that evolved over time as we got more serious with it. But yeah, we played for fun, but there was definitely none of the stage parenting kind of stuff. I don't think they even knew that was an option. And we were also both very shy kids, so I don't think that that was a natural progression for us, I guess. It wasn't like, oh, these kids, they got to be on stage, but we just loved the music so much. So that was kind of the reason why it went that way anyways. But my parents have been very supportive in their own ways, and it's awesome. Very lucky.
Leah Roseman (00:05:43):
You and Natalie have very different and very busy careers. And I understand this recent album that you put out is your first project like this together?
Brittany Haas (00:05:51):
Yeah, yeah. It's been a long time coming. We've been busy doing different things, and she kind of went more down the Celtic route and I was playing more American music, and she already tours in a duo with a Scottish fiddle player, which is Alistair, so that's her main touring gig, and they've been doing that for over 20 years now. So she's really busy with that. And I mean, it's such a classic sound that they've created together. So I guess I had in my mind that doing a duo project with her didn't really make sense. She already had that, and it's such a paragon of what that can be. But then, yeah, we were just getting a few offers here and there from festival promoters that knew us both musically, and they said, can you do something together? And we said, yeah, that sounds fun. It's a way to hang out. And she'd been writing a bunch of music, so there was stuff there ready to go, which was nice because we, when we first played together as adults and when we were teenagers playing gigs, we would just play all the trad stuff that we'd learned at Fiddle Camp, which is a great wealth of repertoire to draw on. But I think it was more exciting for us to get to this place where we're at now, where we're trying to write our own music. And so that's the direction we're headed in.
Leah Roseman (00:07:10):
And I noticed that I think all of the music's available that people want to buy the PDFs on your website.
Brittany Haas (00:07:16):
Totally, yeah. On Bandcamp.
Leah Roseman (00:07:17):
Yeah. So I wanted to shine a light on a few of your recording projects during this episode. So I was hoping we could use The Rose Gardener from this album has.
Brittany Haas (00:07:26):
Sure, sure.
Leah Roseman (00:07:28):
Do you want to speak to that tune at all?
Brittany Haas (00:07:30):
Yeah, so it's a waltz, and when I was writing it, I was kind of playing with the opening phrase. The idea is that it's like it is in three four, but it's kind of playing against that with the way that the notes fall over the bar lines. So that was sort of how it started. And then I realized that I wanted to dedicate it to our mom. She's got an amazing rose garden that she's been working on for over 40 years. And yeah, it's just really special. I think she feels about gardening the way that we feel about music. So I dunno, something, I think the emotion that I was starting to pour into it as it felt like the tune was going in the direction that could support that, then it just felt like it was made for her.
Leah Roseman (00:08:17):
Oh, that's nice. You're about to hear The Rose Gardner from the album Haas with Natalie Haas (music)
Leah Roseman (00:11:23):
I was just thinking, I mean, you're on the road a lot, and as a touring musician, a garden is one thing you can't really have.
Brittany Haas (00:11:29):
Well, yeah. Well, so I moved to Nashville about 12 years ago. I was in Boston before that, and I'd always lived in apartments with a bunch of folks and just lived there. But then I got to Nashville and I had always wanted a garden, I think, because it was in my blood from my mom, and because of the climate there and the humidity, it was just a little bit easier. And when I first moved to town, I was living with roommates still, and so I could plant stuff and have other people care for it. So I kind of just got that going and it went so well. I think because of the high humidity and all that, there's just tons of biomass getting created all the time, which also means a lot of weeding to do. But anyhow, I dipped my toe in there, and then I ended up getting a house where I still live now and have just kind of periodically made it more and more of a garden in the back and the front yards. And yeah, I'm not tending to it very carefully. It's pretty wild, but some things come back on their own and the winners aren't so harsh that they kill everything and got a lot of flowers going and various fruit bushes and stuff like that.
Leah Roseman (00:12:39):
Do you find it's a little bit like editing when you write music because something you think is really great, and then you're like, what if I just remove this whole bit? You know what I mean?
Brittany Haas (00:12:48):
Oh, yeah, yeah, totally. I think there's something to that and that you just have to let it take its own course. You don't really know what's going to work. You just throw a lot of seeds in, especially with my take on it where I'm like, I'm going to throw the seeds in and then I'm going to leave for two weeks. So the tough things survive, and I think it's like that with ideas too.
Leah Roseman (00:13:11):
Now, if we could go back to your youth. So your very first album, I listened to it a lot before I realized how young you were when you made it. So 20 years ago, you're 17,
Brittany Haas (00:13:20):
Yeah.
Leah Roseman (00:13:20):
Fantastic album,
Brittany Haas (00:13:22):
Thanks
Leah Roseman (00:13:22):
With some of your mentors on it as well.
Brittany Haas (00:13:25):
Yeah, Darol Anger produced it who he was my teacher, and then he hired me in his band, Republic of Strings when I was, I guess 14. And then it was his idea. He was like, you should make a solo record. And I was really obsessed with Bruce and just kind of went head in on the Old Time music. I just loved how he sounded. And so all the repertoire on there is Old Time tunes, but Darol helped me with figuring out how to arrange it in a new way. So he made a bunch of really cool chords, and then he would say, okay, I have this idea for this instrumentation, and then there'll be a solo here and can you write this fit for that? And so yeah, it was a really fun process, and I can't believe it was that long ago. And everybody's like, why haven't you done another one? And I'm like, but other things happened, and I realized how much I like collaborating. So that's where I've been putting my energy since then, basically.
Leah Roseman (00:14:25):
But the sound of that album is so rich with low strings.
Brittany Haas (00:14:30):
Yeah, bass, cello, guitar,
Leah Roseman (00:14:32):
I think Mike Marshall's playing Mandocello on it, and your sister's playing. You just have this such a rich sound. And I don't think I've really heard another album like that with such, almost like some folk symphonic, but not at all symphonic, if you know what I mean. It's just,
Brittany Haas (00:14:47):
Oh, cool. Thanks. Yeah, that's an awesome take on it.
Leah Roseman (00:14:51):
Would you be interested in us including any tune from that album?
Brittany Haas (00:14:55):
Sure. Let's see. What would be a fun one? There's kind of the classic ones, but maybe something other than that. Let me just take a quick, maybe Ora Lee, that would be a nice one, has a nice cello component. Yeah,
Leah Roseman (00:15:11):
This is Ora Lee from Brittany's debut album called Brittany Haas. (music, link in description)
Leah Roseman (00:19:48):
Now Darol, he's all about Multistyle playing. You definitely can't put him in a pigeonhole. So he must have really influenced you in terms of your exploration of different fiddle styles.
Brittany Haas (00:20:01):
Absolutely, yeah. And just opened my mind in a really big way, and he still, I still have so much to learn from him, and he actually lives in Nashville now too, so I get to hang out with him, and that's really wonderful. And yeah, just his approach, his singular sound is so special. I think having that as an example for me was really awesome. And I think it's something that you don't necessarily figure out exactly how to do, but just the idea of sounding only like yourself is a powerful one, especially in the mind of a young person. It's like that's something to emulate. And he's got just such a deep understanding of music in general and a real love for all of it. So I think that's been cool too, because it's easy to just get narrow into something that you like and be a specialist and dive deep, which is also so valuable. But then just remembering how much other stuff is out there and combining it in your own music and writing, I think is a great lesson.
Leah Roseman (00:21:13):
So you mentioned Suzuki. Were you playing classical violin as a kid as well as doing? Yeah.
Brittany Haas (00:21:18):
Yeah. It overlapped for a little while. I started taking Bluegrass fiddle lessons from Jack Tuttle when I was eight. Yeah, so I guess for about five years I was doing both. And then my violin teacher moved away, and I met Darol at the same time, and I kind of sought out a new classical teacher, but it just didn't really work out. And then Darol took me on as a student, so then I just sort of went hard in the fiddle direction.
Leah Roseman (00:21:49):
You went on tour with him when you were 14 with the Republic of Strings. Were your parents cool about that?
Brittany Haas (00:21:54):
My mom came along sometimes and she would sell CDs and stuff. I think they just had so much trust for him and knowing everybody in the band, and they were all lovely. It was a very safe situation. And I think he was really conscious about it too, about how do I make this kid feel comfortable? And he did a great job with that, so I think it was easy for them to let me do that.
Leah Roseman (00:22:26):
But do you think there were challenges starting to work professionally so young?
Brittany Haas (00:22:32):
Not that I saw until way later, I would say. I think at the time I was just thrilled and also really privileged that I was going to a school that was really supportive of me going off on these musical adventures and missing class here and there. I mean, I was a good student, so I think that helped. I was just kind of a nerd, so I was still getting my homework done, but I think I was very supported. I would say that my academic teachers thought it was cool that I was doing that, so they gave me room to explore that. Yeah, well, so I guess the first thing to decide was am I going to go to college or not? And my sister is older than me and she'd already chosen to go to Julliard, so she kind of paved the way in my parents' mind of this whole studying music or being a musician as a career path, because that was really foreign to them.
(00:23:31):
They saw that we were talented and excited about music, but they didn't necessarily know how to proceed with that. And my mom was amazing and just asked everybody, what do you think about Berklee College of Music and should my daughter do this? And just really pooled all the resources available to her. And then Natalie went to Julliard and did well there. So she kind of set that as a bar. And then when I said, I actually don't want to go to music school, my parents were like, are you sure? But yeah, I think I was more mean, not conflicted, but I think I had the sense that if I went to music school, I would stop loving it in the way that I loved it because I had this very organic mentor mentee relationship with Daryl, and that was, so much of my studying happened in that scenario, which I'm so lucky to have had that. So I think the idea of going into a formal music school was just kind of odd to me. But in hindsight, I think it probably would've been totally great too, but I got to go study other stuff and keep my musical life going meanwhile. So then when I chose music, it felt more like a decision than a channel that I'd been plugged into since being a kid.
(00:24:53):
But I think there is, it's still hard to not have it feel like you're just plugged into this channel because the opportunities come very organically. It's like this band needs a fiddler, then you get this other gig. So I think as a side man woman, that feeling is common. This kind of, you don't necessarily have control of your own life, you're just going with the opportunities that arise, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. And if you can figure out how to embrace that and kind of have your peace, your inner peace, somehow figuring out how to do the lifestyle, I think that was the big challenge for me. Later, it was finished college, joined Crooked Still had in the opposite order, but then went on the road full-time with them. And there was, me and Tristan were the young ones, but they're basically the same age, five to eight years older than me.
(00:25:56):
And so yeah, just learning what it felt like to be on the road all the time. And I think it was so fun that I got a little bit blinded by that part of it, and I didn't know how to seek balance, so I wasn't filling my cup in the way that is necessary, I think for everybody, but maybe especially for creative types. So yeah, I think I just was like, woo, this is so fun. And we're just playing. And we would go to festivals, I'd just jam all night long and just play all the time, but I wasn't thinking, okay, what's my next move? Or when am I going to write another album or whatever. I didn't have my head in the game that way. I definitely didn't have any kind of plan for my future, and I still don't necessarily have that, but I think it became more apparent that I needed some more balance that I didn't need to just go after every single gig and fill every day and be constantly on the move. And some of that just came with aging, I think being like, oh, this is hard, this lifestyle, or it it be nice to be home a little more and have friends that lived in my town, or just kind of things that are pretty obvious, I think, to people who are not touring musicians.
Leah Roseman (00:27:33):
I mean, you're giving me ideas for things. It's funny, I have some upcoming interviews in the next couple of weeks with people who are on the road like you a lot,
Brittany Haas (00:27:40):
Mmm-hmm.
Leah Roseman (00:27:41):
It's a world I don't know that well because when I go on tour, it's extremely limited. Yeah. Well, but you did go to Princeton and study Evolutionary Biology
Brittany Haas (00:27:51):
And it was awesome. I loved it. Learned a lot, met a lot of really inspiring people, and meanwhile I was playing, and yeah, I had a really great experience there, and I think it sort of solidified my life choices, I guess the things that happened during that time. It was like I'm sort of fighting this pull to just be a musician, but I'm glad I had that time to do a normal college experience. But then, yeah, that was all my spare time and all my social connections mainly, or through music. I was always seeking that out, and I had a lot of cool, diverse experiences with that. I played in the marching band. I would jam with these, just whatever people that just liked music that it wasn't just about fiddle music that was more rare there, but I could still seek that out. I started playing with Tony Trishka who lived in New Jersey. I was going into New York City and going to Jams and stuff. So yeah, it was a time where I think I figured out that music was probably for me.
Leah Roseman (00:29:11):
Well, your studies in evolutionary biology, I was wondering if influences, you have this beautiful album, Place of Growth with your band Hawktail and just the titles of the tunes and the whole organic feel of the album.
Brittany Haas (00:29:27):
Yeah, I think that's related. And it was also coming from the other players in the band and just that it was made during the pandemic, and that was something that we were all thinking about reconnecting nature and being outside more, which we were really lucky in Nashville that was easy to do. So I think we all kind were more in that mindset. But yeah, it's definitely, it's always a part of my life, I think the way that I relate to the world having had that training, and I'm really grateful for that.
Leah Roseman (00:29:59):
So this is your band in terms of not being a side player, Hawktail?
Brittany Haas (00:30:04):
Yeah. It's a democracy, equal.
Leah Roseman (00:30:07):
Yeah. But you've put it together. It's not like you were brought in to the band, I guess.
Brittany Haas (00:30:11):
Right, right, right. Correct. Yes.
Leah Roseman (00:30:13):
As with some of your other projects. So this album actually, Place of Growth, I was hoping we could include, there's so many beautiful tracks, but maybe Shallows or Antilopen?
Brittany Haas (00:30:22):
Sure, yeah. Yeah, that'd be great.
Leah Roseman (00:30:26):
This is Antilopen from Hawktail's album, Place of Growth (music, link in description)
Leah Roseman (00:34:46):
And you guys also have an amazing new album with Våsen, and I'm not sure how they say their name.
Brittany Haas (00:34:52):
Våsen's, the closest I can get to say it, right? Yeah.
Leah Roseman (00:34:57):
The very first episode of this podcast, 2021, was with a Nyckelharpa player, Kirsty Money up here in Canada.
Brittany Haas (00:35:05):
Cool.
Leah Roseman (00:35:06):
So when your album came out, I think I saw her post first. Everyone go out and buy this album. It's so fantastic.
Brittany Haas (00:35:12):
Oh, that's so nice. Yeah, we are so excited to get to do that. It's like I have to pinch myself a little, but that happened. It's definitely a teenage dream to get to play with those guys.
Leah Roseman (00:35:25):
It's such a beautiful sound on the album with the combined bands. And I also noticed that they got funding money from Sweden, Swedish government for touring and making the album, which I get the feeling is less available in the States. I'm in Canada; I think we might have a little more government support for that.
Brittany Haas (00:35:40):
Definitely. Yeah. There are some nonprofit agencies though that do their part, like Club Passim. They have some funds. There is some stuff out there, Whippoorwill Arts, it's just not through the government.
Leah Roseman (00:35:56):
So are you guys touring that project at all?
Brittany Haas (00:35:59):
We have been, yeah. We're going to do a handful more shows this year, but we did a bunch, a West coast tour, Midwest, east Coast, Sweden. We're going to play at Celtic Connections over in Scotland in January, and then the Savannah Music Festival in April. That's all that's on the books yet, but probably a couple more things.
Leah Roseman (00:36:21):
The Punch Brothers, are you guys still active?
Brittany Haas (00:36:24):
Yeah, we've been doing a podcast actually on Audible. That was the bulk of what we did last year. So it's kind of like if you ever listen to the Live from Here radio show, it's similar to that in that it's a musical variety show, but it has this frame where it takes place in the near future. So there's some comedy skit kind of stuff around that. And that was just released in October, the first eight episodes that we made last year in New York, and we're about to do a second season of that.
Leah Roseman (00:37:00):
I did not know about that project. That's very cool.
Brittany Haas (00:37:03):
Yeah, it's called the Energy Curfew Music Hour.
Leah Roseman (00:37:06):
Okay. We'll be linking that in the show notes.
Brittany Haas (00:37:08):
Cool.
Leah Roseman (00:37:09):
And whose idea was it to do that project?
Brittany Haas (00:37:12):
Chris Thile.
Leah Roseman (00:37:14):
Okay.
Brittany Haas (00:37:14):
Yeah, and his wife, Claire Coffee and Noam Pikelny, the banjo player in the band. They're the writers for the show, and then we're like the house band. And then there's all these various musical guests. My favorite being James Taylor.
Leah Roseman (00:37:28):
Okay. Very fun.
Brittany Haas (00:37:30):
Yeah.
Leah Roseman (00:37:31):
And you guys won a GRAMMY for Folk music All Ashore. Were you in the band for that recording?
Brittany Haas (00:37:37):
No. No. I can't claim that.
Leah Roseman (00:37:39):
Okay.
Brittany Haas (00:37:42):
Yeah. Yeah. It's a great record though. I love those songs. We've been playing a couple things off of there. It's fun.
Leah Roseman (00:37:49):
Hi, just a quick break from the episode. I’m sure that you’ll also enjoy my conversations with Adam Hurt, Jane Rothfield, Joe K. Walsh, Martin Hayes, Tracy Silverman, Alexis Chartrand, Gina Burgess, and Guy Donis, to name a few, these are all linked directly to this one. It’s a joy to bring these meaningful conversations to you, but this project costs me quite a bit of money and lots of time; please support this series through either my merchandise store or buy me a coffee on my Ko-fi page. For the merch, it features a unique design by artist Steffi Kelly and you can browse clothes, stickers, notebooks, water bottles and more, everything printed on demand. You’ll also find the link to sign up for my newsletter where you’ll get access to exclusive information about upcoming guests. Please check out my back catalogue, with episodes going back to 2021. Now back to Brittany!
Leah Roseman (00:38:37):
So what was it like joining that band?
Brittany Haas (00:38:42):
Well, to be perfectly honest, the main descriptive word that comes to mind is stressful because, I mean, for a lot of reasons, partially because the music is really challenging, just very specific in a way that's really cool for me to get inside of and learn because it's the kind of band where it has to be exactly the right person, not just somebody playing the guitar. It's just so dialed in. There's tunes where I'm like, wow, I'm not bouncing my bow enough to get the rhythmic effect needed for this moment. It's really dialed in and they've been together for 18 years, so there's a lot of history there in terms of how they're working together as well as the music that they've created together. So it just feels like a very large thing to jump into. And Gabe's amazing. I love his fiddle playing. So there's also that, and we're really different as players, so there's a lot for me to learn there.
(00:39:58):
It's just kind of daunting and also the way that the band works. But I am pretty used to a Folkier model where we are our own managers, and maybe there's a booking agent at some point in the band's career, but everything is very homegrown and you feel like you have a lot more control over your schedule and the decisions that are getting made. And the Punch Brothers is really not like that. It's just more a machine that I'm stepping into where there's a lot of people that are figuring stuff out, which is good and very helpful, but just a different dynamic in terms of figuring out how to get what I need from it.
Leah Roseman (00:40:38):
I think it's just a reflection of different parts of the music industry. I'm in an orchestra and I have this incredible thing of a tenured job, which is I'm not freelance, but I don't have to control over my schedule at all.
Brittany Haas (00:40:52):
Yeah, and I don't get a word of what's happening very quickly. I don't like that part of it. It feels like it's makes it a lot harder to do other things. Yeah.
Leah Roseman (00:41:06):
How about time to compose? Do you kind of schedule creative time that way?
Brittany Haas (00:41:11):
Yeah, honestly, I've not ever been great at that. In the past, it's been more like, oh, I need something for this, or I have a little nugget, and I do have time to work on it. So I've never been super prolific, but actually funny you should ask that right now. I'm like, I have scheduled this time for myself to do exactly that, and that's the first time I've really been that conscious about doing it, and I'm really grateful to have that. And also time off the road. It's creative time, but it's also rest time, so it's pretty great.
Leah Roseman (00:41:47):
That is great. So when you move to Nashville from Boston, I know there's a big studio scene there. Were there things that, unexpected experiences of living there?
Brittany Haas (00:41:57):
I think, I mean, there's this whole, the scene of the acoustic musicians, like the Sam Bush, kind of that crowd of people that just seem like very much larger than life to me 10, 20 years ago. And then to just be like, now you see those people at the Station Inn and you're friends with them. There's a interconnectedness, a kind of knitted together scene of these people as real humans, which is really nice to just kind of be around and yeah, I think when I first moved to town, I was dating somebody who was more in the singer songwriter scene, which I was not as familiar with. Then It was kind of before that, there had been so much blending of this Americana stuff. And so it was cool for me to get a window into that world and the thing that I thought was amazing, which maybe it is this way everywhere, but I think Nashville, because it's such a music town, there's so much stuff, so much industry happening around music, so there's actually quite a lot of opportunities, and it didn't feel competitive in the way that I would've assumed. It felt very supportive. Everybody's rooting for each other, they're helping each other out. They're playing in each other's bands, they're lending each other microphones. A lot of folks have day jobs where they park cars or serve at this restaurant or whatever, and the music is just this fun thing that they connect over.
Leah Roseman (00:43:26):
That's great.
Brittany Haas (00:43:27):
Yeah.
Leah Roseman (00:43:29):
Another one of your projects that's super interesting to me is with Lena Jonsson, the Swedish violinist, and you did an album with her almost 10 years ago as well.
Brittany Haas (00:43:38):
Yeah, yeah. We've done two now.
Leah Roseman (00:43:41):
So The Snake, do you want to talk about that album?
Brittany Haas (00:43:44):
Sure. Yeah. Actually, yeah, it's sort of related to the creative time thing as well, because, so she and I had become friends, really just kind of met and hit it off, had a really similar kind of approach to the fiddle ferocity, and just love for it, and wanting to play tunes all night long, similar in that way. She could definitely out party me. So yeah, we just hit it off. We felt really similar. We made that record, did some gigs, and then time happened and she started her band. I was doing Hawktail. We just got busy doing other things, and we hadn't played together in a long time. And she's always been really good about visiting the States because she studied at Berklee for two semesters, so she has a lot of American friends, and she had this other band called The Goodbye Girls with three Americans.
(00:44:39):
So she comes over a lot basically, and she was like, Hey, can I come visit this time? And I was like, yeah, that would be great. She's so good at writing. She's quick and just kind of on the ball. I'm going to make another record. Here we go. Here's the tunes. So I thought having her around and to do that together would be really fun. So basically that's what we did, and we didn't even say we're going to make another album. We just said, let's write tunes together. And so we did that for about a week, and then we just set up microphones and made that album.
Leah Roseman (00:45:13):
Great. How does she pronounce her name
Brittany Haas (00:45:17):
Again, it's really hard for me to actually do it, but Lena. Jonsson.
Leah Roseman (00:45:22):
Okay.
Brittany Haas (00:45:23):
But whenever people say, is your name Lena or Lena? She always says yes.
Leah Roseman (00:45:28):
Yeah. And I thought, it's interesting, you have three tunes on there inspired by Bach. There's one, there's the Vals, could we include that?
Brittany Haas (00:45:38):
Sure. Yeah, absolutely.
Leah Roseman (00:45:41):
You're about to hear Låt efter Bach: Vals, from The Snake with Lena Jonssen. (music, link in description)
Leah Roseman (00:48:15):
We talked a little bit about your classical training, exploring different styles. Do you play jazz at all or have you studied jazz
Brittany Haas (00:48:22):
A little bit? Yeah, I studied a little bit of gypsy jazz when I was a teenager. Daryl always was exposing me to jazz and teaching me some of the theoretical stuff. I never got really deep into it. It always felt a little out of reach, but also not of my primary interest. I think I had enough other interests, and it's still kind a little bit further away, but I mean, I really do enjoy it, and I think I've been exposed more lately and listened to more because it's sort of like you're not going to ever learn anything if you don't listen to it. So you have to actually like it enough to do that. And I've a slow process, but I have my real book over there, and I was reading it last night.
Leah Roseman (00:49:12):
Well, you're such a fantastic player. And it just seems to me there's so much room. You're so young and you started so young. So I was thinking maybe she'll go in that direction. Who knows?
Brittany Haas (00:49:22):
Yeah, could happen. I mean, there's so much amazing, chordal, just richness there that I would love to mine and use more in writing
Leah Roseman (00:49:34):
And teaching. I noticed you're doing Artistworks, which is a pretty good online platform. So do people, they actually send you these feedback videos?
Brittany Haas (00:49:45):
So I have all the lessons up there. They can watch anything in whatever order they want, and then they send me a video of whatever they're working on, which can be something they've learned from me, or it can be just something that they have and they want to show. And it's usually from anywhere from three to 10 minutes long. And then I watch the videos, and then I get to respond to them with comments. It's a really fun process actually. As much as I am kind of wary of the whole online teaching thing, it is just better to be in a room with somebody and play with them. It's a pretty good format. I think it works well. I learn a lot from getting to see different people. I used to be very reticent to say anything about technique, because I did have good technique training, but then I kind of not totally on purpose, threw it all out the window and just did what worked for me. So I never wanted to tell people what to do because a lot of the times I'm not even doing that thing that I know you're supposed to do.
Leah Roseman (00:50:46):
What kind of things?
Brittany Haas (00:50:49):
Mostly posture, I guess,
(00:50:52):
Or drawing the bow really straight. I'm like, oh, you're supposed to do it like this. And it's parallel the whole time. And then when I'm saying that and making a video, I'm like, I'm not doing it. I, I've just done things without thinking about what they were for so long that things kind of drift in a certain direction sometimes and then suddenly you don't have perfect technique anymore. Not that I ever did, but, and I think I just try to be honest about that. Just say, here's something that this is what you're supposed to do and these are the reasons why you're supposed to do it, and then do it with it what you will. And I think also as I get older, I'm starting to have physical issues, which that was never a thing before, so I didn't really think about the whole, how your technique works, it's made to work and make sure you don't get injured. So when things start going wrong, that's a good time to really examine your technique.
Leah Roseman (00:51:58):
Yeah, it's interesting to me as I've been playing almost 50 years. I started when I was six, so I'm 56 soon. And things that didn't use to be a problem became a problem at a certain point in my career that I just kind of unexpected. But it's good and it helps my teaching because then you're like, oh, this is something I need to address regularly because it's become this problem.
Brittany Haas (00:52:22):
I taught a workshop recently at this festival in Canada, and somebody asked a question about something, and I kind of got off on this thing about looseness and how you hold it and stuff, and they were like, wow, nobody ever talks about this. You should talk about this in every workshop. Just thinking about how you're holding things and how you're sitting and all of that. It's really so important.
Leah Roseman (00:52:48):
Was that in Chelsea Quebec? Right near where I live, and I just noticed -
Brittany Haas (00:52:52):
No way.
Leah Roseman (00:52:53):
But I noticed it, I think the day of, and of course it was sold out that you and Natalie were doing this festival up here.
Brittany Haas (00:52:58):
It was so delightful. You should try to go next year.
Leah Roseman (00:53:02):
Yeah,
Brittany Haas (00:53:03):
It's a cool community. You probably know those folks.
Leah Roseman (00:53:07):
I don't, I mean, I'm not in the traditional music scene, and it is sometimes surprising to me, and I've interviewed a lot of jazz musicians all over, but also from this area. And there's people I met in my city that I just never knew because I wasn't crossing paths with them until I started doing the podcast. So that was -
Brittany Haas (00:53:23):
Oh, neat.
(00:53:24):
Kind of cool. Yeah. Well, touring, we talked about being on the road a lot. Do you have helpful habits?
(00:53:32):
No, it's the short answer, but I'm working on it. I've been on tour with people that do have really helpful, healthy habits. It's taking a run every morning or something like that. I think it's been hard for me to figure out how to prioritize all the things, especially when you're in what I was talking about before about this sort of folky, homegrown thing. It can really be easy to have all the time get eaten up because you're either on the way to the gig, rehearsing, sound checking, trying to eat, trying to play the show, trying to sell the merch, trying to talk to everybody, packing the car, visiting with your hosts, having breakfast with your hosts the next morning, or trying to see your friend that because you're passing through their town, the time can very easily all be spoken for and you haven't exercised or you haven't meditated or whatever. So I think it's really mostly about boundaries, which I feel like it took me a really long time to arrive at that need in my late thirties. But yeah, now knowing that that's really important and that even if you might feel like you're missing out on something or letting somebody down, it can be okay because it has to be because you have to do what works for you.
Leah Roseman (00:54:54):
Yeah, I was wondering about you talking to audience members after shows that must be hard sometimes to just
Brittany Haas (00:55:01):
Yes and no. I mean, it is also really energizing and sweet, and sometimes it makes the connection feel more palpable. I mean, I think you can feel that while you're on stage sometimes, but also with different audiences, people respond differently so you're not always so sure what they think about it. But then getting to visit one-on-one can be really sweet. So I actually really like doing that. I mean, sometimes people come up and I dunno, it can be draining sometimes, but a lot of it I find very positive. And meeting young people or things like that are pretty great.
Leah Roseman (00:55:41):
What are the audiences like for Americana in let's say Europe? I don't know if you've toured in Asia. I was kind of curious about those different scenes.
Brittany Haas (00:55:48):
Not really been, I was in Japan when I was really young with my orchestra, and then I was in China, but I was kind of mostly tagging along on this. It was one of those State Department tours with Abigail Washburn, her band. So I can't really speak to those audiences. But in Europe, I would say it's not that different from over here. People are pretty excited. There's a range of how much they show it. I think Americans are maybe the highest on that, just clapping and wooing and stuff. But that's not true everywhere either. It kind of can be a local culture thing. I think as well in Germany, they often, they clap. They're really rhythmic. Yeah, I don't know. It's different everywhere.
Leah Roseman (00:56:45):
And how about women in Bluegrass? Because it seems like it's pretty male dominated.
Brittany Haas (00:56:51):
Yes and no. I think the tides are really turning now, I think in a bigger way. I feel that that's like the momentum has been reached or whatever you call that. Yes. Yeah, there used to be very few and you're like, okay, that is the one role model doing that thing. But now it's a lot of women and I think that's helpful because then young girls see that and they feel like they can go for it too. Bluegrass is really interesting culturally where it's coming from and it's okay, I guess I should just speak to my experience because that's all I can really do.
(00:57:39):
It is not that helpful to think about it all the time. But I do think about it a lot, and I think that's because I've been in situations with people that I know very well and adore and it's very much, it becomes family. But there's still a dynamic that's difficult because I'm a woman or just because I'm me, actually. I think I have to be open to that possibility too. But it's not necessarily a gender thing, it's just how you interact. But society affects that obviously. So yeah, I think it can be really tiring to sort of fight some of those things, those expectations and those ways that people are used to interacting. I think I kind of realized this recently that a lot of the women, a lot of my peers and people in a similar musical place to me, but well, yeah, basically these people, rather than being in a band with a bunch of boys, they often lead the band. And that creates a different dynamic. And I don't know, you should ask a band leader female if that is even true. But I kind of realized that recently. That would be easier in some ways, but obviously not easier in other ways because leading a band, and that's really hard to do, but kind of setting up that dynamic from the outset rather than being an equal and having to fight for your equality.
Leah Roseman (00:59:19):
And is that musically too, because the Bluegrass is really about solos?
Brittany Haas (00:59:23):
Totally, yeah. There's so much testosterone just built in there, I think. And you kind of have to sign up for that, I guess, if you want to be in there. I think that was something I used to think about a lot. There would be those moments where certain people get passed over in a jam and it's not just women or whatever, it's, they just think you're not going to do it or whatever. That happens sometimes, or people decline. They say, oh, I'm too scared to take a solo or whatever. And so I think I was always like, there's not a girl in this jam, or I'm not going to not take a solo just 'cause I don't know this tune. I am going to fight for my spot here because I think that is what is right.
(01:00:13):
And I was not militant about it, but it was important to me to show up there and represent women kind. But at a certain point, you have to just do something because you want to do it. And then there's the whole thing about if you're going to have children and how that stratifies the music world. And not to say that it can't be done because I have a lot of peers that are doing that in their own way. There's many different ways, but I think that's just a large thing that women have to contend with if they're being professional musicians.
Leah Roseman (01:00:53):
I think in the jazz world as well, the late nights and the touring and very male dominated until recently too. Well, I was thinking maybe we could talk about some of your fun gigs. I noticed you did some late night TV with Steve Martin was one of your gigs. What was that like?
Brittany Haas (01:01:12):
Yeah, it was really fun. That was when I was playing with Tony Trishka. He and Steve had a double banjo thing, and I got to play on one of Steve Martin's albums, which is great. I love his tunes. He's a great, great musician. Just kind of a wild window into that TV world.
Leah Roseman (01:01:32):
And you do play banjo as well?
Brittany Haas (01:01:34):
Yeah, I play some banjo. That was because of my obsession with Bruce. It was like, I want to be just like him and play all this. The instruments and banjo is a really fun one. And the banjo fiddle connection and Old Time music is pretty special thing. Just like all the rhythm there. Yeah, it's a cool instrument.
Leah Roseman (01:01:54):
Yeah. I listened to your album Impromptu Sessions, which is all Old Time banjo.
Brittany Haas (01:02:00):
Cool. Yeah, that was a well impromptu thing, and it was kind of like, oh, I would like to release some music into the world. And that felt easier, I guess, or more fun to me at the time than trying to make a fiddle record. It's just like, these are tunes that I like and I'm going to play them in this setting that feels special and fun.
Leah Roseman (01:02:27):
I interviewed Adam Hurt for this podcast.
Brittany Haas (01:02:29):
Cool.
Leah Roseman (01:02:31):
People listening, probably know who he is, but Old Time banjo, also fiddler, and he plays Gourd Banjo. So we got into that. And what I found interesting is that he really only plays traditional music. He doesn't write any music. He feels like that's plenty. And then other people I've talked to, Jane Rothfield and other people, Joe K. Walsh, are like, that's good. But of course writing music. But you're more of the camp of let's create something new out of these old traditions.
Brittany Haas (01:02:58):
I really love both parts. I think they're both important. I think you can put your own spin on it without writing something new. I think I've fought against, or I don't know, I've not known how to conceive of that for a while, and always thought there's just artists create something new or whatever. But I think that's kind of bullshit. You can be artistic in whatever way you choose, and no one of those things is more valid than the other.
Leah Roseman (01:03:34):
Yeah, I mean, I'm a classical musician and it's all about, some of my friends have said, really, we're recreating. It's never going to be the same every time
Brittany Haas (01:03:45):
Yeah!
Leah Roseman (01:03:45):
Interpreting.
Brittany Haas (01:03:47):
And that's so cool to just be creating experiences like that.
Leah Roseman (01:03:53):
And I wanted to ask you, can we include a little bit of that Banjo album for people to hear?
Brittany Haas (01:03:57):
Yeah, sure. Totally.
Leah Roseman (01:03:59):
Yeah. I was reading a review, somebody had written on Bandcamp, and they're like, "I didn't know it was a banjo album until I bought it, 'cause it was Brittany Haas. And then I was pleasantly surprised. It was great."
Brittany Haas (01:04:10):
Yeah, it's definitely rough around the edges, but it was really fun. And it was my two good friends that I was spending a lot of time with during the Pandemic, and they're both great bass players who really occupied different realms.
Leah Roseman (01:04:24):
This is Lost Girl from Impromptu Sessions Number 1, with Brittany Haas on banjo. (music, link in description)
Leah Roseman (01:07:23):
So how about memorizing tunes? Has that always been easy for you?
Brittany Haas (01:07:28):
I think it used to be easier, and then now it takes a little longer for something to stick. And then I think I've also, because I can read music sometimes I'll just learn things that way, and then it doesn't kind of get into this same long-term memory area. And I guess I'm just doing it a little less lately. That used to be such a huge part of how I spent my time. But yeah, I mean, I love that in an Old Time Jam. That's one of my favorite things. I don't like leading tunes. I always want to play something that I don't know yet and hone in on the details of the person that's leading it. It just feels like a fun way to get outside of yourself.
Leah Roseman (01:08:19):
Now, you mentioned Bruce Molsky a few times. One of your mentors, and I know you've played with him. What did you get out of working with him or from his mentorship?
Brittany Haas (01:08:28):
So much? He's, I mean, he's such a great player. He's really, I like Adam Hurt, really taken traditional music and made it his own. And yeah, I think he's just a consummate musician and performer and so thoughtful with his repertoire and how he puts on a show and and how he connects to the music as well. He's also a great teacher, and I think his whole thing about being an outsider, but respecting the tradition so deeply that you can really enter that world and do right by it. That's an important lesson for anybody who plays traditional music. I mean, it's different if you grow up in it, but if you just come to it and you just love it, how do you do that?
Leah Roseman (01:09:26):
So we talked a little bit about other creative outlets, gardening and stuff. Do you have other things now that you're trying to find more balance and be more of a homebody when you're home?
Brittany Haas (01:09:40):
I find that trying to write words is helpful for processing emotions. So I've been doing a little bit of that, whether it's just prose or little songs. I haven't done much in the visual arts, but I love just being, I really like being outside and hiking and walking in nature and observing animals and stuff like that is not necessarily a creative pursuit, but it feels like it gives me something really important. I've read a lot of Pema Chödrön books in the last year, and I really love that. And I am not meditating often, but that's something that I want to do more of, and I feel like I have a lot to learn from Buddhist ideas.
Leah Roseman (01:10:32):
And finally, do you have upcoming projects this year? You want to talk about
Brittany Haas (01:10:40):
A bunch of stuff with Punch Brothers, which is, yeah, that's kind of maybe the bulk of the stuff, like schedule-wise anyways, the podcast and then that being a vehicle for new music with that band, as well as really getting more solid with the whole back catalog. We're going to do some touring and then some more stuff with my sister. I'm hoping that we're going to make another album soon. We're working on it. And yeah, beyond that, I'm not so sure. I'm kind of leaving the rest of it open instead of trying to fill every moment. But yeah, I would like to make another album of my own music at some point, whatever that looks like. It's the kind of thing where I don't even want to say it out loud, then I have to do it.
Leah Roseman (01:11:30):
Okay. Wonderful. Well, thanks so much for this today. I really appreciate it.
Brittany Haas (01:11:35):
Yeah, thanks for having me. It was really nice talking to you.
Leah Roseman (01:11:40):
I hope you enjoyed this episode. Please share this with your friends and check out episodes you may have missed at Leahroseman.com. If you could buy me a coffee to support this series, that would be wonderful. Or you can browse the collection of merch with a very cool, unique and expressive design from artist Steffi Kelly with notebooks, mugs, shirts, phone cases and more. I'm an independent podcaster and I really do need the help of my listeners. All the links are in the show notes. Have a wonderful week.
