Interview with Roxi Copland: Live Show This Friday

I had the opportunity to ask a few questions of musician, Roxi Copland, who grew up in Aberdeen and is returning to the area this weekend on tour with her latest album.

(photo via Shades of Grays Harbor)

Roxi... is that your real name? 

Roxi is a nickname that a friend bestowed on me in high school - I liked it. So I kept it.  

How did you get started in music? 

I started taking piano lessons when I was four – I imagine I was completely addicted by then anyway, and it all went downhill from there...

So, you've been at this for quite a few years. Has your musical taste changed much over the years or have you always been interested in jazz?

I’ve always loved all kinds of music. When I was growing up, my dad was a big fan of jazz, classical, and 60s/70s horn bands. At the same time, my mom was always singing country and gospel music. And, of course, as I got older, I discovered pop, rock, and hip hop. I love it all. When I first started out as a professional musician, my style was pretty heavily jazz, but I’ve been working since then to bring in elements of other genres I love. The more I find my own style, the more I realize it’s a blend of jazz, pop, soul, blues, roots rock, and Americana, but that’s kind of a mouthful, so I usually just stick with the short version and call it “rootsy jazz/pop.”

You just released your new album, Pretty Lies. Is this your first full length album and how was the experience of creating it?

Right before ‘Pretty Lies,’ I released a full-length live album that was a collaborative effort with a musician friend of mine from Iowa, Max Wellman. But, ‘Pretty Lies’ is my first full-length album that’s all mine. I can say that in a literal sense because Pretty Lies is a solo acoustic album—just me and my baby grand. Getting to this point has been a long, but amazing journey. My fans will recognize a few tunes from my first full-band EP that I released in 2008. It’s taken me this long to put together the perfect line-up of songs to really represent my sound. So while the writing—and the genre evolution that went along with it—was a long trek, actually laying down ‘Pretty Lies’ in the studio was a pretty quick process, especially since I was the only musician involved. We were able to lay down the tracks over just a few days.

So, you grew up in Aberdeen, then moved to Iowa and now you're back in the PNW living in Vancouver, BC. Do you miss all the corn fields?

Apparently I do, since I’m now moving to Milwaukee, WI. There’s been a good deal of moving in my life over the past few years. I feel a bit like a wandering minstrel at times. But I’ve been really lucky to live in a series of amazing places. No matter which side of the border you’re on, the PNW (or the West Coast as they call it in Canada) is beautiful. There’s just no where else in the world quite like it. But, I also love the Midwest. The world’s nicest people live there. And now that I’ve lived in Canada and compared them head-to-head, I can say that. (Not that I don’t love all the wonderful Vancouver friends I made.) All the same, I’m looking forward to the move to Milwaukee. It’s a great town with a great music scene. I’ve spent the most time playing in the Midwest, so it has my highest concentration of fans currently. It really is the best launching point for my grand plans of musical world domination.

I think we went to elementary school together at McDermoth. Who was your favorite teacher?

Mr. Greeley. 

And your favorite recess activity?

Anything that involved running around.

Ok. Enough reminiscing... actually, wait... any other favorite memories of your life on the Harbor?

Duck hunting, crabbing, clam digging, fishing, floating the ‘Nooch, all the outdoorsy stuff, but mainly it’s the people. My family’s here. Some of my oldest friends are here. 

You have a performance at Savory Faire this Friday. What is your favorite part of performing live?

It’s the best thing in the world to be on stage, playing a song that you wrote, and see people in the audience sing along with you. It’s an electric feeling. Obviously, I like my songs. They mean a lot to me. But nothing is as great as knowing they mean something to someone else, too.

And you're playing some living room shows on the tour. That's pretty cool! What prompted you to do that?

There’s nothing quite like the synergy that comes from an intimate audience in the perfect venue. But unfortunately, as a touring musician, you don’t always know what venue in a new city will have the right kind of vibe or attract a crowd that’s down with my kind of music. House concerts are the perfect solution. They’re win-win for everybody. You get that intimate crowd feel and the host gets a private show for his or her friends. And, bonus: you’re already at the after-party!

Even though you'll only be in town for a day or two, do you have any "can't miss" places or businesses you'll be visiting?

Every time I come back to the Harbor, I always make sure to stop in at Casa Mia for the Shrimp Salad (no olives). What can I say? It’s a childhood favorite.  

We're excited to have you back! You'll be playing this Friday, May 4th at Savory Faire in Montesano. Should we get tickets ahead of time?

No need for tickets. It’s a free show. Though, Savory Faire is recommending reservations if you want to make sure you get a table.

Check out Roxi Copland at Saivory Faire this Friday, May 4th at 7pm. For more information about Roxi and to buy her new album, head over to her website roxicopland.com.

Hey There, Harborite! Jason Lake

Name/Age: Jason Lake age 36

Where do you live: Montesano, WA

Profession/Day job: Employment counselor at WorkSource Grays Harbor 

Loyal to: (bobcats, grizzlies, whatever)I was a Grizzly, my kids go to Aberdeen, my fiancée’s go to Montesano and my kids play sports in Montesano so I have strained allegiances.

Best Harbor Moment: I think there are many great moments in Grays Harbor. We’re like Stallone from Rocky 1, not too pretty and we never seem to win the championship but we keep getting knocked down and we pull ourselves back up. We pull together as a community, which we have seen with the 2007 Storm and most recently helping a community member with an aggressive cancer. There’s a lot of negativity in our community but there are major positives to build on once we band together to do so.

Favorite Coffee Stand: Heron Street Coffee Man, hands down. Though, I am pulling for my friends the Whisenhunts to get the Central Park stand off the ground.

Favorite Local Business: WorkSource Grays Harbor-I’m biased, I know, but we really do work hard to help the community of Grays Harbor. We live with the worst unemployment in the state but the jobs are there. We want to help you find them. There are plenty of great businesses in Grays Harbor. The Pasha Group, Imperium Renewables, and the D&R Theater are all very exciting for the jobs, innovation and entertainment they bring to our area. This is what we need to get reinvigorated.

Grunge, Metal or Country: All the above. I am definitely a 90’s rocker with a strong affinity to Grunge and the Northwest Scene but I truly do love most all types of music. The one exception is “new” country. Give me the Outlaws any day but keep your pop with a twang. 

Beach, Forest or River: I love the beach but not the really easily assessable ones. I don’t go out by the Shilo very often, more of a remote Ruby Beach type of guy. Though I do love the Rainforest and Quinault.  Favorite outdoor adventure or day trip: Like I said, taking the family to Ruby Beach is my favorite get away in Grays Harbor.

Best way to stay dry on rainy days: I’m a huge movie fan, so either in the theater or on my couch sounds like a great day. 

Define the Harbor in one word: potentialful. (you didn’t say it had to be a proper word)

If you could change one thing about the area, what would it be: I would work to bring new industry here. We have serious infrastructure for new opportunities. The Port has been the one bright spot but it has not netted nearly as many jobs as is needed to truly turn us around. I know we have the labor force. With some true innovation with industry and local area partners working in workforce development we could create a new job market and put people back to work in family wage jobs. That is truly my biggest passion: creating opportunities for working folks to provide in a meaningful way. I know we have the potential, it’s just a matter of convincing new jobs to come our way. 

Grays Harbor's best kept secret: Its people. The problem is it seems that’s a secret even to the people in this community. If we could create meaningful partnerships in the community to achieve economic and social development I believe this county could achieve a new identity. We have created Nobel Prize winners, goliaths of industry, and artists that have truly changed the landscapes of their forms. Grays Harbor has been great before and we could be again but it would take a real movement, a revolution. Viva la Revolucion!