The What Podcast
EmiSunshine
Season 3, Episode 18
Published June 16, 2020
https://beta.thewhatpodcast.com/episode/emisunshine

All right. Hey, everybody. Welcome back to another edition

of the what podcast which is you guys know we primarily do sort

of focused on Bonnarooo, but an opportunity came up and I am so

excited for a lot of reasons and I'll just take a quick minute

because I want to I want to hear Amy speak more than me, but

your manager reached out and said, hey, do you want to talk

to Amy Sunshine? She's coming to Songbirds June 19th and Amy, I

don't know if you know this, but first of all that had me. Yes,

I want to talk to you because I know you've had a history here

you were you played our Riverbend Festival when you were

what nine or were you six? I know you were very young.

Yeah, yeah. And then I don't know if you know this, but a

little girl named Amy Reamer Reimer, you gave her a pair of

your boots that you wore, I guess on the Grand World Opry

and she was a yeah, well she was a guest on a music show that

we used to do for the paper and she wore those boots and she

wears them all the time and and so so that had me too because

you were so sweet to do that and then also as part of this

email, your manager says she you were asked to co-write a song

with Bootsy Collins and well I was in so so here we are so tell

me how that happened. Tell me about. Yeah, so. So my

publicist was talking to me about how I was going to go do

this festival sort of thing. I mean, my mom told me a lot about

it, but I was like OK, this is kind of cool. I think it's the

opening day parade of the Reds and I was like OK, this is

really cool. I'm going to be part of this parade. That's

awesome and then you know the whole coronavirus thing

happened and we weren't able to do that anymore. It was

actually one of the last shows that we had before we were on a

tour and it was one of the last shows we had before we were

going to get to go home, but it was cancelled and Bootsy was a

part of that as well and he looked at my music and he was

researching me and he ended up really loving it and wanting me

to be a part of one of his projects and since all the

coronavirus thing happened and everything that's been going on,

we just decided to get a bunch of musicians and singers

together and put together a song and me and Bootsy co-wrote

Stars and I'm very very happy about it. It's a great song and

I'm very honored to get to work with him. So many. So those are

words that just don't come out of most people's mouths, right?

Bootsy first of all and you got to write a song and when you

say got some people together, I've got the list in front of

me and we're talking Bayla Fleck, Victor Wooten, Brian

Culberson, Steve Jordan and Dr. Cornell West. Yes, if anybody

had their TV on over the weekend, got to see Dr. West

multiple times. So I mean the timing. You know, I started to

say good, but it's not good is it? I mean the reason all this

is happening is because of so much terrible stuff that's going

on, but what an opportunity to be a part of something like

this. I have to thank for you. Oh yeah, I mean I'm very honored

to get to work with Bootsy and especially the artist who've

been a part of this. I mean there were so many parts of

this song where I was hearing different singers sing my song

that me and Bootsy wrote. It's just it's something that you

know doesn't happen very often and getting all these

musicians and singers and writers together and that's

really really cool. I mean I think that's a song that's

gonna be something I'm gonna remember for a very very long

time. Yeah, tell everybody about the song right? Because

it's a very socially aware, socially conscious song.

What was the process with you? I assume from watching it that

you were in different places and probably talking just like

you and I are now type of thing. Pretty much. It was kind

of difficult to write the song because like we were gonna get

together at one point me and Bootsy and my mother and my

family and we were gonna talk and get to know each other and

maybe work on a song. We thought that might happen, but

quarantine started happening and we were just like, oh maybe

we can you know get together. You know we can email back and

forth. We can do Skype maybe at some point. We never got to do

that actually, but we just kind of went back with emails and

gave little pieces of the song to each other and kind of gave

ideas back and forth and I feel like that somehow worked out. I

mean like it was a very odd process, but I mean like it had

its perks. I mean like getting to work with Bootsy on this and

I was very nervous about it first because I was like, how

the heck am I gonna write a song without the other person in

the room with me? I mean I can understand Skype because that's

a little bit easier. We didn't get to do that, so I was a

little bit worried about what the outcome would be. Eventually,

I put down the track for this and I sang it and it was

really cool. I mean like I'm so happy with how the words

turned out. I mean I just sort of took what Bootsy was saying

and I just applied it to the song and I did it in a very

simple way, but it just sort of kind of got everything in

there in the way that I wanted it to and I'm very happy with it.

Did it change from much? I'm sure it changed. Any song changes

from the process, but I mean things were happening and still

are in the world every five minutes it seems like. So

how did that impact what you guys were doing?

Well, I mean I feel like that song in a way can apply to a lot

of things and I think that it is a way for

us to have a very inspirational sort of uplifting song through anything and I

feel like it can be something that people either can relate to or people

can listen to and be like hey you know it's

gonna get better at some point. Things are gonna get better and it has

gotten better and things have can get better and that's sort

of what that song is just really trying to say,

but it's saying it in a way where it's not really kind of going towards

oh this is all about the pandemic or it's all about everything else. I

mean like I feel like this song can apply to a lot whether it

was intended for the pandemic or not. Whether you know it

was intended for it, but I feel like it has a

broader reach now. That's kind of a tricky wicket right there isn't it? You

want it to be sort of of the moment but not stuck in the moment,

right? That was the hardest part of writing it.

I really wanted it to talk about

what everyone in the world was going through. I mean like the pandemic

and but I mean I didn't want it to be too

obvious to where like it would only apply to that.

I wanted it to be diverse and I wanted it to be something that

people could listen to maybe like 15 years down the line and still

have it apply to something at least you know and I feel like that is

we kind of executed that pretty well I think.

How much of a historian would you say you are? Music historian? I mean do you

do you know all of the people that were involved in this and their histories or?

I don't know personally but when I first started the project

I didn't know like all the people who were

part then I started researching them and getting to know their music and

and I am very very happy that I got to because you know now I'm a fan

of all the people. That's what I'm wondering.

I first heard about Bootsy. I didn't know a lot about him before like

but then I was like oh he is a really cool dude and he's a great producer.

He's amazing and I just got to know all about the people I'm working with and

that is quite an honor to you know just get to

look at their history too. Yeah it's pretty

pretty good company you're in there. There's a lot of history with

those guys. That's why I wondered if it was something you knew beforehand or

sort of figured out. I wonder if you had known beforehand

if you'd have done it you know or brain locked because.

Yeah well I mean I didn't know much about Bootsy but I knew like a little bit

beforehand. I mean like I knew a tiny bit of some of

some of his work but I mean like there was a few people that I knew

about but there was a bunch of them that I just

didn't know. I didn't know nothing about them but then you know I looked at their

career and what they did and you know I feel like that's really what's

great about you know working with other people is you get to

learn more about them and their history and they get to learn about you. So

I think it's cool. I want to ask you about other stuff you've got going on

too obviously but the process you said was not what you had

envisioned or would have ideally you know

put down but now that you've done it does it feel like something you could do

again or you just ready to get past this and go back to whatever

normal is? Actually I think I could do it again. I

can easily adapt to stuff like this. I mean I've

we've had to do this before and we've had to write with people

over text or over emails and skype before. I mean like but I mean

like it was sort of different when it was something

that was this important you know like to me this song was like

a very big deal and I didn't want to send like Bootsy Collins you know

just some lyrics that weren't good enough for the song.

Right. And I was very um so to me it was um it was quite an importance to

um really get this correct. So it was a little bit of pressure but I

mean I would definitely do it again because I had a lot of fun doing it.

Tell me about the last seven years I guess or eight years of your career.

I mean uh what a what a career path right?

Um yeah it's something else. I mean I started singing when I was around

five years old and my great grandmother, my grandmother,

my dad and uncles and everybody everybody in between

were singers and either singers are musically

inclined in some way. Right. And my mom was a writer way

before I was born so I kind of had both of those things

that I could learn how to do or either have a little bit of a talent to do.

And I think at some point when I was around five I was singing and I loved it

but I wanted to start writing music too so I wrote my first song when I was five

and then I went on about seven to play ukulele and

try and learn guitar at the time but my fingers were too small for that then.

And then I just went on playing different things. I mean I went to

Gatlinburg, Tennessee. I was playing there for a long time and

um then I got one day I got to play the Grand Opry

and then again and again about 15 times I did that.

And I've gotten to do all this stuff. I mean I was on the Today Show and I've got to do

so many things that I would have never thought

you know when I was little that I would really get to do as much like and I

never knew that and I'm really really happy with how it

turned out because you know I get to travel, I get to sing, I get to

voice you know my songs and in a very cool way to an audience that I'm very

very glad that I get to have. So I mean it's turned out pretty good.

I mean I've done do all kinds of things. Are you a planner?

Sometimes. I mean my plan when I was when I was younger is that

okay I'm going to be a singer-songwriter musician and this is exactly what I'm

going to do and is going to go out exactly like this

and that's it. It's never going to change. Nothing ever is.

And that's about it. And then you know I just thought well

yes you're still going to do these things but your direction might change.

Some things might change and you have to be able

to um you know take that change and go with it.

You know and that's something that I had to learn over time but I mean I'm a

planner but I don't try to plan too much to where I'm

you know putting myself in a position where I won't be able to fluctuate in

ways that I need to. That's a great answer. That's what I was

kind of getting at. The second part of it is are you a sort of a

list a goals set or do you have like the grand old

opera you've done? Are there people that you want to

perform with, write with, work with? Do you have that kind of list?

Yes especially with writing. I mean I have so many people that I want to

write with and I've talked about that a lot before. I

mean like I've always wanted to write with um the

Redelin. I mean I've wanted to write with um

Jack White which was something I'd always want to do. I've always wanted to

write with um Dolly. I really want to write with

Dolly. There's just so many people that I

wouldn't I would love to get to work with

um in any way singing here and I think that it would be really cool to um

you know really do those things eventually. I have plans when it comes to

that but I mean I think a lot of times I

forget to plan and then I'll just go on on my way when it comes to my goals.

Um but I mean I have all kinds of things that I want to do

especially vocally. I want to you know really work on my vocals in the best way

that I can. I want to take care of myself and I want

to make sure that I'm taking care of my voice because it's something that is

very important to me. So I mean like I think there's a lot of

things you know just instrument wise. There's so many

instruments I want to learn as well. I mean like this

there's so many things but I mean yeah there's I definitely have goals.

The uh priority is I mean Dolly it's amazing uh on this podcast.

We've asked people who they want to see at Bonnarooo. Dolly I think is number one

uh for most for most of us yeah and you know

crosses all genres doesn't matter. Um oh yeah it doesn't matter it's Dolly.

She's good. She's phenomenal. Have you met her?

I have not met her but I hope to one day she was a big influence on my life. I

mean my family introduced me to her music at

like a very young age and I was just enthralled by her voice and her writing.

So yeah I hope to meet her. She's a great

inspiration. I should say um we're do we're talking a couple of

weeks before the song comes out. The song is supposed to come out on the 12th.

It's called Stars right? Um we're going to if we can't embed it

on here we're going to link to it so people will see it. So

whether we have it or not they'll they'll be able to see it but uh

you're also you've also graciously agreed to uh

sing it. There's Brad. Oh hi. Hey guys. There's our there's our

co-host Brad. Brad McInnie. Hi Emmy. Lovely to see you. Nice to see you as

well. Sorry I uh I'm late. I uh there's a

hurricane coming right for us and um we just now realized it.

Oh I can't blame you for being late. Yeah no kidding.

Uh I see that Barry got a haircut. He looks good.

Same to you. Same to you. Very happy to see that.

Yeah we have just been talking about this song

that uh Emmy co-wrote with Bootsy Collins. It has um

Bela Flack and Victor Wooten and Dr. Cornell West on it and we're going to

hope to link to it and uh she's going to sing a couple of

songs for us here in just a little bit before she has to get off. So

um I'm sure you had a couple of questions that you

that you had lined up. Well I in quarantine life all of these uh

things sound damn near impossible. So how did how did it all how did

everybody do this at once including Cornell West which you know

not really known for his uh the backing band for Cornell West.

He's great in it though. Yeah I mean he yeah it was it was so cool. I mean like

when I first heard his voice and I was like

this is this is something else. Who is that? Like I was

I was so um I was so confused but at the same time you know

you know surprised something very pleased and

then uh we we just started looking at all the people who were going to be on

this and I was like oh that is very surprisingly cool. I mean like

that's that's really amazing and I just I just did

not realize at first who that was and I mean I think that it was like looking

at all the people who who have worked on this so far. I mean like

it's just like it's insane. I mean like especially with how

many people that um have contributed and like

have really been um a major part of um vocals or anything. I mean like it's

it is uh it's really cool. It's the power of Bootsy.

It is. He's the glue that keeps a nation together in times of turmoil.

Agreed. I meant to say at the beginning, Amy, and

ever since I used to work at a record store probably in the late 70s and 80s

my all-time favorite album title is What's Bootsy Doing?

I just think that's the that just cuts right to

everything. Yeah. I love it. It's it's arrogant.

It's it's everything. Yeah. But he delivers.

You know. It's got like that it's got that

uh cool factor to it that I mean like it's just the title and everything once

you just see it you're like oh that's gonna be cool. That's that's that's mic

drop right there. That's it. It'll never be a better. Definitely.

Go ahead, Brad. What's that? I'm sorry I lost you. If you got any other questions

I know you. So yeah because you how can I put this

where it's not offensive which is damn near impossible for me.

How do you how do you manage doing what you do under the umbrella

called country where it's so fractured in so many

different ways? Can you even call what you do country?

I don't I used to but then my music evolved and it became more

and that's just what it did. I mean like I consider it more Americana than

anything because they're like Americana there's so many things

and you can just really just be whatever you want.

I mean like it doesn't have to have some sort of

goal to set you know to be more country or to be

more you know.

And I think and I think the the label is the thing that's so

confusing I think to so many people. I mean you watch Jason Isbell.

Jason Isbell who has such a problem with the label of country

and then you know I read an article the other day where

his new album is labeled alt alt alt country.

You know there's so now we've gotten to the point where we're slicing this

you know ham so thin that you barely can taste it anymore.

And you know Americana makes a lot of sense but

you know it is it is sort of a sound that is kind of all over the place.

And you know that I think that's sort of the point right.

That is to me it is. I mean I just don't like being

labeled with my music because I feel like when I do like

some like major like oh yeah I'm definitely country or I'm definitely

bluegrass or I'm definitely blues or I'm definitely this or else.

And it just sort of feels wrong to me because like I don't feel like I'm

able to put my music under a specific label like that because it doesn't

fit perfectly to that. I think we've talked about on here Brad

it's if you looked at anybody's uh podcast or iPad list or you

know their playlist it's all over the place.

Right yeah genre genres really don't exist anymore. They don't exist anymore.

So it's doing what you want to do. And I don't really care about the genre as

much whether it's great lyrics you know I feel like

the music needs to be really really cool and I like cool melodies and you're like

I just I don't care about the genre as long as

it's good music and it has a good message to it. That's all I really

that's all I really want. I mean like I don't really it feel like you know just

like what goes out on like you know you know pop country radio and everything

else is just sort of it's it's it doesn't have a lot of depth to it.

And to me as just for me I don't particularly like that.

So are you telling me that you think my track

Dr. Sexy doesn't have depth?

I hate to tell you but no.

Damn it.

It touches you right? Yeah it does. It touches you.

Yeah. Emmy do you need to get off? You got time to sing for us?

I got time to sing for you. All right. All right awesome. What are you going to

sing? What do you got? What's uh what's coming up for

for the band? You and the band? Yeah um I have my recent um album out

right now called um excuse me um I

I have my album out now called Family Wars

and um I think I'm gonna do a little um track from that. Yeah this is one called

Crimson Moon.

Oh it's crimson moon

in Georgia East

is where I lost you that's where I found me

now I'm better off

oh all alone

oh promise to ring on your hands and it's still just a start

oh I don't need to be in my life

baby young but I'm warm enough

to be happy on my own happy on my own don't you call my bluff

let the light of this crimson moon shine down on us

oh lift me up oh lift me up

oh lift me up

I've got a table for one now don't bother me

the coffee's still good and strong the music's still sweet

moonlight's better than sun ain't no chains on me

this room this place hey that's all I need

oh I don't need to be in love

well I may be young but I'm woman in love

to be happy on my own happy on my own don't you call my bluff

let the light of this crimson moon shine down on us

this crimson moon in Georgia East

is where I lost you that's where I found me

very nice there you go very nice

I uh here's what I want to do I want to watch that again

and practice my hair flip so expertly done too so

accurately done the hair flip is so perfectly timed every time

oh I appreciate it and the song's good too how about that

I've mastered the hair flip yeah well let me ask this uh you you prepared

another one for us so if you'll take us out with that one but I wanted to say

the song stars the one you co-wrote with Bootsy

that has a whole list of stars on it uh comes out on the 12th uh we should

have a link to it if if not as part of this show but you're also

going to be at songbirds in Chattanooga on June 19th

so I guess you're getting back out huh you're starting to

starting to do some shows wow an actual show

yeah an actual show so weird to think already I mean like

it I'm glad that we are getting back out but I mean like it's

it's been so scary and you know odd lately that it's just

it's just really um difficult to get back in that group of just um traveling

and going but I mean I think it's gonna go good we're gonna

try and see what happens what where are you caught where are you right now

we're in Nashville okay um yeah we had a few things to do here so we left

little our little town to come here so okay so so it's not like it's not like

traveling across the country for a show you're just

staying regional that's not bad okay yeah all right well that's

to me that's breaking news there's a show happening

that is sick and I think that's what I think that's what we're gonna see I know

songbirds has started booking some shows here with some local people but also

some regional acts uh Emmy's actually up from Madisonville

Brad so she's uh yeah she's not far from we claim her

as I always say if somebody does good we claim them

and it's going to be it's going to be venues like uh those

small intimate venues that sort of like start opening these things up and and

being sort of the petri dish and the test run for

then the the 500 room the the thousand head room um you know and seeing the

step move that's a that's a big step that's a big

step that's happening I did not see that coming

oh good luck I hope that I hope it goes well it's gonna do all right what are

you gonna take us out with Emmy and thank you so so much for doing this

for having me on I'm very happy um I have a little song here that I started

writing about two years ago um this is one um

that I started writing um with some friends of mine

um here in Nashville um Vicky Mickey and Kyle Jacobs

um we started writing this song because um well

I mean I just don't particularly write a lot of um

uplifting songs that often or you know love songs in general because I

just don't really like them very much um but I well how was it how was it you

described oh Caroline with your brother as a family tragedy is that what

yeah nice sorry I didn't mean to interrupt you but that's funny

oh no you were fine um but here you go but yeah I mean who does like who

likes positive songs I mean who wants to listen to Macarena

every every three hours I am able I am strong I am able I carry on

oh we are able we are strong oh we are able we carry on

we learn to stand when battles come we fight for peace we never run

in spite of all the said and done together we will overcome

I am able I am strong I am able I carry on

we are able we are strong we are able we carry on

we stand tall when battles come we fight for peace

we never run in spite of all the said and done

together we will overcome

oh I am able I am strong I am able I carry on

oh we are able we are strong we are able

we carry on we carry on

We carry on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on.

We carry on and we carry on.

Really nice.

You're doing you're doing just fine with the happy sucks.

You did just fine.

Okay I like it.

Emmy sunshine you're so kind to give us this much time and to do this and

I hope everybody out there enjoyed it as much as I did.

So weird any sunshine and and i'm bradley dark cloud

It's so so ironic

Yeah, thanks for coming on. Yeah. Thank you so much and enjoy the uh, enjoy the uh show man

I I can't wait to see how this goes. This is this is a big test. It's a big test for you know small

Independent venues like that. So I I really do hope it goes well for you guys

Thank you so much

And and barry you better be there. I want to hear you better be there. I'll be there looking forward to it. All right

See you guys. Yeah, thank you