An interview With Amy-Dixon Kolar 4.27.09 by HolleyHall, 10 Apr 2009 06:39 PM

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Amy Dixon-Kolar

EZ Folk profile Link: http://ezfolk.com/audio/amydk/

EZ folk Radio Station Link: http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/896/#

I met Amy through EZfolk several years ago whow I much admire. Her beautiful vocals and acoustic guitar is truly amazing!. She really knows how to capture the moment and paint a beautiful landscape with her music. She has truly captured her own sound! Over the past couple of years I have watched her grown in leaps and bounds with her music and she now has a new CD out called Now it's Time! Although I love all her music some notable songs I would like to mention are "Rosa Sat", "Light of the Morning", "Roads of Home" and of course her version of "Wild Mountain Thyme".

Amy thank you so much for the honor of this interview and your friendship. You are truly very gifted and well deserving of recognition for your musicianship. Best wishes to you and much success on your new CD!

HOLLEY: What is your music background?

AMY DIXON-KOLAR: I’ve been involved in music one way or another for most of my life. I started playing the guitar when I was very young and playing out when I was in still in high school. I also sang in choirs – madrigal, jazz, concert choirs. I’ve played with other people in bands or duets from time to time but have mostly worked solo.
 
HOLLEY: Do you prefer to play music as a profession or a hobby?

AMY DIXON-KOLAR: I’ve sung for money, I’ve sung for free, I’ve busked on the street and I’ve played to a thousand people. No matter what, I’ll keep singing. The professional part of it is pretty fun though.

HOLLEY: When and how did you first become interested in music? How long have you been playing music? What instruments do you play?

AMY DIXON-KOLAR: I started playing guitar when I was about eight, so I’ve been playing for over 40 years. We always had some sort of music playing in our house – folk, classical, jazz, opera, roc. In that environment it was hard not to get interested in music. I play guitar in performance, but I also play a bit of fiddle, mandolin, bodhran and a bowed psaltry.

HOLLEY: Does anyone in your family play music?

AMY DIXON-KOLAR: My father was an amateur jazz drummer and my mother played guitar and sang. We also had a piano in the house, but I don’t recall if either parent played it. All I know is that all of us kids had to take piano lessons.

HOLLEY: What are your songs about?

AMY DIXON-KOLAR, the world around me and the world at large. There’s nothing that isn’t fair game to be a subject of a song.

HOLLEY: Do you write your own songs? Do you have any particular songs you consider your favorites?

AMY DIXON-KOLAR: I do write my own music, but I’ll also play covers if they are songs that affect me in some way. As far as favorites, do you mean favorites that I’ve written or that other people have written? I love every new song I complete. Seriously. If you aren’t enthralled with a song you’ve written, why would you want to share it with others? I guess I’m a perfectionist that way. I can’t perform a song unless I really believe in it and can get that across. If I don’t love a song, I can’t sell it to a discriminating audience. My favorite songs by other people is a list way too long to write out.

HOLLEY: Who are your musical influences?

AMY DIXON-KOLAR: How much time do you have? Because I’ve listened to and been involved with music for a long time, the list grows yearly. The short list: Pete Seeger and the Weavers, Judy Collins, Joni Mitchell, Steve Goodman, Holly Near, Joan Baez, Steeleye Span, Jennifer Armstrong, Dougie MacLean, Odetta, Mason Proffitt, Leadbelly, Mark Dvorak, the Roches, Bruce Cockburn, Sons of the Never Wrong, Jim Malcolm, and on and on and on…

HOLLEY: What live performance experience have you had?

AMY DIXON-KOLAR: My musical life has been in two parts. When I was younger I sang with various choruses and as a solo performer I played a number of coffeehouses, political gigs, and a few festivals. I was also an actress and did a lot of theatre and musical theatre. I gave up performing for quite a while and have only come back to it in the past four years. Since then I’ve played clubs, coffeehouses, political gigs, festivals - maybe I’m returning to my youth?

HOLLEY:  What are your musical goals?

AMY DIXON-KOLAR: To keep playing. To keep learning and exploring new ways to express myself. To play with as many other folks as possible and to listen and learn from as many types of music as I can. Learn a few more instruments well enough to play in performance. Never to limit myself. And if I can make a living at it and sell a few CDs along the way, how much the better!

HOLLEY:  Have you recorded any previous CDs or posted any audio files on the Internet? (What type of recording process did you use? Who produced your recording?)

AMY DIXON-KOLAR: I have one CD that I made at New Soup Recording and the Kernel Sound Emporium here in Chicago - “Now It’s Time”. I produced the album with the assistance of two incredible men, John Abbey and Steve Dawson. Recording in a studio with excellent engineers/producers, bringing in other musicians to play with me, mixing, mastering – it was a fantastic experience. I had a steep learning curve since it was all new to me, but I think that we ended up with a pretty darn good album. I’ve also recorded a lot at home and have posted songs on-line, from both the CD and my home recordings, on ezFolk and MySpace, with a few songs on my website. My home recording gear is not professional grade so, though I can record at home, I know that when I want to make another CD I’ll go back into the studio.

HOLLEY:  Where do you have your music posted online?

AMY DIXON-KOLAR: Most are on ezFolk, with some on MySpace, Soundclick, and a few other sites on the web. I have some posted on my Website, but I have linked that back to my songs on ezFolk. Some of my songs are also being played on Women of Substance Radio and a few other internet radio sites.

HOLLEY: Any Music Videos? If so what are they about?

AMY DIXON-KOLAR: I have one video up on YouTube at the moment. It’s a song I wrote after the last election here in the US when Barack Obama was elected president. It’s a song about the extraordinary time we’re experiencing in our country. It’s called “Rosa Sat” and I’m thrilled to say that it’s received some positive attention and at last count had received over 220,000 hits. It can be seen at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-0NvkuPHZI

HOLLEY: Do you have CD’s/Audio files for sale? If so, where can they be purchased?

AMY DIXON-KOLAR:  As I said, “Now It’s Time” is out and is available through me, at my site, through CD Baby, ITunes, and the individual songs can be downloaded from ezFolk.

HOLLEY: In what ways does the place where you live (or places where you have lived), affect the music you create, or your taste in music?

AMY DIXON-KOLAR: Everything about my environment affects my music and my musical tastes. Growing up, living with my dad, I learned to love jazz. While I can’t sing jazz very well (I’m working on that), it influences the way I think about rhythm and what sounds can be brought together. Living with my mother, and then hanging around the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, I was exposed to a rich and eclectic mix of music, which has found expression in what I write. I thrive in nature, and I think my best writing is done when I’m on my own in nature, or at least putting myself in a ‘natural’ state of mind. I don’t have to live in a place to have it affect me, and whatever affects me ends up in my music somehow.

HOLLEY: When was the last time you wrote a song? What can you tell us about it?

AMY DIXON-KOLAR: I’m always writing songs. ‘Rosa Sat’ was the last one I recorded, but I have about 10 or so that are in various states of completion. One that I keep returning to because it’s not quite done in my opinion is about co-dependency and tough love. A nice, up-beat tune…