INTERVIEW: Siobhán O’Brien

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Hi Siobhán, welcome to VENTS! How have you been?

Hi, I’m great!

Can you talk to us more about some of the songs on your album such as “Mother” and “She Hides My Plecs”?

Yes, “Mother” is a straight-up apology to my own Mother who raised 6 kids and really did a great job. It’s about acknowledging our mothers and not taking them for granted. Really ‘seeing’ them for what they did and sacrificed for us kids.

“She Hides My Plecs” is about my sister, who ran off to join the Irish Army. The Irish army’s role is as a peacekeeper in countries of conflict. We are a neutral country. So she served in Lebanon but now she is happily married and has 7 kids of her own. I have to translate ‘plecs’ into American. It’s a guitar pick but I grew up calling them a plectrum plec for short and my sister is 12 years younger than me and she used to hide them on me and I’d find them in matchboxes.

Did any event, in particular, inspire you to write these songs?

For “Mother”, I needed one more song to complete the album before I went to Austin to record, so I sat with my Anam Cara book by John O’Donoughue (An Irish Celtic Spiritual Wisdom Author formerly a Catholic Priest) and opened a random page and he was helping a woman to die. She wanted him there for when she would cross over! But I got consumed with the idea that I needed to be there for my mother when she passes. She is a very Catholic woman and dying is a part of life as far as she is concerned and I didn’t have the best relationship with her growing up so it was super healing to think I wanted to do that.

I had the line “She hides my plecs in a matchbox” for years and even wrote the song twice before and lost the lyrics.

Any plans to release a video for a track?

Yes, I would love a video for all 10 songs! But, for now, I would love to find someone creative to make an animation or a puppetry video for “The King’s Fool.”

The single comes off your new album You Can’t Run Out of Love – what’s the story behind the title?

The title track, “You Can’t Run Out Of Love”, was written for a friend of mine going through a very stressful few years with young babies, and juggling all that goes with that – the judgment from ‘other people’ and the feeling of shame of not getting it perfect. I was here and she was at home in Ireland and I felt bad I couldn’t help and I came up with this line one day while walking, and sent it to her saying, “Look, you’ve got to keep it together. You can’t run out of love, you can’t afford to, it’s not an option. You have to get through this.”

How were the recording and writing process?

My writing process is that I gather thoughts and put them in my phone and when I think I have enough I sit down to write the song. It’s different for each song.

Would you call this a departure from your previous musical work?

No, I don’t think so just I am more disciplined now and have higher standards. I do miss that I’m not playing harmonica on this record.

What role did Austin play on this record in terms of music and writing?

Well, the songs were written before I came to Cicada Moon Studios. So it was just a matter of recording them then. But musically, I was blown away by John and Matt’s seemingly simple suggestions. Things I believe now are pivotal moments. Eg: bringing down “Hold Me In Your Arms” by a whole step. That was Mr. Music Matt Hubbard. The percussive feel to “Love Is The Holy Grail”, I could never have imagined. That was Mr. Percussionist himself John Bush (Edie Brickell). That was why I instinctively picked these guys to work with.

Speaking of inspiration – how has Joni Mitchell and Joan Baez influenced you as an artist?

Since I can remember when I have been drawn to beautiful voices. I discovered Joni Mitchell’s voice in my dad’s car. He had a cassette but the outside of the tape had been ripped off so I didn’t know who it was. My dad worked as a sales rep for Lombard & Ulster, so he was on the road a bit. Everyone loved him so when he would call people’s houses he could be in there for hours. So I was left in the car this particular time and I discovered Joni Mitchell’s ‘Clouds’ I know I flipped that tape over 6 times. So I listened to the whole album 3 times. And I was enchanted and hooked for life.

Joan Baez was always played in our house as my dad had a huge record collection and adores music. The same thing, her voice soared through everything. As a teenager, it was a refuge. My great grandparents were opera singers so I don’t know if that stuff is just in your veins.

What aspect of love did you get to explore on this record?

This is a great question! Thank you for asking. It’s made me have to think about it so here’s what I think – I think I explored Self- Love. I have discovered that this is the most important thing we can do for ourselves and our planet. I feel we all need to come back to our source and reset and start again. We have been duped into thinking our happiness is outside of ourselves. And it’s really not. As in “Love Is The Holy Grail” – I might not have ‘the ONE love’ but I have love all around me. If I was to hear me say this statement a few years ago I would have said “Ah That’s sad.” But it’s really not.

Where else did you find the inspiration for the songs and lyrics?

I find inspiration all around me, from people talking and saying stuff or by just observing nature, observing behavior, observing everything all around me.

Any plans to hit the road?

YES! I would love to be on the road most of the time. I feel like a musician is a traveling salesman, and it keeps it all so fresh. For now, it is intermittent touring with my base in DC.

What else is happening next in Siobhán O’Brien’s world?

Well, You Can’t Run Out Of Love will be released in January and I am excited to see where it all takes me. I would love to be touring with my band as much as I can. I have some other projects I will attend next year as well. A children’s audiobook. Some collaborations.