Sharon van Etten Interview: The world at her feet

Sharon Van Etten gained a nuts-and-bolts view of the machinations of the music industry when she worked as a PR assistant for Ba Da Bing on a roster that included Beirut and Sons & Daughters, but she certainly doesn’t confess to being any musical spin-doctor.
 
“I was the worst publicist ever,” Van Etten laughs. “I got thrown in there. I didn’t know what a blog was ten years ago. I was pretty green and had no idea, but I saw how much work is put into something behind the scenes. Ben from Ba Da Bing worked out of his apartment.
“We packed everything there and answered the phones and pretty much did everything. It was very grassroots. You could see how much work sometimes goes into a record and no-one responds to it. You could contact a hundred people a day and hear back from three of them. It’s so exhausting. Bands can get lost even if they’re doing something amazing. You realise that you have to do it because you’re passionate about it and you hope people pay attention and listen.”
Publicist is just one role that Van Etten has played in her scenic route to becoming a full-time musician.
 “I think everybody has an interesting past in how they got to where they are today,” she maintains. “I studied abroad when I went to high school. I went to Spain and studied wine. When I lived in Tennessee I got a job in a coffee shop that just started booking shows when I started working there. It turned into an all-ages club with vegetarian food and a record store. It nurtured a nice small scene.
“But like any civilisation, there was a rise and a fall and after a while people stopped caring. This was around the time when I moved back home. I got my first job in New York in Astor Wines, so every step led to the next one. It’s been a strange journey. “
 Kyp Malone from TV On The Radio encouraged Van Etten to play live more, praising her ability to “silence rooms in drunk bars”.
“I played open mics and saw people respond to it,” she says. “Eventually they started listening more and the rooms would get quieter. I got offered more shows and I felt really fulfilled. Then I thought: this is time to try. The support of musicians I respect and the support of my family kept me going even when it was very hard.” 
Sharon’s third album Tramp was produced by Aaron Dessner of The National and featured her old Ba Da Bing label-mate Zach Condon of Beirut and Aaron’s brother Bryce.
“I felt it was overshadowed by the cast of characters who appeared on it,” she explains. “I wanted to have more control over the sound of this album and give each song its own kind of world.
“I didn’t realise how much of a control freak I was until I started working on this album. I like defining roles for other people and not having a lot of people playing just for the hell of it. I have a set band and most of the band are tracked live.” 
Some of the instruments used on Are We There possess a fascinating history.
“One of the pianos I used was in Electric Ladyland studio in the East Village,” Van Etten reveals. "The same piano was used on the Horses album but I’m not sure if Patti (Smith) actually played it. Maybe she had a sandwich on it, or leaned on it, or sang while someone was playing it and working out parts, but it’s a nice story all the same.  We also used the piano John Lennon used on ‘Imagine’ on the track ‘You Know Me Well’."
 Are We There is a very moving listen, with Van Etten opening up in a confessional style about a romantic relationship.
“Career versus relationship is the core of the record and that’s where my life has been at for the last two years, “ she explains. “My parents were crucial. No parent is going to tell their kid to do music. But my parents loved my band and they’re music lovers. I was raised on music.”
 
Are We There is out now