If you think of the way Howlin' Wolf made records, you get the feeling there wasn't a production manager onsite, or a publicist having his say on how he should sing the songs. When you listen to his records, you feel like you're tapping into his voice.

M. Ward

Categorized in : Thinking Song Voice

It might be a meaningless moment, but those sparks that ignite the song.... It's mystical maybe, those magic moments. And to make music for a living, to perform these songs over and over, you have to safeguard those sparks. If you can do that, they'll last a lot longer.

magic-moments writing song

I'm somebody who doesn't feel the need to be in the driver's seat all the time. I appreciate the perspective of being in the passenger's seat sometimes, and I feel fortunate for that because I've learned a lot from that perspective.

appreciate perspective needs

The songwriting style, to me, is superior. There was a certain amount of joy in it, no matter how sad the song is. You get joy in listening to these Buddy Holly or Roy Orbison sad lyrics. I'm attracted to songs that have balance between the darks and the lights and giving them all equal opportunity.

light opportunity song

I got into one Metallica record. That was about it. I never got into AC/DC or Black Sabbath or any of that. I was interested in the side of heavy metal that had interesting guitar ideas, but that was a very short-lived thing.

guitar ideas interesting

One of the great things about music is that it has the capability of time travel - you smell a certain smell in the room and it takes you back to your childhood. I feel like music is able to do that, and it happens to me all the time.

smell childhood able

It's a luxury to not have to just be performing with other people... by M. Ward

It's a luxury to not have to just be performing with other people to have my music heard.

performing-music luxury people

My grandparents are from Mexico, so I grew up with great Mexican... by M. Ward

My grandparents are from Mexico, so I grew up with great Mexican food.

grandparent mexico mexican

My favorite recordings are the ones that feel like there were no middlemen in the creation. That's the biggest problem with most films and records being made today - too many people involved. I think it dilutes the artist's intent and inspiration.

artist inspiration thinking

The South of France is one of my favorite places in the world. by M. Ward

The South of France is one of my favorite places in the world.

favorite-places france world

When you work on a record for three years, it's a great sense of relief when it is finally out in the world. It just feels good.

relief feel-good years

I definitely don't see myself as much of a singer, because my upbringing is really based around the guitar, learning chord progressions and that sort of thing. So the singing aspect of what I do has been a secondary adventure.

singing guitar adventure

I don't like the way recording to digital sounds. Most of the time when I'm recording to 2-inch tape, I still have a romantic vision of how songs sounded coming out of the radio when I was younger, and how they sounded coming out of my little four-track cassette player.

player song two

I get most of my inspiration from older records. Most of the records that I listen to were probably made before I was born, and I was born in the mid-'70s. I don't know why, exactly, I'm drawn to those sounds.

records inspiration sound

I love the idea that I planned my career. I did not. It started out by getting invitations from artists that I really love and respect, to share a stage... I've been very lucky in that I haven't had to create a five-year plan. It's evolved.

careers artist years

I just want the songs to have the staying power as my favorite songs. If you listen to any Hank Williams song, when you're in a good mood, it's going to put you in a better mood. If you happen to be bummed-out, you're going to feel maybe a little more bummed-out and better at the same time. At any time in my life, his music has had meaning and value to me. If a song can shape-shift in that way, that's a sign of success.

shapes want song

It's no fun for me to cover a song and produce it the exact same way as it already exists. When I hear that happening, I have to say, 'What's the point?

song fun way

I had the naive, simplistic idea that producers and writers and artists of the time helped in a minuscule way to change the mind-set of America.

artist america ideas

I've worked with just as many talented women as I have talented men, and I feel fortunate enough to have that great balance.

balance enough men

It's a hard thing to explain, but the more I arrange for strings, the more I realize the possibilities.

strings possibility realizing

I'm somebody who gets a lot of inspiration from dreams. by M. Ward

I'm somebody who gets a lot of inspiration from dreams.

inspiration dream