The Little Willies Norah Jones, Richard Julian and Company Take a Side Trip Into the Country

DECEMBER 2011 ISSUE MMUSICMAG.COM Q&A antry L Richard Julian, Lee Alexander, Christian Norah Jones, Jim Campilongo, Dan Rieser THE LITTLE WILLIES Norah Jones, Richard Julian and company take a side trip into the country “It’s lIKE EATING A BIG BOWL OF MY seemed like a cool idea to cover his original until recently. It’s fun playing in the South, grandma’s macaroni and cheese,” jazz-pop tunes, but every time we got together we but we also know that in the South some superstar Norah Jones says of her childhood ended up playing songs by other people as of these songs are stapled into people’s love for country music. “It feels nostalgic.” well. The name stuck, but the concept didn’t. brains. We were a bit nervous about playing Today she expresses that fondness in part in Nashville because we weren’t sure how with the Little Willies, the group she first How do you choose the material? well the performances would go down. helped form in 2003 with singer and guitarist JONES: We just do songs we love, without JULIAN: It is different. I remember an Richard Julian, guitarist Jim Campilongo, any consideration of how well-known they instance where we played [Kristofferson’s] bassist Lee Alexander and drummer Dan are. For a listener, hearing someone cover a “For the Good Times” in Manhattan. A really Rieser to perform country tunes at a small famous song is a different sort of experience. prominent songwriter who was there asked New York City venue. The Willies’ new People often ask if it’s daunting to cover the me whose song that was. He had never sophomore album, For the Good Times, well-known material. The thing is, we don’t heard it. That’s when I realized there was a features affectionate renderings of country think of those songs in that way, so it’s not sharp divide between audiences in the North classics and obscure nuggets—including daunting or weird at all. We think of it more and South. People in New York ask a lot of songs by Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, as piecing together a puzzle. We get a bunch questions about the songs, which actually Kris Kristofferson and Loretta Lynn—as of good takes and then figure out what we is very cool. I think it’s because the songs well as one original. need to round out the album. Does Richard tell such great stories. need a ballad? Do I need an uptempo song? What was country to you as a kid? We approach all the material with love and Will you do more originals? JONES: It was huge. These songs go respect. We’re just enjoying ourselves. JONES: That depends on how much time deep for me, in a historical sense. I grew we have together in the future. The biggest up in Texas and my grandparents lived in Who acts as bandleader? surprise about the new album is that it Oklahoma, so singing this material reminds JULIAN: Each of us offers suggestions, actually happened—a couple of the guys had me of my childhood. but no one bosses the others around. It’s moved out of town, and we had all gotten very democratic without being overly polite. busy with other projects. Still, in the end all it How did you name the group? We know one another’s strengths and took was Jim sending an email, saying, “Hey JULIAN: The band was conceived out of weaknesses, and we help each other out. guys, I miss this band. When are we going a conversation about how Willie Nelson is to play again?” It took some planning, but acknowledged for his singing and personality Does response vary in different areas? everything turned out great. but less so for his great songwriting. It JONES: We hadn’t played outside New York –Russell Hall ‘The biggest surprise about the new album is that it actually happened.’ 68 M mag 16.indd 68 1/12/12 7:53:06 AM.

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