Whilst at C2C, I got
the opportunity to attend Little Big Town’s Press Conference, where they
discussed where they discussed the growth of the festival over the years, playing
at the Royal Albert Hall, line dancing, and their hidden talents – read on! I was
also told by band member Kimberly Schlapman that I have amazing hair, so my
life goals are complete!
Q: You’ve just won
the CMA International Award. Quite a few years ago, Rascal Flatts were winning
all the awards and now you’re the band to beat – how do you feel about that?
Kimberly Schlapman (KS): We used to call it the Rascal Flatt
Award. It’s very humbling – every time it has happened, we’re grateful because
our journey was not easy. It means so much to us when it does happen and we’ve
enjoyed it immensely and if it happens again that would be amazing and if not
we’ll support whoever takes it away!
Phillip Sweet (PS): We sat there for so many years watching
Rascal Flatts win and it was great. We’ve been around long enough to see them
win a bunch, and Lady Antebellum. They’re all our friends. It’s quite an honour
to win that award. We try not to put too much on awards but it feels really
good when you get one.
Q: You guys have been
such a big part of this festival over the years and indeed the growth of
country music in the UK. What do you make of the growth of the festival, and
what do you put it down to?
PS: It’s about the fans. The first time we came over we were
so blown away by the response and the enthusiasm, the energy, the love of
country music fans. We just couldn’t wait to come back again and again. You
give us so much back. You know all the words. That’s not always the case in
America, so it was really exciting and we felt a real connection. That was
amazing for us.
Karen Fairchild (KF): I think the first time we came and
played the 4 o’clock slot and we played in front of Vince Gill and Tim McGraw
and we got stuck in London traffic on the way over here. We almost didn’t get
to soundcheck which is really important to us. We were a bunch of nervous
little cats, but we got out there and we had the best time, and then we came
back about 6 months later, and we sold out Shepherd’s Bush. Honestly that was
one of my favourite shows that we’ve ever played as a band. It was electric in the
room, and just like Phillip said, the love and the appreciation that you guys
have is a very rare thing.
Jimi Westbrook (JW): It’s amazing to see how this festival
continues to grow and how country music is being embraced overall. I just think
it’s a beautiful thing to have been a part of for this many years. It’s such an
honour so we come here every time excited and can’t wait to get on the stage.
Q: Following on from
that, what was it like to play at the Royal Albert Hall, because Kacey Musgraves
described it as like playing inside a giant cake.
PS: The most beautiful cake you’ve ever seen, and it sounds
amazing too. What a special place. That was a check off the bucket list.
JW: That’s the stuff of dreams there. It was such a magical
night and I will never forget it. What a beautiful venue.
KS: And our children were with us, so they got to sit up in
the seats and watch. They probably don’t realise how amazing that was but for
us to look at their faces out there was just incredibly special. And that was
the night we found out that we were going to be able to play C2C! So that was
even more special.
Q: Everyone always
goes on about you as a live band, and people love your records but when they see
you live they’re blown away. I was wondering when you’re on stage, what are you
thinking? Are you completely focused on the music or do you let your mind
wander?
PS: All of the above. I think there are moments where we try
to get each others attention because there’s something happening in the crowd,
but we’re also in the moment and enjoying each other.
KF: We’re pretty focused on the music and if we’re
connecting or not. So if something is really working we’re also watching the ebb
and the flow of the setlist. Last night in Dublin we noticed that they started
line dancing and it was so sweet.
JW: We all took turns going to that side to watch, like ‘you
gotta go over there and see this’.
KS: We’ve also been together for so long that we can talk to
each other without saying words, and so we do that a lot on stage. We catch
each others eyes and we know exactly what we’re thinking.
KF: Kimberley and I are much better.
JW: Most of the time they’re talking with their eyes and we
have no clue.
Q: A few years ago
when your album Pontoon came out, a
German choreographer made a line dance tutorial to your song Pavement Ends – have you heard of that?
KS: No, you’re going to have to send us that!
KF: I used to line dance a bit in college a little bit, and
our children will love that.
KS: They have dance parties!
KF: If we put it in the setlist tonight, are you going to do
it?
Q: Of course you’re
well known for being fantastic songwriters and musicians but I’m wondering if
you can share some hidden talents.
KF: You guys might not know this but Kimberley has an entire
cooking collection in the United States – pans and dishes, cookbooks, she has a
TV show. It’s not a hidden talent, you guys need to have her over here to do a
cooking segment.
KS: We can cook bangers and mash!
PS: Karen is quite the fashion designer and has her own line
called Fairchild. She came up with some beautiful pieces.
KS: Karen dresses us a lot. We have a stylist that we use
who lives in Los Angeles and she does us for a lot of things, but Karen is just
as good as she is. So she helps us pull our look together a lot. I love it when
she shops for me, which is a lot of the time. Actually, everything I have on,
she bought for me.
KF: We try to expose all our talents!
PS: I’m sometimes the band neck massager.
JW: He really is good at it.
KF: Jimi is obsessed with all things space and stars.
Q: The challenge next
time is that Jimi before you come back will have thought of a hidden talent for
us.
JW: I have some, they’re just not appropriate!
Q: Thank you, and we
look forward to seeing you perform in the UK more often!
What a pleasure to see
Little Big Town on their triumphant return to the UK, and what a fantastic set
they played for us (you can read my review here) Let me know what you think of
their responses and make sure to follow me on Twitter @CiarasCountry for more
reviews and interviews coming soon!
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