 Credit: Abby Nierman Folk singer Heather Styka is prepping the release of her new album, North, due May 18th. Recorded with Danish backing band The Sentimentals in her family's lake house in northern Wisconsin, North travels through some familiar roots/Americana territory - love and loss, wanderlust and whiskey - but often, the heartbreak depicted is more civic than personal. Much of the album was written in the months following the 2016 election with some songs explore the question of how to respond to an increasingly divisive world, as well as themes of place and direction. In advance of the release, Styka took the time to answer her Essential 8 and spoke about songwriting, the story behind North, how she spends her days off, and more. Is there a story behind your album’s title? I’ve always been obsessed with direction, navigation. The album title North came from the first track, “Cities of the North.” As I tour, I often envision myself starting a life in a new place, but there’s also something about northern cities — Chicago, Toronto, Boston, Portland, Maine — that pulls me back in. The gravitational force of home. I absolutely love Austin and Nashville and Tulsa, but I think I’m a Chicago girl for better or worse. North is also a nod to the process of recording the record. Beehive Productions brought all their recording equipment to my family’s little cabin on a lake in the northwoods of Wisconsin, along with The Sentimentals, who are from Denmark. When/where do you do your best writing? I write a lot when I’m in motion, walking, driving, even riding my bike. Some of my favorite tunes just seem to appear, one line showing up after the next. There’s something about travel that opens me up to that flow. Do you write about personal experience, the experience of others, observations, made-up stories, something else or a combination? I usually start from a place of personal experience and observation, but it often leans toward fiction. Regardless of whether the song is personal or more narrative, it needs to feel urgent and true for me to want to write. I need to believe in the song before I can finish it. What’s the best advice you have ever gotten from another musician?
I was attending a panel at the Folk Alliance conference some years ago — I don’t even recall who was in the panel, to be honest — and someone said, “Show up. Do the work. Be open to the outcome.” And that really sums it all up. You’ve got to show up, get out there, put your back into it. And yet you need to be open to whatever outcome occurs, good or bad or somewhere in between. Second best advice was from my good friend Ben de la Cour: “Don’t ever under any circumstances drink liquor from a plastic jug.” I ignored him. What’s your favorite/”go-to” food on the road? I live on apples, almonds, and La Croix, but the big game changer has been having a 12-volt electric kettle in my car. It takes like 40 minutes to heat up water for one cup of coffee or tea, but it’s such a pleasure to make good coffee wherever I go. I use an Aeropress for the coffee. Once, I made a cup while stuck in traffic in Brooklyn. Do you have any touring tips? I don’t always have a choice, but I try to structure my tours around places I want to be and people I want to see. If I can go hiking or swimming or catch up with old friends on my day off, the whole rest of the tour becomes so much easier and happier. What are your “must have” albums for the road? I try to listen to new things, but I keep a stash of emergency Gillian Welch in my door. And I listen to the Milk Carton Kids and John Moreland pretty religiously. Favorite thing to do on a day off? I’m such a tourist. I love going to museums or historic sites or national parks. So if I can schedule it, I love hiking and sightseeing on the road. I’m a sucker for the oddball attractions, too. The Blue Whale of Catoosa on Route 66 in Oklahoma is a favorite — I’ve probably been there a dozen times in the past few years. Website/Insta/Twitter
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