Trevor and Sylvie first met each other at a little theatre in California where they had each been cast in the folk music musical Lonesome Traveler. As fate would have it, they were both residing in Seattle at the time, and their interests and passions quickly developed into a deep love for one another. As their lives intertwined so did their individual talents, and in 2013 Trevor and Sylvie moved to Nashville to begin focusing on writing and performing as a couple. Deriving inspiration from the great poets of songwriting such as Patty Griffin and James Taylor, they cultivate their lyrics with an emphasis toward narrative. Thoughtful, honest, and often subtly humorous, their songs are a perfect marriage of story and melody, rich in conversation and harmony that resound with the deep connection they share, inviting listeners in as friends, accepted as they are, and offered all the love and laughter of home. Here, the duo answer their Essential 8 and speak about the meaning behind Time Is Free, eating healthy on the road, their favorite venue, and more.
With any particular song, was there an “a-ha” moment when you knew the song was completed and perfect? “Love Don’t Run on Money” was one of our first really deliberate co-writes. Before that we’d mostly written individually, with the other person throwing out ideas from the next room. But this time we sat down together with the idea, and most of what we wrote that night is what you hear on the album. The only thing that wasn’t quite right was the chorus. I think it originally went, “Love don’t run on money and time ain’t free, but it can buy you some things that you need . . .” We never did another official writing session on it, but the bonus of being married to your co-writer is that you spend a lot of time together. Over the following days we’d toss around ideas as we drove around Nashville in our beat-up Toyota, Denzel Wagonton. But the “ah-ha” moment came as we were cleaning the kitchen. Trevor sang “time IS free” instead of “time AIN’T free,” and Sylvie answered “and that’s the only thing you need to spend on me!” And we knew that was it. Now if we’re stuck on a song we just get up and wash the dishes. Is there a story behind your album’s title? The simple answer is that it’s a line from our song, “Love Don’t Run On Money.” “Time is free, and that’s the only thing you need to spend on me.” It’s true for us. The time we spend together fuels our love and our music, and if our love ran on money our marriage would be in serious trouble. So Time Is Free seemed right. But we have a bit of a penchant for getting philosophical, and the more we thought about it the deeper the meaning seemed to run and resonate with the songs on our album. Time is dynamic: the briefest moment can be more meaningful than the longest day, so take note of the small things. Time is wild: it cannot be captured or commanded, though we yearn to go back or rush forward. Time costs nothing. It’s available to everyone. And you can’t save it for later, much as we wish we could. All you can do with the time you have is spend it wisely. Spend it on someone you love. Spend it following your heart. Because here’s the truth: time is free, but what you choose to do with it can make it priceless. What’s your favorite/”go-to” food on the road? Honestly we could eat obscene amounts of our favorite snack which we call “Chips and cheese and wine” in that order, but alas we try to limit that to once every couple weeks though we usually devour the entire bag of Kettle Brand Sea Salt Crinkle Cuts. Don’t judge. Truly though we eat very thoughtfully and take food very seriously. We stick to organic foods whenever possible and try to get fresh veggies in the summer months from the local farmers markets. We make cooking and eating a huge part of our lives and actually do a lot of song writing in the kitchen with a wide range of styles; to wit: our Germin-ish sounding song about having one egg in the refrigerator done as an operetta called “Unen Einen Eggen”, or our gospel song “Where is the Lid?” about the frustrations of looking for matching tupperware, to the more serious “Rosalee” which was done with Sylvie on guitar and Trevor on cooking/shouting out lyric ideas to Sylvie in the other room. When we are on the road we travel with a large suitcase full of kitchen items from a well-seasoned cast iron pan, to a food-processor to knives and cutting boards, and you never know when you’ll want that handy melon-baller. What are your “must have” albums for the road? That’s an interesting question. Until recently we would have said this or that album by James Taylor or Patty Griffin, but since getting a streaming service a few months ago it’s impossible to pick only a few because you’re no longer limited to what will fit in a CD folder etc. What a wonderful thing to have (almost) EVERY album at your fingertips! And not just the mainstream stuff either: we’ve been going through the catalogue of folks like Jesse Winchester and Delbert McClinton. Admittedly we need to renegotiate the payment structure since the streaming companies are making millions every day and writers and artists are still getting very little of the profits. What’s your favorite venue and why? I’ll bet we’re not the only ones who feel this way, but our favorite venue is the one where folks are glad to be there and eager to listen. At this point in our career we’re not playing very large venues, but we really enjoy playing for any size crowd which is respectfully listening and responding to the music; house concerts are particularly rewarding. Are there any songs you are tired of playing and why? The “Happy Birthday Song”. It’s a very dull and unimaginative song isn’t it? The world is way overdue for an update and I think we may just be the band to do it. Favorite thing to do on a day off? We are avid crafters and bakers of bread and makers of food. One particular favorite pastime is to discover a city (often our own Nashville) through the exploration of its thrift-stores. There’s something intoxicating about digging through piles of seeming garbage to find the perfect Pyrex mixing bowl, or a vintage 1930’s silk tie for $1, or perhaps a pair of Levi’s 501s worth over $700 (yes that really happened). We also enjoy going to Estate Sales when Trevor will get out of bed early enough to get anything good. Is there a professional “bucket list” item you would love to check off? This is a rather modest item admittedly but we would love to tour through Europe and especially the UK with very light packs and train passes, to eat and drink and play our way through the cities and countrysides of Scotland and Wales, and anywhere else where they gather for the enjoyment of music and storytelling. Website/Facebook/Insta
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