SELF MADE
on the eve of her new cd release, mieka pauleY is a pleasant reminder that hard work does pay off
>>INTERVIEW BY KIRI JEWELL>>PIC by Phil Carias

What constitutes a legend may depend less on the number of albums produced or the span of a career and more on the collective gasp an audience takes when that person opens her mouth to sing. If so, Mieka Pauley is well on her way to becoming a legendary underground musician.

Mieka’s voice strains and soars in perfect pitch, and her rhythms and lyrics tickle spine and soul. Her music is affecting, not to mention tenacious and ballsy. And she’s hot. After graduating early from Harvard in 2002 with a degree in Biological Anthropology, she put her suitcase in the trunk of her car, hit the road, and never looked back. Since then it’s been 650 live shows nationwide. Hell yes, Mieka, you fucking rock. – K. Jewell

Talk a little about your creative process. Which comes first, the lyrics or the melody? Do you always write about specific situations in your life, or are some of your songs more abstract?
One line normally comes first to me, usually when I’m doing something else. And the line is normally complete with melody and lyrics at the same time. Most of the time it’s random and not quite immediately meaningful yet. I record that into a phone or whatever, and then work on it later, see if it lends itself to at least a chorus or verse — see if I can work out any subconscious metaphors. When I’m working on the song later, sometimes the lyrics occur to me first, or sometimes the melody; there’s no pattern to it. My songs are about my experiences only, and tend to be more abstract than story-based.
Of the songs on your EP and your album Out of Car Wrecks and Hurricanes, which was written first? What’s it about?
“Faster” was written first, I think when I was 19 or 20. I tend not to say what a song is about, because really it doesn't matter. I only want you to get out of it what it means to you. Anything else is voyeuristic.
Would you say that living with a certain degree of inner angst is necessary for your creativity and composition?
I think, for me and a lot of other musicians, you have to reach a balance. If you feel angst you have to balance it out with empathy or it will just be a whiny, self-pitying, unnecessary song. Everybody has angst. I think what the songwriter is able to do is not uniquely feel angst, but is able to uniquely translate it. I would rate empathy way above angst in terms of what’s necessary. Some of my successful songs have an utter lack of spiritual conflict, but audiences still like them, and I still classify them as creative and artistic.
You’ve seen snippets of many lives and places across the country recently. Any interesting observations? Differences between east, west, younger vs. older crowds, men vs. women? Similarities between us all?
I have traveled a ton but you have to keep in mind that I have a very limited exposure to these locations. My perception of all these cities is limited to the clubs I played at and the people who own the couch I crash on. So I’m always running into artistic, generally liberal people who are very similar to me, and who are not necessarily representative cross-sections of their city. The rest of my observations are limited to billboards as I’m driving. There’s a series of billboards in rural Ohio: the first says “If you died today, where would you spend eternity?” and then you drive a bit, and the next one says “HELL IS REAL.” Somebody took out an ad to save my soul. No one ever tried to save my soul at a rock club.
Being a singer/songwriter is hard. What components would you say should be present for someone that is considering making music a fulltime job?
You have to be able to tour. You have to not be tied down anywhere and not get homesick easily and not be easily shaken by new surroundings. You have to be cool with cats because every couch I’ve crashed on came with a cat. You need to be absolutely confident in the music you’re making, because not everyone will get you or like you. That’s guaranteed, so get over it. You need to understand the business side of the field you’re in, but never let that take over the art of it. When you’ve spent all your time on marketing and networking, you’ve lost why you started doing this. You better like Pabst Blue Ribbon because that’s all that is on tap.
Did you feel anxiety about forgoing a career using your Harvard degree and being a fulltime musician?
No, because I had always planned on being a musician and because I didn’t jump right into it. When I was in school, I was taking the bus down to New York City to play, and coming back in time for class the next day. I was setting the groundwork then. Even after college I got a job as a secretary so that I could be unambiguously done at 5 pm, and I took the bus to more cities to play, coming back overnight straight to my job at 8 in the morning, smelling like cigarettes and Greyhound. My boss started using phrases like “when you leave in June” although I had never referred to any plans even resembling that. I had enough money saved to not have to work for a couple of months, so when I “left in June” I started street-performing in Harvard Square and was able to make ends meet. So I decided to keep going. There was no anxiety in that decision and never went back to a conventional job.
On that note, what the hell did you find interesting about biological anthropology?
Wow, it’s an amazing subject. It still colors the way I think about people and society. Quick definition: biological anthropology is the study of humans via genetics, evolution, and the study of primates in general. It partially answered some of my big questions, like “why are we here” and “why are we the way we are?” Philosophy tends to get deeper, looking for the “ultimate” answers. Anthropology doesn’t pretend to offer us the purpose of everything. But anthropology for me seemed more rooted in reality – what are the biological precursors to morality and civilization and violence, etc.
When will you know you’ve “made it?”
I am content with where I am, and I never forget how fortunate I am to have built a life out of music.
Do you feel there has been an increase in music licensing for indie artists?
I actually have no idea. Stuff like Garden State would make me believe so. I think I see a general trend among listeners to want more than expensively produced pop, but I’m too far inside music to be able to view this objectively.
When are you planning to release another album?
I’m actually working on one right now, although the tracks are too rough to share. A friend of mine, Brian Cassagnol, from the Boston band Harriet Street, is producing the album. This one will not be as pop as my last effort, but it won’t be completely acoustic either like previous efforts. I’m hoping for something artistic and raw, but we’ll see.

Mieka Pauley has appeared on the road with Eric Clapton, Black Eyed Peas, John Legend, Wyclef Jean, Ben Kweller, Edie Brickell, Talib Kweli, Ben Lee, and Erin McKeown among many others. Her EP, out of car wrecks and hurricanes, is available through itunes, awarestore.com, and mieka.com