Sweet Sounds: Aoife O’ Donovan Interview at Newport Folk

Aoife O’ Donovan and her band (Steve Nistor on drums/percussion and Anthony Da Costa) gave the audience at the Harbor Stage on Friday a sweeping, breezy travel through the songwriter’s repertoire with rich and warm vocal harmonies, steady and driving rhythms and poignantly written songs that captivate and allure. O’ Donovan has long been a favorite of us here at Red Line Roots and her performance at Newport marked her and the fellas as one of our favorite performances from day 1 of the festival. Aoife shines, but has a way that is so genuine and authentic. There is a gentle confidence in how she presents herself on stage and off and that breaks itself through each verse, bringing you closer into the songs and stories that she pushes forth with every word and note. Two years ago we caught her in duo form with Punch Brother’s bassist Paul Kowert on the Fort Stage. And while she says it was quite an experience and view from that perch overlooking Newport Harbor, this year’s performance just had something special and energetic to it.

We were lucky enough to steal a few minutes from the Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter and steal away to the tunnels of Fort Adams for a quick portrait or two. The grace and beauty she exudes on stage is just as present off of it and our quick conversation seemed just like talking to an old friend.

Check it out and if you don’t already have it (I mean come on, of course you have it already!) then pick  up her latest release “In The Magic Hour”.

RLR: The record has some bigger sounds and while you play in all sorts of configurations when touring, and in studio, it may seem stripped down to the audience eye when 2 guitars and a drum kit are on stage but the sound certainly isn’t lacking. Its actually pretty huge and rich. Is there anything you and the band have done as far as preparations in arrangements, adapting the songs in ways that best suit say, a big festival crowd like the one today during your set at Newport?

Aoife: Nothing really specific.It’s really been up to Anthony to sort of be filling all of these roles. So, Steve is just doing what Steve does and maybe you can hear the bass of the drum so much more when there is no bass, you know? But I think that Anthony has been the one filling the role of the electric guitar and the bass or when there’s the fiddle part or the mandolin part and also the harmony vocal. So it hasn’t really been about adapting it, its more we are just playing the tunes. But the arrangements are pretty similar to the record, almost identical to the record. They have just evolved as we have done them live.

RLR: So who are you listening to right now in the tour van, or I suppose who are you excited to catch this weekend is probably the more appropriate question? What I am making you miss right now? (Case/Lang/Veirs were playing the Quad in the background as we walked across the field to the tunnels for a couple quick portraits)

Aoife: No, no, I am hearing it right now! I am sad this morning I had to miss Basia Bulat and The Staves. I am excited to see Ray Lamontange. I am actually going to my honeymoon on Sunday. I was thinking about staying half the day tomorrow and then driving home and then decided that was too much.

RLR: So how does he feel about “so we just got married and then you have to hit the road?”

Aoife: He’s also a musician and he is also on tour. He is a classical musician so he had rehearsals two days after our wedding for like 12 hours.

RLR: So how does that work, both as working musicians. Do you guys soundboard off of each other with ideas?

Aoife: Yeah, we are both very focused and very busy so its really nice to not have the expectation from somebody like “why aren’t you paying attention to me?” because we is also paying attention to other stuff. But, we are really excited to go away.

RLR: So the influence of you father as a curator of Celtic music and beyond. How did that influence you as a musician from a young age up until now?

Aoife: He is a lover of music and has a radio show with a lot of Celtic music on it, but I feel like the whole point of his radio show and his musical taste is that they are sort of super eclectic and he is always trying to make the connection between one thing and the other. Like Roots and Branches and looking at traditional music and how it influenced bluegrass music and how Neil Young influenced this other songwriter. It gave me a really open mind to it, from both of my parents.