QnA: Carrington McDuffie
Carrington McDuffie is a New Yorker now resident in Austin Texas, who is performing – as part of a 30-date European tour – a series of dates in the Highlands with Highland promoter Rob Ellen whom she met in her Austin hometown. Below Carringtonanswers Margaret Chrystall's questions about her music and career ...
1 You are from New York, Carrington. Why did you leave and what do you miss?
CARRINGTON: I left New York City and took off for California in my 20s and never looked back. I was performing in Greenwich Village at the time, but the musical opportunities in LA constituted an expansion for me, and I felt much more free there. Sometimes I miss the urban madness of New York City, and I miss the beautiful countryside, the pure mysticism of the trees and stone, of upstate New York, which continue to inspire me as a songwriter and poet, even when I’m far away. I have very deep roots in Manhattan; I have an ancestor from the 1600s buried in the oldest cemetery in the city, a gentleman who printed the first map of Manhattan for the white man. Both the spirit of the woods of New York State and the undeniable momentum of the city run on in my unconscious and express in my writing, with a life of their own.
2 Why did you end up living in Austin – and is it a good place to be a musician?
CARRINGTON: Austin is a music-saturated town, and it was that, plus the wide-minded friendliness of the people, that drew me there. I needed a change from Seattle, and Texas and Texas music certainly provided that! Austin is a great place to meet other musicians and get creative.
3 The description ‘Carole King meets Grace Jones’ is great! Who described you as that – and can you hear/see those elements in your own music and performance?
CARRINGTON:I believe it was Highland publicist and promoter Rob Ellen [Rob from Nairn met Carrington while out in America]. He dubbed me with that. I think any female songwriter can learn a tremendous amount from Carole King, one of the great songwriters of the 20th century. I know I have. Grace Jones represents to me new wave music, which I’m definitely influenced by and participated in in the 80s. Jones herself is the symbol of her music, she has an iconic quality; as a performer I’ve been compared to her over the years and I do think that’s appropriate given the theatrical nature of some of my performances.
4 You have Hebridean roots (Lewis/Colonsay), I understand, and you are going to be exploring them when you are over, I think? What are your plans – and what would you hope to find/discover?
CARRINGTON: I am thrilled to be visiting the isle of Colonsay on this tour, because my McDuffie ancestors are buried in a little graveyard there. The fact that my family can trace our roots back to that exact cemetery is powerfully grounding. The McDuffies were linen weavers, and made their exodus to New England in the early 18th century, where they continued their craft. My father was the last in that line to work in textiles. He oversaw design and production of fabric for high-end menswear for designers like Ralph Lauren. It’s a privilege to be welcomed on Colonsay – a different kind of homecoming – and I will be doing a performance in the church there, on June 16 – likely the same church, or at least the same foundation of the church that my forebears worshipped in!
5 What have been some of the stand-out moments in your music career?
CARRINGTON: The earliest stand-out moment was my undoubting realisation, at 10 years old, that I wanted to be a singer and an author. Performing for my first big audience at My Father’s Place on Long Island in my 20s showed me I’m at home on a stage, and that was a really cool green light. A series of happenings I created in Los Angeles with a 6-piece band that included an artist who painted a huge backdrop canvas and then painted my body while I sang – these were unforgettable performances for both me and the audience. There have been some key moments performing with my rock band in Austin when we’re driving forward with absolute purpose at the same time we’re totally free in the music. And there were many highlights during the recording of my new record Kiss Make Better when the studio musicians I was working with seemed to read my mind and expand on my ideas, creating something new that none of us foresaw.
6 How would you describe your music for those who haven’t heard you yet?
CARRINGTON: My songwriting is very catchy, very passionate, influenced by pop but often with a driving rock feel, even when I’m performing solo acoustic ukulele. Some of my records I would call electronic Americana because of the production and the intention of the songwriting. My new record, produced in Nashville, was put into the pop category, but it contains ballads and rock as well. I’m told that my songs are unusual but stick in your mind – and in all cases, my voice has a lot to do with the overall sound. I’m a voice actor as well as a singer and I use my voice in a lot of different ways.
7 Is this your first time in the Highlands of Scotland? What are you looking forward to here (apart from Lewis/Colonsay adventure), haggis, Nessie, our music, our sense of humour ...
CARRINGTON: This will be my first time in the Scottish Highlands! I’m looking forward to the moody mystical landscape, regardless of the weather. As a voice actor I’ve been frequently cast for novels that take place in the Highlands because of my skill with he Scottish dialect (for an American you understand) and it will be wonderful to actually be there and not just acting the part!
Carrington plays – Velocity Cafe, Inverness, on Thursday, June 21 and Emma Mitchell’s Cabin Fever House Concert in Muir of Ord on Saturday, June 23 8pm.
