Interview: Diana Jones

In brief then, adopted as a child Diana Jones started writing songs at an early age and found a particular affinity for Appalachian folk music; all this made sense when she discovered her birth family hailed from Tennessee and her grandfather Robert Lee Maranvville was a renowned singer. Four albums later Jones has earned two International Folk Alliance Award nominations, played the world to critical acclaim and, more importantly, acclaim for the public. She has a live career retrospective out now (Diana Jones Live in Concert – featuring unreleased tunes) and prior to her date at the Tunnels she spilled the beans for us on matters musical, political and personal.

You’re back to the UK for dates, how important is it to be successful here?

The UK audiences are loyal and informed and it always feels good to be back and give them the best I can.

When you see British dates on the schedule what do you most look forward to the most?

Reconnecting with the fans and friends. Many feel like old friends by now. Revisiting venues I love to play and playing new ones. And of course the enthusiasm of the British audiences.

And when you see those dates, what do you look forward too least?

Luggage.

Meanwhile what will you miss most about home?

My bed.

How different are gigs back home to European dates?

The audience for traditionally inspired music come to hear the stories so that is constant on both sides of the pond. The promoters are usually really organized in the UK/EU and they have a good sense of what a performer needs.

Let’s say a promoter offers you a one day festival to promote fellow musicians from back home, who would you bring over and why?

Malcolm Holcombe, he is the real deal. Amazing songwriter and he delivers his songs with the depth of a performer like Janis Joplin; he’s deep. British audiences would love him. I’d also bring Matt Combes and Shad Cobb who each played many instrument on my Museum of Appalachia record. 

What currently makes you most proud to be an American?

I’ve always been proud and grateful for the musical heritage in America, which travelled far to get here and has travelled far again from the US. It has been a uniting force and we need that right now in the current strange political climate. 

What’s the biggest misconception about America?

Well from the inside out I’m not sure. 

And what currently makes you least proud of your country?

The current political climate is extremely divisive and worrying. 

How important do you think artwork is for bands in these digital days?

I’m a visual thinker so the art that accompanies music is important to me. It’s another reference point for the music. I miss album covers. I still look at what an artist puts out as a cover online to get a feel for the work.

How important is print media to a working band in the age of social media?

I miss the actual magazines, but it is useful to be able to access so much so easily online.  

Speaking of the digital world: vinyl, CD or download – does it really matter?

Well as a traveller I have to say it’s very convenient to have everything on my phone including music. So downloading has its usefulness. 

New recording Live in Concert is fresh out of the studio and in the public domain, how do you feel about it now it’s been set free (or do you need to put some time between the recording and the end product)?

I’m proud of the new record. It was interesting putting to together. The recordings span my career in Europe the UK and US. The first show in The Netherlands is the first song and the last song is a new one recorded at a show in the US. Choosing the songs brought me back to the shows and audiences. I was happy to then give them back.  

If you could hop back in time, is there any single key choice you’ve made that you’d like to change, and if so, what & why?

I feel very fortunate to have been able to write and sing songs for a living.It’s been a wonderful journey. 

Women in the music business have come a long way since Billie, Janis & Aretha; do you think women artists now have true equality with their male counterparts?

I don’t believe women have “true equality” anywhere in the world. The political rhetoric about reproductive rights in the US puts us in the dark ages and is terrifying. In terms of the music business I think it’s still largely controlled by men but there are women artists who have gained control over their careers in new ways.

Many of the younger female artists (naming no names) are certainly willing to flaunt what they’ve got in videos & on stage in a way that’s totally different to the natural sensuality of, say Tina Turner or Janis; do you think this is a sign of empowerment as they claim, or are they just kidding themselves they’ve some control over their use of their sexuality?

It’s hard to say where all that comes from. The music business has become so corporatized, I think it’s all part of a huge marketing system based on what they think will sell to their target audience. 

Speaking of gender politics what’s your take on politics in music?

That’s a big question. I’m of the Johnny Cash School of giving voice to the dispossessed. Beginning with the human condition, trying to tell it true.