by Sarah Korval

I’m sitting across from pop/country singer/songwriter Amelia White, an artist from rural Virginia who’s latest album, Blue Souvenirs, has just recently been released. We’re in a Boston bar called the Blue Cat Café. Neither of us has been here before, but we can’t see any reason to be disappointed.

I must admit, I am a bit nervous. Having just recently seen a concert of hers and hearing her powerful voice sing one of her new songs (“Shot a Man”), I’m not exactly sure what to think. The bartender comes over and Amelia gives her order. “Dewers, straight up.” After I put in a request for my juvenile Shirley Temple, he repeats “Alright, one Shirley Temple and one Dewers, on the rocks.” Amelia interjects “no, wait...straight up.” To which he answers “on the rocks?” Once the issue of ice or no ice has been settled, the two of us share a smile and get ready to discuss music and personal preferences. After all, how much can you possibly know about a person if you don’t know their past jobs, favorite color and favorite movie?

“You know, I think I’ve always kind of done it, even when I was little...”

“I’ve been playing since I was young. I played oboe and trumpet, but not very well. I really want to get a banjo. I play a little piano, but not much. You know, I think I’ve always kind of done it, even when I was little. I started writing more seriously when I was eighteen, and then I started recording at twenty-two. I’m thirty-four now, but you don’t really have to say that part. I find that people judge you for your age. But, anyway, I spent some time in Seattle where I recorded my second solo album. I have three, and before that I played with a couple of bands. These days I play with a band here in Boston sometimes and in New York. I enjoy playing with bands, but I like playing alone. It’s a big struggle, sometimes, playing with a band. You either have to get a great monitor or make them calm down a little. (Laughs) I’ve been playing with the guitarist for five years now. The rest of the band is pretty new. For me, it’s important to have players that are the right people so that I trust their ideas. It’s cool to hear what they can bring to it. I used to think that it should be more of one band, but now I just like a cast of people to call on.

“...but it seems like my writing got more specific and defined, and I got more bitchy...”

“Blue Souvenirs is my newest album. I used to have more of a band where I’d write a song more bare-boned and everyone would collaborate, but it seems like my writing got more specific and defined, and I got more bitchy. On this album, it’s a bit more, like, the stuff that rocks, rocks more, and the stuff that is sparse is a little more sparse. The songs are more distinct. My writing has been compared to Lucinda Williams and No Doubt...stuff like that, anything root-sy or British Pop. Growing up, I listened to a lot more root-sy stuff, Hank Williams, Def Leppard, pop. I like the ear candy, and lyrics that tell a story. I’d consider myself a writer who has to sing in order to get my stuff heard. I think if I didn’t sing, I’d be writing books. Now I’m listening to Tim Buckley. My friend Holly Figueroa, she’s spinning in my CD player now, and Lucinda Williams’ new album, Essence, is always in there as well. I try to listen to local people as well. It’s good to check up on things around you. They’re some great players in this town. There’s a lot of competition. Right now, I’m on a small label, Indiegrrl Records. There’s not a lot of money in it, but there’s a lot of networking. I’ve got three bigger labels knocking on my door: this album’s really getting response. It’s been picked up by a lot of radio stations. I just want to get it out there. You can’t count on someone helping you. So if people do, and when they do, it’s great, but I do my own business work and it’s hard. Sometimes when you’re making those calls, you need that level of confidence. No one wants to sell themselves, especially not me.”

“If people didn’t have ears, I wouldn’t do it.”

“Boston’s really different than Seattle when it comes to music. In Seattle, there’s a lot of twangy, jazzy, poppy, and stereo-lab music. In Boston, it’s mostly rock and pop. The flavors tend to be a little more distinctive. Like, in Seattle, at the Crocodile Café, you could hear just about anything, but in Boston, you have to know what you’re looking for. You don’t go to TT’s (“TT and the Bears”) and hear trance. I enjoy Boston and the venues in New York. The Living Room in New York is cool. I like the Lizard Lounge here in Boston. I don’t care if it’s the subway or Carnegie Hall. I play the subway in Boston too, by the way. Believe me, it’s really good money. With the subway, you have to find your spot. I play South Station: it’s my best station. The thing that’s cool about the subway is that people aren’t there expecting to hear music, and then, when they do, something can really touch them and they weren’t expecting it. This album is really resonating more than the others for some reason. I think you get to a point where you feel it in yourself and you know you’re expressing something in your voice. You’re saying something that might not hit a mainstream audience, but you’re reaching some. If people didn’t have ears, I wouldn’t do it.”

I’m at the bottom of my Shirley Temple, and in this one drink I have not only found out about Amelia’s music, but that she used to cook part-time, her favorite colors are red and blue, and that her favorite movie is Dancer in the Dark. If I was intimidated at the first sip of this ginger-ale concoction, I am anxious no longer. Moreover, I have great admiration for this woman who has done what she’s wanted in the music business, and, in doing so, has told many a story along the way. She’s almost a contradiction: petite and soft-spoken, yet incredibly influential through her strong lyrics. As I say goodbye to Amelia, I can’t help but notice that her sweatshirt, red and blue with the words “Pop Squad” splashed across the front, is the same one that she was wearing during her show. I mention this to her, and she replies, with a smile “I like what I like.” I tend to agree. This is a woman who knows what she wants, and although I don’t know exactly what that is, I’m convinced it won’t be too long until she lets the world know. However, I’m pretty sure it’s definitely not ice in her scotch.