It’s a tale as old as Music City: the gifted singer leaves her rural hometown for Nashville as part of the inscrutable path to becoming a songwriter.
Laura E. Partain
Kelsey Waldon began her version eight years ago when she left Barlow, Kentucky, and set up shop just west of Antioch, working 40 hours a week at a Target while paying her dues at local venues like The 5 Spot and Music City Bar & Grill.
Two albums later, she’s now steadying for the release of her third, White Noise/White Lines, which will arrive October 4th via John Prine’s Oh Boy Records. Waldon, who befriended Prine in 2018, is the first artist the label has signed in 15 years. The new LP, which she co-produced with Dan Knobler (Rodney Crowell, Lake Street Dive), pulled inspiration from both her Kentucky roots and the three intense years since her 2016 album, I’ve Got a Way, raised her profile along with 2014’s The Goldmine.
Nashville Lifestyles caught up with Kelsey Waldon ahead of Friday’s release.
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Nashville Lifestyles: You have a production credit on this album. How did you want it to sound?
Kelsey Waldon: I kind of look at my records as documents of where I was at at the time, you know. This new record feels more grown, there are some miles in between [this album and the last]. I wanted to capture the breadth of my live band. We’ve played together so much, and everything you hear was essentially live. We didn’t use a click track or anything, and even some of the vocal takes were live, “Anyhow” and “Very Old Barton.” And I love that because even with those live vocal takes, they might not be perfect, but they are perfect, because they feel like they should.
NL: What’s been the biggest change in your life since I’ve Got a Way released in 2016?
KW: Well, I finally hit my 30s. I’m 31 now, not that that matters at all [laughs]. I’m just lucky to have evolved out of my 20s. In 2018, we started getting all these great support slots, but there was obviously some ups and downs, mostly having to do with, what’s going to happen with this new record? Who’s going to put it out?’ I’ve been on the road a lot, and I was able to quit bartending about a year after I’ve Got a Way came out. I also ended up moving out to Ashland City, and it’s been great. It’s quiet at night, and I’ve got gardens surrounding my house and all these fishing spots. I just get to do the things I enjoy.
NL: You’ve said your friendship with John Prine grew in a very organic way. How and when did it turn professional, so that he’s putting out your record?
KW: I didn’t really get to know John until 2018, and he had apparently heard I’ve Got a Way. He and his wife, Fiona, both had, which I was very surprised by. You know, we just kind of started striking up this friendship. I got to do some shows with John, and I think when we did that, that’s when the bonding started, and he really started asking me about the new record, and when I was going to put it out. Then fast forward to 2019, and we actually started to make it happen. Which was pretty awesome, and yes, very organic and very pure. They [Oh Boy Records] are the best.
NL: A few tracks on the album reveal how you feel about Kentucky and your roots there. Is this a nostalgia record?
KW: I don’t know if I’d call it nostalgia, but I felt like I’ve never really told my story, or said anything about my values or morals. I felt like I hadn’t done that yet on a record. This album is certainly more definitive than the other ones, as far as like, it’s just personal for me. I feel like I was actually able to kind of tell my story. So if anyone has the question, ‘who is Kelsey Waldon,’ I think this will begin to answer that.