INTERVIEW: Suzie Brown finds her dreams in Americana music
Suzie Brown has some pretty cool bullet points on her résumé. This multi-hyphenate is not only a cardiologist and TEDMED speaker, she’s also a up-and-coming Americana star who is touring this summer behind her new album, Sometimes Your Dreams Find You.
The song titles on the new album offer a glimpse of Brown’s priorities and inspiration. They include “Dont’ All We Need Love,” “All That Matters” and “Everything I Need Is Here.”
Brown will have some help on the road from her musical collaborator and husband, Scot Sax. They head to Asheville, North Carolina; Raleigh, North Carolina; Washington, D.C.; Hanover, New Hampshire; Cambridge, Massachusetts; and Philadelphia, among other places. This year, they’ve already been to Nashville, their new home, which seems like an appropriate base for a person cutting into the music scene.
Recently Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with Brown about her new album and current tour. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
How did Sometimes Your Dreams Find You begin? What inspired you to make this album?
I was on maternity leave after having my second daughter, Chloe, and I was in a bit of a creative rut — having just been pregnant and sick and chasing around a toddler for nine months. I decided to write a song a week to get my creative juices flowing again. Out came all of these songs about love and family, and before I knew it, I had a whole album’s worth of material.
Did you always love Americana music? Is that how you would classify your sound?
Growing up I listened to a lot of music from the ’70s — that rootsy folk and pop stuff like Carole King, James Taylor, Jackson Brown, Joni Mitchell, Linda Ronstadt, The Mamas and the Papas. So I guess those are my influences. My sound? Folk Americana or folk pop are probably the closest.
How personal are the songs on the new album?
Extremely! They’re all reflections of what’s been going on in my life over the last couple years.
What do you hope audiences take away from your concerts? What do you hope is in their mind when they leave?
I hope my songs make them feel things, make them feel closer to themselves.
What’s on the horizon for you in 2017 and 2018?
We’re hitting the road at the end of this month for a three-week tour, going between Nashville and New Hampshire. This fall I’ll continue writing for my next album, which I’ll probably cut in the winter or spring. The cycle continues!
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Suzie Brown has concerts this summer stretching from North Carolina to New Hampshire. Click here for more information and tour details.
