A Dirty Dozen with CASEY AHERN – October 2019

According to a recent press release: “A vibrant free spirit who approaches every opportunity and challenge that comes her way fearlessly, Casey Ahern’s life is by design one of perpetual forward motion. The 20-year-old SoCal based singer songwriter chose Where I Run as the title of her latest EP not simply because the theme of quick, energizing movement inhabits most of the five tracks, but to reflect the exciting reality that, in her own words, “I’m a runner.” At 17, the fast-emerging SoCal based indie singer-songwriter moved on a whim to study for a semester at Berklee College of Music in Boston. She headed back to California for a few months, then hightailed it for a four month stay in Nashville, where she played open mics at the Bluebird Café and Douglas Corner Café as well as co-wrote songs with various Music City musicians. Casey’s multitude of Instagram followers also look forward to her adventures in the sky and the sense of freedom and escape that entails. In early 2019, she earned her pilot’s license and is now a private pilot engaged in instrument training.” We get Casey to discuss new music, influences, and much more…

1. Tell us a little about your latest release.  What might a fan or listener not grab the first or second time they listen through?  Are there any hidden nuggets you put in the material or that only diehard fans might find?

I was inspired to write “Just A Dance” after sharing a dance with a guy who was not my boyfriend. I was at a country bar, dance hall type of place and this guy just pulled me onto the dance floor. It was really innocent, but I remember saying how guilty I felt afterward and someone said, “Well, it was just a dance.” So I wrote the song focused on the brief moment we shared on the dance floor and the aftermath of realizing there were doubts in my then-current relationship. As far as hidden nuggets in the song, I don’t think there really are any. However, one might listen to the song, and depending on their own experiences in relationships, consider it more than “just a dance.

2. What got you into music, and can you tell us about the moment you realized you wanted to be a musician?

Sundays were always family day in my house growing up, and every morning, there’d be music playing in the kitchen. Then during afternoon drives on the car radio.  And at night, while watching old musicals, such as “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” and Doris Day classics.  Music was always surrounding me, and once I started taking guitar and singing lessons, it just clicked. It was more than just a realization that music is what I want to do, it was discovering my soul’s purpose and I never questioned it. A fire was lit deep in my heart and continues to burn to this day.

3. Building on that, is there a specific song, album, performer, or live show that guided your musical taste?

Growing up, my parents listened to a lot of Paul Simon, Glen Campbell, Jackson Browne, and other ’70s pop and folk. I love that generation of Laurel Canyon singer/songwriters and the storytelling found in their lyrics. I found that same aspect when I went with my parents and sister to Tim McGraw and Faith Hill’s (I believe second) Soul2Soul tour in Los Angeles as my first concert. That was really when I was exposed to newer country, and it paved the road of me finding other artists I love in that same vein, such as Rascal Flatts, Sugarland, and Keith Urban.

4. Who would be your main five musical influences?

I’d say some of my top influences are Joni Mitchell, Rascal Flatts, the Eagles, Sugarland, and the Zac Brown Band, mostly because of the instrumentation of their songs and imagery of their lyrics.

5. If you could call in any one collaborator to do a song with, who would it be, and why?

Every time I’m asked this question, I feel like my answer changes depending on what I’m listening to that week! I’m going to go with Muscadine Bloodline. I’ve been listening to their songs a lot, and I really like their sound and stories told in their lyrics. I think it’d be cool to see what we’d come up with and also… three-part harmonies… ha ha!

6. How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before? What is the one comparison a reviewer or fan has made that made you cringe or you disagreed with?

If I could describe my sound, it’d be a blend of California’s Laurel Canyon lyricism mixed with the notorious Nashville sound. I’ve been exposed to a lot of different types of music, so there are moments where aspects of other genres shine. I’ve never had a reviewer or fan make a comparison that left me with a bad taste in my mouth, I think, because I try to listen and learn from all genres and artists by pulling even the slightest aspects from them. Also, when someone compares me to someone else, I can’t pass judgment, because everyone has different experiences and views, so if that’s how they form a relation to my song, more power to ‘em!

7. When your band is hanging out together, who cooks, who gets the drinks in, and who is first to crack out the acoustic guitars for a singalong?

Since I’m a solo artist, my band changes up fairly frequently. However, during rehearsals, I have them all come over to my house where we have the garage set up with a drum kit, sound system, and a couch. So I become the acting hostess, bringing them each a water and saying, “Feel free to dig through the fridge or pantry if you’re hungry!”

8.  When was the last time you were star struck and who was it?

I’m not one to get star struck, funny enough. I think it’s because my parents aren’t. My dad, who is surrounded by that industry because of his job, always says, “We all put our pants on one leg at a time.” Meaning, we’re all normal people when it comes down to it, and he ingrained in my sister and me to treat everyone the same, no matter who they are.

9. What is the best part of being a musician? If you could no longer be a musician for whatever reason, what would be your dream job?

Listening with the people I love to the songs I wrote, I’d have to say, is the best part, or most amazing part, of being a musician. It’s insane to think that these songs didn’t exist before and now I’m sitting here with people that absolutely adore them. I love that my songs bring that emotion and really connect with people. I always say that if I wasn’t doing music, I’d be living in a box on the street, ha ha! But seriously, I love change, and music allows me to constantly experience change whether it be through traveling or discovering new sounds. So if I wasn’t doing it, I think I would never be satisfied and constantly transferring from odd job to odd job just in search of that feeling of change.

10. What is one question you have always wanted an interviewer to ask – and what is the answer? Conversely, what question are you tired of answering?

One question that I’ve always wanted an interviewer to ask would be something along the lines of was my hometown big on country music. Well, it wasn’t until only a few years ago when it began to trend more mainstream. I remember in middle school, the other kids used to think I was so strange because I’d listen to Jason Aldean and wear cowboy boots to school every day. I even convinced my gym coach to let me wear them when we had a unit learning line dancing, ha ha! On the other hand, I don’t think there’s a question I’m tired of answering. It’s pretty cool to have people interested in hearing my thoughts and stories, and hopefully it resonates with them.

11. Looking back over your career, is there a single moment or situation you feel was a misstep or you would like to have a “do over,” even if it didn’t change your current situation?

There have been times where I’ve made mistakes, such as tripping over a cord on stage or turning down certain opportunities because I was stubborn, but looking back, I wouldn’t change a thing. I strongly believe everything happens for a reason and that you learn and grow from those “mistakes.”

12. If you could magically go back in time and be a part of the recording sessions for any one record in history, which would you choose – and what does that record mean to you?

Awhile back, I watched “Love and Mercy, the “movie about Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, and was amazed at how they recorded their album Pet Sounds. It would be incredible to go back and see the wild, imaginative ways they came up with the music on that album. Growing up in California, it hits close to home. The Beach Boys were always playing on our car speakers when driving down Pacific Coast Highway in the summer, so I relate that album to that warm feeling and time in my life.

CASEY AHERN LINKS:

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Category: Interviews