An interview with Colorado singer/songwriters Stephanie Pauline and Joe Uvegas: Part I of II

Singer/songwriters Stephanie Pauline and Joe Uvegas exist in that twilight zone between Nashville accessibility and indie credibility. Their latest album, When the Smoke Clears, is brightly lit with enough studio polish and straightforward arrangements to join Lady Antebellum on the country airwaves; however, there is a level of intimacy in their lyrics, a honest, confessional quality, that bring these narratives back to reality. The title of the record captures the album’s overall theme of moving on after an unhappy situation, from the cracked relationship of “Unbroken” to “Me and Johnny,” a poignant tale of parental abuse. There is a sense of healing that is felt through this album, and those listening to it will likely feel such catharsis as well.

Pauline and Uvegas are both based in Colorado, far from the bubblegum machinery of Nashville country music. They have taken the best elements of Americana’s commercial black sheep and gave it heart and soul. This is Part I of a two-part interview, giving time and space for Pauline and Uvegas to share their perspectives. Pauline will be the focus here.

Q: According to your bio, there are 1,000 songs written between you and Joe. When did it all start?

A: I began singing and writing songs before I can remember. My mom is musical and would often sing me to sleep by one home-spun ditty or another. I like to say that music came to me like breathing or laughing – it’s just a part of who I am more than what I do. I picked up piano around four and then started playing guitar because it’s more portable. You know, there was never really a decision point for me. I’m fortunate. I knew from the beginning this is what I was made to do, and I was always serious about it. I am committed to go as far as it will take me. There wasa point where I lost music, and really my heart, for five years or so. That was hell. After I experienced some personal and spiritual breakthrough moments songs began flooding me again.

Q: How did your creative partnership with Joe Uveges come about?

A: That is an ongoing debate. We can’t really remember. Funny, huh? We are both from the Springs and met at the Back Rose Acoustic Society office through our mutual guitar teacher probably seven years ago now. We played a few shows together, just by happenstance, because we are in the same town and were booked by various venues. At one of the gigs we played together last year, one of us quipped, “Hey, we should write together!” We don’t remember who did that, andwe don’t remember who made the call, but then we found ourselves on the Uveges’ front porch much of last summer ripping into line and lyric, meter and melody together. It flowed so well. I never envisioned myself so fluidly creating with another. He is very open and comes with lots of ideas. I’m more linear and generally have a more concrete sense of the direction the song “should” take from the start. We both feel very free though to throw out even ridiculous ideas and don’t prejudge them or each other much at all. It’s a riot. It really has been a lot of fun.

Writing is such a broad thing, yet it’s so specific, too. You might be trying to write just about a simple love story perhaps, or a particular statement about the state of affairs in our nation, but really every idea has to be filtered through your ontological leanings no matter how simple the song may at first glance seem. As a writer you are constantly smoothing the clay and making innumerable decisions about what is being said lyrically and musically. When Joe and I would get stuck on a song we would back up and say, “What are we really trying to convey to the listener through this song? What emotion or thought are we trying to evoke?” So many nuances are brought to bear on each line of every song. Joe and I can have an hour discussion about one word’s implications. I have found our common passion in this area to be a great gift. Writing songs is a wonderful way to explore yourself, others, and the world around you.

Q: What do you feel are the biggest differences between doing solo work and a collaboration with another musician?

A: You do have to think more about who you are together, which is invariably going to be slightly different than who you are alone. That’s an intentional shift for both of us. Joe is more outgoing, irreverent, and funny. I’m more intense, awkward, and thoughtful. Together we have found a balance when gigging that works, but it’s a work in progress to be sure. Working together has felt like a relief to me in some ways. Joe is a great performer and loves the crowd. Don’t get me wrong, I love the crowd, too, but I’m a little more shy, and it can take me a couple songs to warm up. Otherwise, too, it’s been a good thing just to have someone to dream with. To divvy up the tasks and bounce ideas off of. We have discovered that there are certain areas I excel in and some that he does. We try to draw on each other’s strengths. Of course, a collaboration only works smoothly as long as you are like-minded. Joe and I certainly have been mostly like-minded with our creative approach; however, we have had a couple throw-down moments in recording and even writing. At those times we each had our own creative impressions and were holding them very tightly.

We can be pretty hard-headed at times, but all in all it was a very positive thing and every song is better because of that friction. We both tend to stick to our guns until we truly work it out, and thus far we always do. It’s a really good process, and hopefully helped to deliver some great songs our fans will enjoy.

Q: How long did it take to you record When the Smoke Clears? Did you write the songs specifically for the record or have they been around for a while?

It took us a little less than a year from start to finish. Joe and I both separately had some of these songs in our back pockets and had been sitting on them for awhile. They were unfinished or had befuddled us individually in some way. We pulled them out when we began writing together and quickly realized this was the magic they had needed. Within a couple months we were figuring out how to record them together. It all fell into place very easily and even the funding came through perfectly. In the end we had a couple songs that we chose to write just to round out the feel of the album. Our title track and Joe’s dance number, for example. It’s like having a child, how after you have your baby you can’t imagine life without them. That’s how these songs feel to me. It’s just right.

Official Site:

http://stephaniepauline.org