From the opening track and first single from her debut full length solo album, Victoria Bailey nails her colours firmly to the mast. That song is titled Honky Tonk Woman from the recently released album, JESUS, RED WINE & PATSY CLINE. Together with the album title, it leaves you in little doubt where her heart lies. It’s one of nine tracks that introduce another fledgling artist with the skillset to become a flag bearer for traditional country music in the coming years. The songs are well structured and mature, the playing is top notch and the icing on the cake is a stunning soprano vocal that recalls the classic female country vocalists of yesteryear. We spoke with Victoria recently about the album, her passion for music and her side project Little Folk Club.
Congratulations on your recent release JESUS, RED WINE & PATSY CLINE. We're loving it at Lonesome Highway.
Hi, guys. Thank you so much for the support on this album. I am over the moon to have it out in the world and excited to talk to you about it.
I understand you grew up with a lot of music around you at home but not necessarily country. Was there a defining album, artist or occasion that won you over?
I was surrounded by so much music as a kid. My dad is a drummer and was always in local rock bands, and my mom has a huge heart for folk music, which all really inspired and sunk in at an early age. My first true love in country music was the queen, Emmylou Harris. Her albums, and who she is as a human overall, had a huge impact on what I wanted to emulate as a songwriter and performer. I started singing Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris duets with a friend at shows, which kind of gravitated towards our little local country-loving scene of musicians in Orange County and LA.
JESUS, RED WINE & PATSY CLINE has its foundation in The Bakersfield Sound rather than Music Row Nashville. What drew you initially to that sub-genre?
A few local legends around here have told me so many great stories about the “Bakersfield Sound” and taught me a lot about all of the country magic that has come out of California - Buck Owens, Merle Haggard, and Dwight Yoakam, to name a few. I really dived in deep and listened to podcasts and read a lot about this time in country music and the Bakersfield scene in the '50s, and I really wanted to pay tribute to that on this record, which led me to write the track Skid Row.
It's a killer album title. Namechecking Patsy Cline was a brave move but it's certainly justified by the quality of the album. Did you harbour any doubts about the title or were you confident that the music would vindicate the decision?
The title purely just sums up the three most important things that inspired this album, and what I hang onto very tightly as an artist. It’s also a line pulled from the first track, “Honky Tonk Woman,” which was the first song written for the album. So, it was always in the back of my mind as a title, as well as what I wanted the rest of the record to represent.
Jeremy Long nails the production on the album, together with playing great pedal steel. Had you worked with him previously?
Jeremy has been a long-time friend and mentor to me. He’s truly a legend around here. We started playing together when I was just dipping into the country genre. He has not only been my greatest teacher, but also has exposed me to so many great country records and has always encouraged and supported me as an artist. We were super in-sync with how we wanted Jesus, Red Wine & Patsy Cline to sound, and it was purely so fun and natural bringing it all to life together.
You tip your hat to a honky tonk bar in Los Angeles on the song Skid Row. Was there a country music scene at that bar before the pandemic?
Absolutely. The bar is called The Escondite, and it rests right in the middle of downtown LA’s “Skid Row.” This is one of my favourite little honky tonks, as well as one of the only country bars we have here in Southern California. There is a great little country scene in LA that gathers around a summertime event called “Grand Ole Echo,” which is honestly one of the things I miss most during this wild year. It’s such a great community of musicians paying homage to a traditional country sound and gatherings and culture.
What tracks on the album are personal favourites for you?
Honky Tonk Woman will always be my favourite to play with my band. Spent My Dime on White Wine is another favourite. Both of these songs just put me in a really good emotional place and are probably my favourite, production-wise, on the album.
How frustrating has it been to release the album and not have the opportunity to perform the material from it live at present?
It’s so bittersweet. It honestly was tough to grasp at first, but once we were a few months into the pandemic and life looked so different overall, I’ve realized how much the world needs music and the new albums that I have listened to this year have been my saving grace. It will never be too late to travel with these songs, so I’m okay with being patient, and I will definitely tour once all is safe in the world to do so.
How would you compare the album with DREAMER credited to Victoria Bailey and The Victoria Bailey Band from 2014?
Oh, my gosh, ha ha! I always describe DREAMER as my 18-year-old self’s diary entries. I am so proud of that album because I recorded it with my dad and was playing shows and singing in front of crowds for the first time ever and learned so much. My sound and style have changed a ton since then, so I really just see the two albums as two completely different parts of myself and my life.
There is a steady resurgence of classic country music emerging in recent times with artists like yourself, Zephaniah OHora, Michaela Anne, Jesse Daniel, Kayla Ray and Jason James - to name but a few - recording excellent albums. Do you feel part of a revival of sorts?
There is definitely something special going on in the Americana/classic country scene, and I feel really lucky to be playing music during this time. It's so beautiful to see a lot of history and classic sounds being pulled back into this era, too.
Prior to the present restrictions, were there many outlets and opportunities for you to perform locally and did you tend to tour outside California?
I’ve been playing solo around town for years. You kind of just get creative at some point with gigs, and prior to the pandemic, I was playing a ton. I even had a residency at Whole Foods (yes, the grocery store, ha ha!) every Friday for years. We have a few great venues in Orange County like The Wayfarer and The Coach House for bigger shows, but also little beach-side bars, and LA, of course, is endless but there is a lot more competition for gigs. I also host a kid’s music club, so I’ve put on a few family concerts around town, too.
Had you booked a tour in anticipation of the album release before lockdown?
We had one in the works, which is just on hold at the moment. It was nice to be able to focus on the release in a different way, though, and to connect with fans and family through different outlets like livestreams and such. Of course it doesn’t compare to playing to a live room, but my team has been incredible and still poured so much love into the release of the record.
Tell me about your side project Little Folk Club?
Little Folk Club is such a big piece of my heart. I started this “mommy and me” music program about five years ago, and it grew into something bigger than my wildest dreams for it. I started the club to share my love for traditional folk songs and wanted to expose this younger generation to songs that I hope can be preserved forever. Pete Seeger and Joni Mitchell were a big inspiration for the tunes I started playing for the families. We have a jam circle open to all ages and instruments, and I perform little concerts for the community. I have had moms bring little ones as young as three weeks to soak in the music and energy of the community, and it is truly such a joy to see how powerful music really is at any age.
Does the project target country music specifically or a wider range to capture the children's attention?
It’s really a good mixture of all genres. The root of it is folk, but we also do a lot of nursery rhymes and play newer folk artists, too. Kids love interactive songs, so getting them to play drums on the ground or to clap along to beats and dance is what they love most, whatever song or genre it may be.
It's an impressive and practical blueprint to have a side project alongside working as a professional musician. Do you see yourself expanding the scheme / club going forward?
I will always coincide both of my music endeavours. It’s always been a dream to be a pre-school teacher alongside me performing, and Little Folk Club would tie into that perfectly, of course. I think it’s such a blessing to be able to educate in the smallest way with my music and will always continue to share my love for the music that I was brought up with.
Are you finding the present restrictions demotivating as a writer or are you using the downtime productively?
Yes and no. I’ve been recording a lot this year which has kept my creative heart happy. I write best though when I’m traveling and experiencing new places and cultures and stories, so that part isn’t flowing as well as I’d like. But that has kind of settled well with me, and I still know what’s to come next as far as song concepts and little ideas flowing here and there.
Many thanks for taking the time to talk to us and hopefully we will get to see you play either in the U.S.A or Ireland in the future.
Thank YOU guys, so much. Thank you for supporting musicians in such a special way, and for listening to my record, and for the super kind questions. Much love to all of you, and stay healthy and safe.
Interview by Declan Culliton
Photograph by Stefanie Vinsel Johnson