One of the most loved albums at Lonesome Highway this abysmal year for musicians has been THE SICK SEASON from Nashville resident Becky Warren. However, 2018 proved every bit as exhausting for Becky as she was floored by a debilitating depression that did not respond to medication and resulted in her being practically housebound for sixteen months. Out of that dark period has come a brutally honest and deeply moving album. We spoke with Becky about that difficult time and the songs it yielded.
Congratulations on your recently released album THE SICK SEASON. It is outstanding and getting lots of plays at Lonesome Highway.
Thank you and thanks so much for playing it on repeat.
At what stage did you decide to open your heart and write such personal material, and did you write the songs while you were at a low point in 2018?
The idea really developed over time, as I realized I was going to be fighting the depression long enough that I wasn’t going to be able to write about anything else for a while. I’d say about half of the songs are from that 2018-19 period of depression, and half are songs I wrote about my struggles with depression at other times.
Was the process helpful in dealing with the illness at that time?
It was helpful to have something that still made me feel like me. When I’m depressed, I feel really far away from myself and my brain bombards me with constant negative thoughts about myself. But writing songs is definitely at the core of who I am, so it was good for me to feel like I could still manage that sometimes in the midst of the depression.
You’re renowned as a prolific writer. Did these songs evolve quickly?
I do tend to use a strategy of writing a whole lot of songs with the idea that even if 50 per cent are terrible, 40 per cent are okay, and only 10 ten per cent are good. That 10 per cent adds up over time. It’s harder for me to make myself sit down and write when I’m depressed, because it’s not enjoyable for me to spend time in my depressed brain. That’s probably why I ended up pulling some songs from further back for the album.
What was a typical day during 2018 when you were unwell?
Well, like I said, I don’t like to spend time in my depressed brain, so typically I try to distract myself by doing as many mindless tasks as possible at one time. I sleep as often as I can; it’s the best way to turn off my brain completely. When I have to be awake, I usually find that a combination of engrossing but mindless TV plus games on my phone is a pretty good combination. During my 18/19 depression I watched all 39 (at that point) seasons of the US reality show Survivor, and played over 1500 games of solitaire on my phone. But mostly I got through each day and made it to the next one.
Was it difficult to find the motivation to write at that time?
Definitely. I owe a lot of my ability to write at all to two things: the internet and co-writing. On the internet, I participated in a couple of challenges where songwriters try to write a lot of songs in a short amount of time. I don’t think I made the goal number of songs, but it did help push me to write. And on co-writing, I still made plans to write because I kept hoping I’d be better by the time the co-writing appointment came around. I wrote several songs during that time with my friend Noel McKay, who’s such a great writer. I could never turn down a co-writing invite with him no matter how I was feeling.
I expect you felt that you had to write the album for yourself. In hindsight do you appreciate how helpful the writing must be for others suffering with mental illness?
I know that hearing my own depression reflected in other people’s songs has made me feel less alone so many times, especially before I was ever diagnosed or treated, when I just felt weird and terrible some years, and wasn’t sure why. I would feel incredibly honoured if my songs have played that role for someone. I have been really moved by emails from people who’ve trusted me with stories about their own struggles - that definitely makes me feel less alone too.
Your writing, even when dealing with sensitive subject matter, always includes an injection of humour. Was it particularly difficult to follow that pattern with this album?
Not really. I think in general I don’t take myself too seriously, and I like songs with a sense of humour (John Prine is a long-time hero of mine). Plus, there is a lot of ridiculousness to depression. It’s absurd that I have seen so much Survivor. Even in the moment, I knew that was absurd. There’s a lot of absurdity.
Tired of Sick, from the album, is such an emotional song and one that I always hit the repeat button when it ends. It must have been punishing to construct, particularly recalling your carefree childhood days?
Thank you. Yes, I wrote that one really fast and I intended to revise it, but it was impossible to revise because I didn’t like putting my head back in that space.
Including your mom in the recollections brings the song to an even more heart-rending level. Did you agonise about that and how did your mom react to the song?
I didn’t agonize about it as I was writing it, but I agonized about it after I decided to put it on the record. I was worried it would be hard for her to hear, so I sent it to her with a warning a few months before the album came out. She reacted beautifully of course, as she always does.
Emily Saliers adds backing vocals on that song and her partner in The Indigo Girls Amy Ray featured on We’re All We Got on your last album UNDESIRABLE. How did that relationship develop?
I was, of course, a huge Indigo Girls fan as a ‘90s kid in Atlanta, who loved songwriting. So, it was pretty amazing when Amy got in touch with my band, The Great Unknowns, in 2004 and signed us to her Daemon Records label. My band opened some shows for The Indigo Girls, where I met Emily. I stayed in touch with Amy over the years, and 12 years later Amy and Emily invited me back out to open some of their shows after WAR SURPLUS came out. That led to some more shows, and also getting to open some of Emily’s solo shows and Amy’s solo shows. Now I feel lucky to be able to call both of them friends and mentors. It’s meant a lot to me that they were each willing to sing on my records.
I sense a connection and similarity between your albums and Amy Ray’s solo work in particular?
Thank you. I’m a huge fan of all of Amy’s solo albums and her Amy Ray Band recordings. Many of her band have become friends of mine. Or at least, they don’t tell me to get lost when I follow them around at their shows talking about how much I like them.
You also had Ben de la Cour, an artist much loved by us at Lonesome Highway, provide harmony vocals on Good Luck (You’re Gonna Need It). I understand that he did not expect his contribution to end up on the album?
I’m glad to hear you all also love Ben’s music. He’s great. We’ve been friends for around six years and we’ve sometimes tested each other’s patience as friends but we’ve always been fans of each other’s songwriting. Ben recorded several totally normal vocal takes of this song but I asked him to try one at a higher pitch and he sent back a ridiculously high falsetto as a joke, and I fell in love with it and used it. This is why you should never send anyone for a creative contribution as a joke.
Birmingham and Tommy, two killer songs, deal with relationship issues and are slight variations on much of the album’s main theme. Were they both written at the same time as the other songs or were they previously written and on the back burner?
Interesting. I hadn’t thought of those two songs together, but you’re right that they cover some similar themes. They were actually written very far apart. Birmingham is a pretty old song I wrote in, I think, 2011, and first recorded with my band The Great Unknowns in 2012. Tommy, I wrote during the 2018/19 period of depression.
Brooke Hamlin’s MOXE studio and retreat outside Nashville would seem to be the idyllic setting to record, particularly an album so personal. How long did the recording take?
We did all the basics (drums, guitar, bass, most vocals) in less than a week and then Jordan put in several days after that recording overdubs of other various instruments she plays. By that time, everyone was in self-isolation, so friends of mine recorded their backing vocals from home.
Your last album was released to rave reviews at a time when you were at a low point. Did you have much opportunity to play the album live?
Not really. I’ve never really been a road warrior, touring-wise, but for UNDESIRABLE I think I only played shows I was invited to play - I didn’t book any proactively - which isn’t a great way to support an album.
I get the impression that you may be your most difficult critic. How satisfying is it personally for you that THE SICK SEASON – and your previous two albums - has been so well received?
I’m always just grateful that anyone listens to my records at all, especially this year, when everyone’s routines have been upended and a lot of people are hurting financially. I know how lucky I am that there are people in the world who still seek out and listen to independent artists and I’m grateful some of them like my albums.
I sincerely hope that 2021 is a great year for you and that we get to see you perform at Americana Fest next September, when things have hopefully returned to some degree of normality.
Thank you. I hope so too.
Interview by Declan Culliton