It’s always rewarding to come across a debut album from an artist previously unknown to you that stops you in your tracks. Such was the case with POHORYLLE, released in November on the Loose label by Margo Cilker. With echoes of a young Lucinda Williams, the album is packed with tender and bruised lyrics across nine perfectly- tailored songs. Cilker knew precisely what she wanted from them when she brought her demos to the door of Sera Cahoone to work her magic on them. Cahoone’s input ensured the songs were swaddled in warm and rich arrangements, the perfect accompaniment to Cilker’s sweet vocals and thought-provoking stories. It’s easy to form the opinion that the material on the album was just what Cilker was born to make and a stepping stone to an artist with lots more to offer. We chatted with Margo recently to learn of the interesting backstory that led to the new album.
Where are you living at present?
I am in Washington as my husband and I moved to a farmhouse for the winter on a ranch here close to the Columbia River.
I understand that you have shared your time between America and Europe for quite a number of years?
I studied Spanish in university and was intending going abroad to Europe to be immersed in language. My father had studied in Madrid in the seventies, he was there when Franco was still in power, so it’s interesting to understand what ties the history of Spain together from that perspective. I was following in my father’s footsteps in wanting to travel to Spain. I picked Bilbao because the Basque country is just so off the beaten track. It’s a place where the culture is so rich, the food and wine is exquisite, I was really drawn to it. I moved there and eventually extended my trip, I could not bear leaving. Ultimately, I did head back to the States and started doing music but travelled back to Spain every couple of years. I’ve been there five times, staying in Bilbao for between three weeks and nine months at a time. My adopted mother, Judy, over there, is a woman from Wexford in Ireland, actually. She moved there when she was seventeen, married a Basque man and has spent her whole life there ever since. She’s my companion over there.
Were you writing music when you went there in your younger days?
Yes. I was still a student when I went there first. If you ask any of my teachers, they will say I was always missing classes, showing up late, but I was always writing songs, ever since I could string a few chords together. I started putting together my own songs when I first moved to Bilbao and I recorded my first EP there.
And that songwriting from an early age eventually developed into a career choice?
As a songwriter you just feel lost if you are not pursuing it as a career and it gets to the point where nothing is going to stop you making it your life’s mission. As far as making a living out of it, I’ve done a lot of different jobs to make sure that my life remains inspired and that I can also afford myself the time to write songs. That’s the focus for me. If I were not making time for that I would feel very lost.
For a debut album, POHORYLLE has been on the receiving end of glowing reviews.
Yes. It’s really so encouraging to read people’s responses, particularly when there is so much music coming out.
Listening to it I got the impression that I would be talking with an introverted person, but that does not appear to be the case.
Oh my God, I could not be any more of an extrovert (laughs)
You describe your music as ‘not country and western’, just ‘west’. Is that accurate or whimsical?
No, that’s probably about right. Music is so inextricable from my being that it’s hard for me to accurately describe my music. Growing up on the West Coast, the spirit of The West Coast has definitely left an indelible impact on my music. It does tend to be eclectic because I’ve been absorbing music obsessively for so long, my whole life in fact. I started taking guitar lessons in school when I was twelve. I was into Cat Stevens and Simon and Garfunkel back then. I was so hooked. In high school it was Bob Dylan and Gillian Welch. I was diving into their music then. Alternative rock, too. Me and my buddies would call the radio stations and request songs on rock stations. That’s another interesting vein of influence. Funnily, moving to Bilbao is where I really got into Americana music. They’ve always had a strong love for both American and English music in the north of Spain. My friends over there really turned me on to Lucinda Williams and the cult of Lucinda took over my life for a while (laughs).
When were the songs on the album written?
One of those songs was written in 2017, so it has really been a long time in the making from start to finish. The songs were basically written from 2018 with the exception of that one song. OK, here’s the timeline. In 2016 I move home, lived with my parents and worked in a German bakery. My grandfather died on January 1st 2017, as mentioned in the track Wine In The World. I got on a flight to Paris and stayed in Europe until June of that year. That time in Europe was awesome. I was touring but wasn’t writing, just busy playing shows. I got really burned out and moved back to California to rest and settle down. I worked on a dairy farm for a while and I had a lot of spare time in 2018 and that’s when I started writing the songs for the album.
You then brought the bones of the songs to Sera Cahoone to produce the album. What drew you to her?
Yes, they were acoustic demos at that stage. The inception of the album was happening and I was getting ready to record. I had heard of Sera but had not dug into to her music. I checked out some videos of hers and was so overcome and smitten with her approach. It’s funny, with some people, especially in the world of country music, the music serves as a bravado and a means to project something that is maybe an aspiration. It can be the bravado that the artist wished they had. With Sera there is none of that. It’s not at all pretentious but exactly who she is. She simply radiates love with her music and from an earnest place. That was what was so important for me, finding a producer with that goal, not hiding or projecting anything. Because she’s also a drummer she knows how to make the drums sound productive in the mix. They’re never overpowering, they chug the songs along in a beautifully lush way. I hear her influence and her own albums in my album, and that’s exactly what I wanted. She’s a musician that just has that basic organic sound and her arrangements and style are so lush.
You engaged some big hitters to contribute to the album’s sound. Jenny Conlee (The Decemberists), Jason Kardong (Son Volt), Rebecca Young (Jesse Sykes) and Mirabai Peart (Joanna Newsom) and Kelly Pratt (Beirut) all feature. Were they selected by Sera?
Yes, she corralled everyone together and I did not have any say in who she was bringing on board. We tracked drums, bass and guitar, and a scratch vocal as a trio, and then added everything else. It was super fun and very easy arranging all the songs from there.
When did the recording take place?
This was in the fall of 2019 when we were making the record. Because it’s my debut album, we needed the time to iron everything out. With Covid it was very hard to coordinate everything, including signing to a label at the peak of Covid. I had to drive to the city to meet John Skepsi of Fluff and Gravy Records. It was strange having to meet wearing masks but I wanted to know who I’d be working with. I didn’t get the chance to meet Tom (Bridgewater) from Loose Music in person, but that will hopefully come soon.
Are the songs in general autobiographical and who is Kevin Johnson, the title of the second track on the album?
The songs are generally autobiographical. Kevin Johnson is not a real character but it’s inspired by a real character. Kevin Johnson is a placeholder name, and it was inspired by certain individuals’ actions.
Chester’s is a song that speaks so elegantly of escapism and uncertainty. Where did that song come from?
It’s very much a traveller’s song. I actually wrote that song in chunks. I had the line ‘I’ve seen the drunks in a line at Chester’s’, and I had the idea of this roadhouse bar called Chester’s. I remember when I was living in Petaluma, working outside on the dairy farm and just singing that line, probably singing it to the cows (laughs). When I moved to Oregon something evoked the rest of the song, probably about being in a desolate place at that time.
The closing track Wine In The World invariably has me hitting the repeat button. No doubt it was inspired by your times in Northern Spain?
Yes, most definitely. There is something about living in the Basque country and enjoying wine together. There is so much affection for the actual experience of wine drinking there, which is totally different to the drinking culture in the U.S.
For someone who travels so much, how did you cope with the enforced lockdown?
Obviously, it was peaks and valleys. Last winter was very difficult when it was very cold and I couldn’t visit my family but I had some fruitful times during Covid. I already have another album of songs written. I was blessed to have some stability; I had a roof over my head and some fabulous housemates to share with and we made the most of it. Something that was fruitful and a blessing was having a lot of time to spend with my husband, working on domestic life together. We were able to really galvanise our relationship.
He is also a musician I understand. Is it ever a case of too many chefs in the kitchen?
(Laughs) He’s a musician too but also a cowboy. He keeps pretty busy also working on ranches as well as his songwriting projects.
Are you intending touring the album solo or with a band in 2022?
I tour both solo and with a band. One of my backing bands is actually located in Brighton in the UK. In 2019 I was able to get them over here for a tour. We went from San Francisco to Nashville and back, which was really fun. I don’t know what the next year will hold for me but I’m grateful to be in a place where I don’t have to be say ‘yes’ to every little show I’m offered. It’s a blessing to be at a stage where I can be selective about shows and I know some great opportunities are down the road for me. I’m putting my songs out there and letting them do the work and I think the right people will come to me.
Will we see you over this side of the world in 2022?
We are working on it. I’ve never been to Ireland and I’m afraid I’ll never leave if and when I do get there.
Interview by Declan Culliton