Ken Pomeroy Interview
To release three albums in a four-year period is a notable achievement for any artist, but to do so by your 19th birthday is quite exceptional. Oklahoma singer songwriter Ken Pomeroy has done exactly that with the release of her latest album CHRISTMAS LIGHTS IN APRIL on the Horton Records label. With a voice that is rich in emotion, accompanied by minimal instrumentation, Pomeroy has created a suite of calming and meditative songs that suggest some intense personal searching. An artist with the talent, potential and acumen to establish herself as a serious player in the industry, we caught up with Ken on the day her delightful new album was released.
Where exactly in Oklahoma are you living?
I’m in Moore, a suburb of Oklahoma City.
If I had not heard Ken Pomeroy’s music previously, how would you describe it to me?
I’d describe my music as a mix of folk and Americana, with a kind of hopeful sadness to it. I write a lot of sad and emotional songs in a very vulnerable sense.
I understand that you started at a young age so were you formally trained?
My dad has always been in a band and because of that I’ve always been interested in music from a very young age. I started playing baritone ukulele at nine and did get formally trained for about two years. I transitioned into the guitar from there and took my own initiative, and I’m still continually learning.
What music initially made you set your sights on a career as an artist?
I was definitely influenced by John Denver. He would have been the reason I started playing music. When I was about six years old, I got obsessed with his song Leaving On A Jet Plane. I hadn’t heard that type of music before or music that made me feel like that song did.
I do not expect that you were listening to the same music as your peers in your early teens.
No, I was always a little bit different in as far as I was listening to Joni Mitchell when I was twelve or thirteen. It was always hard for me to connect with my peers in school because I was listening to very mature music, whereas a lot of people my age were just listening to what was on the radio.
Three albums to date is a prolific output. Were all the songs on your recent album CHRISTMAS LIGHTS IN APRIL written after the two earlier albums were recorded?
Some of the songs on the new album had been developed earlier, the oldest song on the album, Cowboy Song, is five years old. The album is a mix and medley of songs I had written years ago, and also songs that I had written during the pandemic.
You won the Jimmy La Fave songwriting contest in 2018 with the song The Sidewalk Song. Did that bring you to the attention of Horton Records who released both HALLWAYS and CHRISTMAS LIGHTS IN APRIL?
The initial Horton Records’ relationship started when I played Folk Alliance in 2017. That was just after I had recorded my first record MINUTES TO HOURS. I was working on and in the process of recording my second album, HALLWAYS, at that time. Horton had seen me play previously and wanted to work with me. They have been so helpful, recording my music and helping me to go overseas to perform and get my music out there. They have also helped tremendously with promotion. They gave me a complete free hand with my music, which is the really cool thing about them. First of all, they are a completely non-profit record label and only want to help musicians. They allow the artists to do there own thing, what and where they record, all those kinds of things. Their artists are generally out of Tulsa orr Oklahoma City.
Your songwriting is extremely personal and honest, leaving little to the imagination.
I sometimes have to separate Ken the person and Ken Pomeroy the writer. I’m a pretty introverted person when it comes to everyday life. I’ve always had to be extroverted as a musician, maybe putting on a brave face at times. I could record records the rest of my life and never release them. I think the recording process definitely helps me, it’s like going to therapy in a way, emotionally releasing. Performing live can only go two ways, really good or really bad for me. When it is good, performing live can be an out of body experience in a way where I get to feel what other people feel, like an emotional gain and loss, which is pretty special.
The songs are also very forthright, intimate and sad. Are they mostly fuelled by actual experiences?
Well, Flannel Cowboy was originally about the first time I felt I was truly in love with someone, and then it transitioned into the story of Rip and Beth from the television show Yellowstone. The song Joan is actually about my take on Bob Dylan and Joan Baez’ relationship. Most everything on the album is about something that I have experienced or witnessed.
Where did you record the album?
It was recorded at Fellowship Hall Sound in Arkansas with Jason Weinheimer, who engineered the whole thing. It was such a good emotional experience, we did it over a weekend. Most of the songs were recorded live. Joan was the only one where I recorded a guitar track first and sang over, but the rest of the album was recorded live.
What songs on the album are you most proud of?
That is always a difficult question. I was almost not going to release this record because I find it really difficult for me to put myself out there. These are the most vulnerable songs that I have written, and it’s hard to be young and not always understanding how you feel or how others perceive how you feel, it can be overwhelming. My favourite tracks on the record would probably be Joan and Truth.
Kyle Reid features prominently on the album playing guitars, pedal steel and Hammond M3. I’m familiar with his work on albums by other Oklahoma artists, Carter Sampson and Samantha Crain. How did you connect with him?
We have a concert venue at my dad’s shop, which is a hot-rod shop that my dad works out of. My dad created this super cool music venue at his shop called The Shop @ Skippy’s. It’s very much a strictly enforced listening room and we hold regular shows there. The first time I met Kyle was when he was playing a show at our shop. While I was wanting to become a musician, my dad would expose me to local artists. I’ve been playing music with Kyle since I was thirteen, so I’ve known him the longest of anyone in the music scene.
I expect that your dad has been hugely supportive of your development as an artist. Is that correct?
Absolutely, he and my step mom have helped me so much. They have been so supportive from the beginning. I hear stories from friends of how their parents were not supportive of their music careers, telling them that they needed a real job. My parents supported both my music and my college career where I’m studying psychology, I want to get a PhD in psychology and psychoanalytics.
What are your options to play live shows at present and in the near future?
It’s quite difficult. My album launch is happening at The Shop @ Skippy’s. Because of Covid, it is going to be the first show at the shop in about a year and a half, so I’m very excited about that. A lot of the artists that didn’t get to perform during Covid are getting the roll over from shows previously booked into this year and next year. It means having to book two years in advance for festivals. I’m actually working on more music right now and recording with producer Chad Copelin to try and get singles out and have them rolling out about once a month. That’s my big goal for the next year alongside trying to tour.
Given that you are writing more music and may not be touring for some while after this album is released, does that create a dilemma in choosing setlists?
The setlists will probably be a selection of the new compilation that I’m working on now as well as this album: it will be a medley on the songs that I’ve written over the past years. It’s difficult because I’m actually in the midst of finding a new and hopefully improved sound. I’ll keep to my folk and Americana roots but closer to a mix of Fay Webster and Phoebe Bridgers is the vibe I’m going to. I will definitely also try to tour with a minimal band.
Given that your music is so considered and mature for a young artist, what age profile would a typical show of yours attract?
Since I started performing my audience age profile has been late thirties to beyond. However, recently I’ve been playing in a band with guys my own age, playing sort of folk/rock which has expanded my profile to younger people, which is cool. That’s a new thing for me.
Are you a listener to music as well as a creator?
Yes, I’m a huge music listener. I have a very diverse palate when it comes to music. I’m the type that dives deeply into a genre or sub-genre and listens to that for a bit before moving on. I’ve got into classical and modern classical music recently. When I was in high school, I listened to a lot of Ska, hardcore punk and black metal. I also love and listen to alternative folk.
Final question. Do you set yourself long term goals?
Yes and no. I do like to have a logistic plan to back up my goals, although I haven’t got that far yet. My five-year goal is to be successful enough that the people that I care about and look up to know who I am, while being content with what I am releasing. I want to reach out to as many people as I can with my music and not get sucked underneath the tide and get lost. I feel that sometimes with a lot of folk and Americana artists, it can be hard to listen to a whole album of sad songs, even though it’s my favourite type of music and I’m grateful that I’m able to create it.
Interview by Declan Culliton