By: Kat Harlton
http://www.nicehorsemusic.com
Nice Horse comprised of Brandi Sidoryk (vocals, bass), Katie Rox (vocals, banjo, acoustic guitar) Krista Wodelet (vocals, drums), and Tara McLeod (electric guitar) is “what happens when four bold, brilliant and badass women get together to raise a little hell—and play a little music at the same time.”
The Alberta-based band is a “self-contained unit that plays their own instruments and writes songs as potent as “Jim, Jack, Johnnie & Jose,” the band’s roof-raising single “Pony Up”, and the new feminist anthem “Mansplainin’”
The band’s first major tour was as direct support for Canadian icon Tom Cochrane, and they’ve since opened for other industry heavyweights including Gord Bamford and Jess Moskaluke. Additional touring highlights include major festivals such as Big Valley
Jamboree, the Calgary Stampede, and Boots & Hearts.
We had the opportunity to catch up with the all female country group to discuss songwriting, inspiration and the CCMA’s.
Kat: Can you talk about the inspiration behind “Mansplainin”?
Nice Horse: As an all-girl band, we definitely get our fair share of mansplaining :) When we were in the studio recording “There Goes The Neighbourhood”, we would tell our producer, Jeff Dalziel (who is NOT a mansplainer!) about funny mansplain-y things that were said to us. He kept telling us we had to write a song about it, and eventually Katie, Brandi, and Jeff got together with Tareya Green and did just that! The song ended up on the record and the rest is history. It’s a lighthearted take on things that actually do happen to us, and I think everyone – men AND women – can relate to the sentiment behind the song.
Kat: You’ve been nominated for “interactive Artist Or Group Of The Year” at this years CCMA’s, can you talk a little bit about what the nomination means to you? And for those who are not aware, what does the interactive artist category represent?
Nice Horse: “Interactive Artist Or Group of the Year” is a category that recognizes excellence in social media and digital interaction. This is our first ever CCMA nomination so it’s a huge milestone for us, and it’s particularly meaningful to get a nod in this category as we do take a lot of pride in our social media presence and fan interaction. We are all great friends on and off the stage, so the shenanigans we get up to online are definitely very true to who we are as a band!
Kat: Since there’s 4 of you in the group, maybe you could elaborate on how the songwriting process works?
Nice Horse: We are all writers, so we write in every configuration possible – individually, with each other, together with co-writers, separately with co-writers, and so on. Our goal is always to have as many songs as possible to choose from when we’re picking for the record, so we write however and whenever we can. We had well over 100 songs written for the last record, and from those we had to narrow it down to 8! It really forced us to make sure we weren’t making any compromises when it came to choosing our final tracks.
Kat: Have you ever been given any advice, or do you have any advice for emerging artists, looking to forge a path or have a career in the entertainment industry?
Nice Horse: Find people you trust, and listen to them. This doesn’t mean you have to always follow their advice, but staying humble and learning from trusted mentors and peers is so important. Nobody, however good they are, is ever done learning or growing. You can always be better at what you do!
Kat: Since you’re all strong females, and have a lot to say in your songs, and can be perceived as role models to young women, how does social media work into that? Do you feel any kind of responsibility towards how you represent yourselves or the image you present?
Nice Horse: We’re proud to be strong women in the music industry, and we’re proud of the image we present – on stage, on social media, and everywhere we go – because it’s a true reflection of who we are as people. We are women who support other women, and to us, that’s the most important thing.