ART ON THE ROCKS 2010 SEASON

Stirred by songwriting: Erin McCarley returns with upbeat tunes for Birmingham's Art on the Rocks

By Mary Colurso -- The Birmingham News

June 04, 2010, 7:00AM

When Erin McCarley made her debut in Birmingham, she faced considerable opposition.

Public-interest groups weren’t picketing her afternoon set in Linn Park, and listeners could hardly object to the pretty singer-songwriter or her array of pop-rock tunes.

Erin McCarley 2008 060410.jpg Erin McCarley says writing songs for her sophomore album hasn’t been a stress-free experience. “With the first record, I didn’t have a label or management pressure,” she says. “There are more eyes on me this time." (The Birmingham News file)No, McCarley and her duet partner,K.S. Rhoads, had to contend with the fizz-crackle-hiss of a faulty audio system, and even worse, a noxious sound bleed coming from the primary stage at the 2008 City Stages festival. They were Unplugged; Diana Ross’ sound check was not.

"That was hilarious," McCarley says, recalling the way she and Rhoads, a keyboard player, cracked jokes and soldiered on.

Turns out that City Stages was the very first festival she’d ever played, and McCarley regarded the sound glitches as a valuable learning experience. She’s holding no grudges — far from it

"I was young about the whole festival process, but everyone in Birmingham was very receptive and sweet," she says. "Birmingham’s been a good town that’s supported me, radio-wise."

No wonder, then, that McCarley decided to come back, returning for the next year’s City Stages and making several other appearances at the WorkPlay theater.

Aside from her solo concerts, the Nashville-based artist has traveled here as part of the Ten out of Tenn. songwriters troupe, performing group dates with Butterfly Boucher, Jeremy Lister, Matthew Perryman Jones, Trent Dabbs and other like-minded musicians.

"We’re showing people what we’re all about in Nashville," McCarley says. "There’s a big indie rock scene, and not everyone knows that."

Few would mistake McCarley, 31, for a country artist after listening to originals such as "Pony (It’s OK)," "Blue Suitcase," "Sticky-Sweet" or "Bobble Head," all of which were included on her 2008 CD, "Love, Save the Empty."

There’s nary a twang to be found on those tracks, even if some of them probe a time-honored subject in Music City: the lovesick blues.

As her publicist at Universal Republic Records will attest, McCarley leans more to Aimee Mann than Tammy Wynette, and she looks to Alanis Morissette for inspiration instead of Patsy Cline.

DETAILS
Who: Erin McCarley
When and where: 8 p.m. June 4, Art on the Rocks series,Birmingham Museum of Art, 2000 Rev. Abraham Woods Jr. Blvd., Birmingham, Alabama.
Tickets: $20 advance, $25 at the door, 205-251-3746.

The audience can draw its own conclusions tonight, when McCarley appears at the Birmingham Museum of Art, opening its 2010 Art on the Rocks series. Her 8 p.m. concert is part of a 5-10 p.m. event that also features food, cocktails, scavenger hunts and socializing.

McCarley says she’ll have Rhoads at her side again, playing keyboards — and in a way, they’ll be bringing their initial City Stages moment full circle. This time, however, Ross’ sound crew won’t be part of the mix, and McCarley has some freshly minted songs to showcase.

That’s because she’s been off the tour circuit since January, holed up in her apartment and developing a new album.

"On the road, it was really difficult for me to focus on writing," she says. "I needed time to reconnect with my soul, to spend time with the people I love. The new material has a big focus on having a support group, and coming out at the other end of bad times. I’ve been in the process of growing up these past two years; I’ve had good times and bad times."

Titles for her new tunes aren’t final, but the Art on the Rocks crowd is likely to hear a song McCarley’s calling "Amber Waves," about "the energy you feel between you and somebody." Another number, "Survey," is about "meeting somebody, about the beginning stages, and you want it to go forward," she says.

During her writing sessions this year, McCarley says, she was aiming for an upbeat and cheerful vibe. Apparently, darker material comes more easily to her — at least, it has in the past.

"I needed a positive message, and didn’t want to take myself too seriously," she says. "The first record was more self-indulgent, with all the sad stuff and pain."

Yet sorrow has spawned considerable success for McCarley when it comes to placing songs on TV series and movie soundtracks. She’s been included in several, from "Grey’s Anatomy" to "He’s Just Not That Into You."

Another career plus: She has the ear of Birmingham’s Scott Register, the influential radio host known for his weekly "Reg’s Coffee House" programs. (Register’s currently off the air, but continues to be a tastemaker via Facebook and Twitter.)

"Reg makes you feel special, and he’s so encouraging for an independent artist, like I was," McCarley says. "When you’re on the road, going city to city, and Reg picks you up for a show, you feel like he’s an old high-school friend."

McCarley says she hopes to keep connecting with Register, and with Birmingham, in the years to come. She’s also looking forward to the next milestone: a handful of dates on Sarah McLachlan’s Lilith Fair tour. (McCarley will perform at stops in Utah, Colorado and Missouri.)

"I don’t know what to expect, but it’s such a dream," McCarley says. "How cool is that, to be part of it?"