Since then, Torres and her band, Touching Ground, have been a presence in the Portland activist community, and have drawn wider audiences at packed monthly shows at North Star Music Café. Torres also has made appearances at folk conferences and festivals, while sharing the stage with artists ranging from Anaïs Mitchell to Drew Nelson.
Torres is currently working on her second full-length, which is slated for release in May. For this album, she is collaborating with roots producer David Goodrich, who has guided many artists including popular Portland-based folkie Moses Atwood. Torres will be celebrating her new album with a CD release party to be held at One Longfellow Square in Portland on May 23, followed by an East Coast tour (www.vanessatorresmusic.com).
She recently talked with me about her inspirations, the songwriting process and the power of performing live.
What inspires the songs you write?
For me, the heart of writing music has always been a search for that place where personal experience intersects with our greater universal experience. If a song can speak through words or simply the texture of the notes — to what it means to be here, living in this time, in this place — then it truly has the power to bring us together. Through music, I’ve had the privilege of experiencing this transformation of a room, when people come together and, even for a moment, can transcend their differences, their stories, and just hold a space for connection. It is this palpable, powerful experience that drives my inspiration and my desire to share it.
Ultimately, I write about things that I have experienced in some way myself — even if it’s not through my own first person lens. I try and find a universal quality to all of the songs I write, whether they are about veterans of this war we’re currently in, or a love song or the victims of Hurricane Katrina that I learned about while I was volunteering in New Orleans. My songs are about how we are intimately connected here, how sometimes our greatest gift is just to witness one another. That for me is what songwriting is.
What artists have influenced your music?
My mother raised me listening to a lot of great folk musicians such as Cris Williamson, Holly Near, John Denver and John McCutcheon. As I began to discover music on my own, I started to listen to artists like the Indigo Girls, Tracy Chapman and Ani DiFranco — artists who not only make great music but, like many folk musicians of the ‘60s and ‘70s, also have a commitment to continuing to ask hard questions.
How is the Vanessa Torres experience different live than on records?
A lot of my songs are lyrically-based, and the recorded experience can give the listener a chance to really focus on the written message. Additionally, a recorded album gives an artist the opportunity to bring in unique instrumentation like upright bass, cello or flute that might not be a part of a live performance. In contrast, an important part of my live experience is the connection that can be co-created between a performer and the community listening — that shared energy. The live performance is also a fun place for me and my band to play some of the more upbeat songs, be they covers or originals.
In what directions would you like your music to take you in the future?
Not only do I have a dream of making music full time, but I would love to continue playing venues and performances that are geared towards community involvement. For me it’s not just about playing a great show, but about being involved and engaged in a larger human experience and digging deep to find that hope and love in one another.
Maine native Bill Earl is a student at Ithaca College and is currently serving a writing internship with USA Today in Washington, DC. Check out his blog at http://theithacan.org/blogs/sharpnotes.