M Ward

Thu 17th Feb, 2011 in Features

M Ward has been a a busy man in recent years. As a producer and collaborator he has worked with Jenny Lewis, Cat Power, Beth Orton and Neko Case and the supergroup Tired Pony; and then of course there’s also his contribution as a quarter of the Monsters of Folk – with Yim Yames, Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis or as half of She and Him with Zooey Deschanel. But as he tells FL “There is always space in your calendar for things you love to do.”

Those high profile collaborations have seen Ward’s own star rise in recent years, with his two most recent albums – 2006’s Post-War and 2009’s Hold Time – making their way into the Billboard charts, something his five previous albums had failed to achieve. Not to dismiss his earlier albums for a moment, but celebrity colabs clearly don’t hurt sales.

Before heading our way to play a short run of solo gigs, Ward answered FLs questions via email and tantalizingly told us that a tour with She and Him or Monsters of Folk in Australia isn’t a totally unreasonable wish “Definitely yes, someday [we’ll tour]... We all love Australia”.

Since your last visit Down Under you’ve scored 3 top 50 albums on the US charts, with She and Him, Monsters of Folk and your solo record Hold Time. What do you think was the most significant factor in this ‘sudden’ commercial success?
I don’t think too much has changed in my career – I think it’s more a reflection of the major record labels and probably people like Justin Timberlake selling less records than they used to so it opens up the door a little bit for people who make left of center music to show up on these charts.

You will be here soon to play your fist headline shows in Australia since 2007; does touring play an important part in your songwriting process?
It does. It’s always seemed strange to me to say a song is done without trying it out in front of other people. It’s good to hear people’s interpretations of songs – sometimes that can inspire a different song. I guess you could call that full circle.

What can we expect to hear on the tour – do you incorporate much material from your various collaborations into your solo setlists?
The solo shows incorporate songs I’ve written and covered from pretty much all my records and collaborations, and then some newer things too. A mixed bag. You really never know what could happen when the moment strikes. It’s best for people to come to a show with an open mind.

You’ve coloured your albums with your own versions of Daniel Johnston, Buddy Holly, Bowie, Beach Boys, Yo La Tengo and Velvet Underground tunes. How do you choose songs to reinterpret or cover?
I learned how to play guitar from covering other peoples songs when i was in high school so it’s just become this thing I haven’t stopped doing. The songs that make it onto She & Him and M.Ward records are the ones that seem to have a life of their own away from the originals.