Oakland Tribune
OAKLAND TRIBUNE INTERVIEW
MAY 28, 2004
Green and Root enjoying success both personally and professionally
By Jim Harrington
Green and Root changed their names. They changed their lives. Now, they've changed their music.
In 1999, the Berkeley-based singer-songwriter Green released her debut record, “Multiheaded Heart,” and began making her mark as a solo artist on the West Coast folk scene. The Southern California native, who was born Anne Huse, was new at the game but she learned quickly.
“I didn't know anything about it,” Green says. “Was someone going to call me in two weeks and say “Hey, you're rich”? Was anybody going to even listen to it?
A few years earlier, Root, born Anna Musco, left the East Coast and settled in the East Bay. Shortly thereafter she began singing in a local folk duo. “I found myself not really fitting in in Pittsburgh,” Root says. “So I bought a motorcycle and drove around the country. I moved to Berkeley in 1997.”
The two musicians met just days after Root arrived in the East Bay, but it would be a year or more before they would join forces – personally and professionally. The duo got married in front of 100 family members and friends in the fall of 2001 and they officially reconfirmed those vows earlier this year at San Francisco City Hall.
Nearly as significant, Green and Root would become musical partners. The result of that collaboration can be heard on the recently released “Down That Road.”
In a way, the album, credited to both artists, just makes official what has been taking place for years. Root was a big part of Green's solo career. She encouraged Green to cut “Multiheaded Heart.” She also helped book a tour that followed the record's release and traveled with Green from city to city.
As the months progressed, Root's involvement grew. Although Green wrote all the lyrics, Root helped edit and polish the words. She also took an increasingly important role in the live show, adding harmony vocals and helping the painfully shy Green deal with crowds.
When it came time to record “Down That Road,” they both stepped up to the project. Their different backgrounds are part of the reason Green and Root works.
Green always knew that she wanted to be a performer and readied herself with piano and guitar lessons at an early age. When she moved to the Bay Area in the early 90's, it was with the intent of making it as a singer-songwriter.
Root “grew up in an Irish family singing Irish songs,” but her path was less clear. She went to college on an athletic scholarship, worked as an electrician and dabbled in music. Still, as Green was embarking on a performance career in the mid-90's, Root still had a lot to learn about music.
“I had never heard of the Indigo Girls. I had never heard of Sarah McLachlan.” Root says. “When I heard the Indigo Girls, I was so impressed with them that it wasn't enough to just listen to their songs, I wanted to play them. So I took the guitar out from under the my bed and dusted it off.”
On “Down That Road,” the two voices sound as if they were destined to find each other. Green takes the lead with her pristine soprano vocals and Root adds masterfully restrained alto harmonies.
Beyond the addition of Root's harmony vocals, other aspects separate the lovelorn “Multiheaded Heart” from the diversely appealing “Down That Road.” As the name suggests, “Multiheaded Heart” focused almost exclusively on diary-friendly heartache material. “Down That Road” takes a broader approach, tackling such themes as creativity, marriage, spirituality, the environment and death.
“To me, it feels like an album of short stories,” Green says of her new record. “The first album was more like a novel about one topic with a bunch of chapters.” Two of the most touching chapters, “Lift My Head” and the title track, deal with the death of Green's mother after a painful battle with cancer.
The song that is likely to garner the most attention is “Marrying You,” a celebration of the couple's happy union and a defiant charge against members of both the straight and gay communities who were less than supportive of the marriage. The duo has even produded a video for the song, which mixes footage of their own wedding and those of others at city hall.
Green and Root are aware that “Marrying You,” as well as their very “out” relationship, could make them poster children for gay marriage. They aren't looking to champion a type of lifestyle. But they do think that being open about their union could help generate greater understanding among people who might now know any gay couples. “Every single time somebody comes out I think it helps,” Root says. “Because all of a sudden they have a real person to connect with the issues of gay rights.”
Living and touring together, spending days in the studio and nights at home, can test even the strongest bond. Luckily, Green and Root have their priorities in order. “Our marriage comes first,” Green says. “It's really important to us that the music doesn't get in the way of that.”
The immediate future calls for the duo to support the new album with numerous live shows. Beyond that, things are wide open. “Maybe the next album will be solo,” Green says. “Who knows?” “We will see how this goes,” Root agrees. “But,” Green adds with a smile, “so far this is going pretty good.”