WIUX

Craig Shank: This little blinking light means that it’s working….So, I was talking to Laura (Veirs) earlier and the first thing that I want to ask, and it’s completely unrelated to the show or music, or anything, but I hear that you’re running a marathon?

Mirah: Oh! Um…I’m training for a marathon…I did one last year and it was pretty fun. I actually had a plan…like, running one marathon in my life was a goal. I’m the kind of person who will do one big thing once and then I’ll move on to the next big thing. But, my girlfriend wanted to run another one and we did the first one together. So, now I’m training for another one. It provides a good structure actually. It’s good.

CS: Some people run to relieve stress, but what do you do to unwind and make sure that you don’t get burned out from all that you’re doing?

M: I usually need to spend time not with people who I don’t know. (Laughs) And oftentimes if what I’m feeling is hunger, I don’t only need to eat, I need to prepare food for myself and then eat it. That’s something that’s actually really difficult about being on the road. You just don’t cook. And this is a really short tour, but that’s just something that I find very calming, because then you’re taking care of yourself in a whole way. You’re not just paying money to consume. It’s like, you’re caring for yourself. I have a whole bunch of things I do in the morning that I do to set my day up right, but at the end of the day I need to just not be around strangers anymore.

CS: Back to the show tonight, I think one of the favorite parts of the show for anyone who was here was the bug game…

M: Yeah!

CS: How did that come about?

M: I have a new album coming out and because this tour is a Mirah solo tour and I’m touring with Bryce and Lena as my backup band. We can’t play those songs. Those songs were written and recorded very corroboratively with a very specific group of musicians from Seattle. I just wrote the melodies and the lyrics. I don’t play an instrument in that band, aside from my voice. There is a cellist, accordion player, an oud player, and a hand percussionist. They are the only four people in the world who know and who can play that music. So, it’s because of the funny timing of, “Yea, I’ve got a new project coming out! I can’t play any of that stuff in its entirety,” so that was just a way that I could present it.

CS: On stage tonight you mentioned that you are a Virgo and lists are kind of a big thing for you, so what would be a list of your top records to play on the road?

M: Ohhhh…You know…on the road I’m usually most interested in hearing things I’m not familiar with. I actually find being in the car almost unbearably boring and it’s physically boring. My body is just bored and would so much rather be walking or biking around or still. I actually listen to specific music that I would choose to put me in some certain state at home…actually, a lot of trips that I’ve been on, we spend more time talking than listening to music. We’re just visit-y type people I guess. I went on a few tours with my sister who is in a band called the Weeds, which is just her, well, sometimes she has a full band, but when we were on tour together it was just the two of us. We weren’t going to sit there not talking and listening to music. It’s like this rare opportunity. That’s the one benefit of long car trips. They can be the best quality time for visiting because there’s nothing else to do. It’s so boring in an absolute way. Your body is still. If you’re on the freeway there’s often not that much interesting to look at except for pro-life billboards.

CS: On the subject of talking, this is one of my recent favorite questions to ask. What are some of your least favorite questions to be asked in an interview?

M: (Laughs) Any of the sort of superlative…like, “What’s your favorite…? What’s the best..? What is the most…?” I guess it’s a bit of a form of performance anxiety that I get when I’m asked those questions. And also….there are certain questions which make me immediately defensive which is kind of embarrassing. Obviously, no one is trying to offend me by asking me these questions. They’re just interested in me because they like my music. But yea, there’s just certain ones…I know the ones I tend to not like to answer are like, “What are your favorite bands?!” I’m like, “Favorite bands…? How could I possibly…? What? A top 5?” It’s like a rolodex! It would be different every day depending on the tilt of the world. Its like, “I don’t know…” Then I get kind of irritated! (giggles) Which is silly!

CS: Well, hopefully I’m doing an ok job, that’s why I ask the question…

M: (Laughs)

CS: So, I can fine tune later and figure out what people don’t like to answer…

M: Well, I think that people that are really good interview subjects, or interviewees, they find creative ways of avoiding the questions that they don’t like, while at the same time managing to insert something they specifically had planned to talk about.

CS: What do you think you’d be doing if you weren’t playing music?

M: There have been times in my life that I thought I would open up a small café. Now, I don’t actually think that I would really like to do that. I think if I wasn’t playing music I might be learning more about self-sufficient living…like, I can’t actually say what I would be doing that would make money (laughs) because I can’t think of anything else or any skill I have that is even worth anybody paying me for (laughs). But, I can think of a million things that I would love to spend time learning about and doing. I have a garden at home, but I don’t really know anything about it. I would love to learn more about that so that I was like, “I really know about gardening and plants!” And, “Building things! I’d love to know how to build all kinds of things!” You know? I’d probably be like, “More of an activist! Write more letters! Go to more protests,” or something! I can think of a….like, “Learn how to sew clothing!” There’s all kinds of things!

CS: Aside from the hypothetical things that you’d really like to do…

M: (laughs)

CS: …what in reality have you done that makes you feel the most proud?

M: ….You know…..if you’re having a fight with somebody and then you get to the right place finally. Then, you’re really able to communicate and there aren’t differences anymore. Or, you just get clear. It’s those times that I feel the most proud.