The Tender Fruit came onto the indie music scene in 2010 with the debut album “Flotsam & Krill.” Christy Smith, the band’s frontwoman, lives in Raleigh and frequently performs local shows, including at Hopscotch and the Carrboro Music Festival. Smith grew up listening to gospel and religious music, but The Tender Fruit has a distinct blend of country and pop sounds.
Staff writer Meghan DeMaria spoke with Smith about recording her sophomore album, performing at festivals and her musical influences.
The Tender Fruit plays tomorrow evening with Des Ark at 3702 Arthur Minnis Rd. in Hillsborough. Check out more details here, and read another Q&A with Aimée Argote of Des Ark here.
Diversions: You’re currently working on a new album. Where did the inspiration come from?
Christy Smith: Most of my songs are about stuff that’s happening in my life, things I’m going through. That’s usually the basis for the songs, and that’s why it takes me a while to get an album together. I tend to write more experientially as I feel the need to write, as opposed to sitting down and saying, “I’m going to write a song today.”
Dive: Who are some of your musical influences?
CS: I grew up with a narrow range of influences. I grew up in the church. In the last 10 to 15 years, I’ve been introduced to the Violent Femmes, awesome female country singers…I really got into Stephen Malkmus, and he has a solo project I listened to a lot. The way he plays guitar on there is really amazing. He does it in this irreverent, playful way. They may not be technically perfect, but they have a lot of heart. With this new album, I get excited about blending traditional country sounds with pop sounds.
Dive: What can we expect on the new album? How is it different from your first album, Flotsam & Krill?
CS: It’s in the early stages. We’re not even at the mixing stage. There are definitely similarities, but it will have a richer, fuller sound than Flotsam & Krill. I’m really into the idea of space, but on this one I’d like it to be a little fuller in places.
I played a lot of the drums myself on Flotsam & Krill, which makes for some fun sounds, but on this record, I’m going to get some dudes who have been playing the drums for 15 or 20 years. It will be more polished than the other record. I’m working with James Phillips from Bombadil on this album. He’s helping engineer and record it.
Dive: You’ve played Hopscotch and the Carrboro Music Fest. How is performing at festivals different from other shows?
CS: I’ve played mostly in local festivals. Part of my goal is to get out on the road more. Local festivals are a lot like playing shows around here. At Hopscotch, we played at Tir Na Nog, which I’ve played at tons of times before. People see you at festivals that maybe wouldn’t normally see you at the show, and you get new fans that way, and that’s pretty cool.
Dive: How would you describe your music to someone who is not familiar with The Tender Fruit?
CS: It’s definitely coming from a singer-songwriter tradition in the sense that all the songs are my writing about stuff that’s happened in my life. I use music and songwriting as a way to understand the stuff that happens. Everybody has those moments, the things that are overwhelming and stressful. It’s very sincere.
But I also try really hard to make it fun. I also really like pop hooks, so I try to work those in. I just like to have fun with the music. The songs are birthed from this place of real seriousness, but I like to have fun with production. I guess it’s singer-songwriter country pop.
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