Humor, Despair From Catherine Irwin

Chicago — Sitting in the loft above Chicago's Hideout, a tiny bar/club curiously located smack in the middle of a warehouse-filled industrial area, Catherine Irwin spoke in a soft Kentucky drawl, as casual as it was sincere. Unassuming, with her brown hair loosely put up in a bun and her dark doe-eyes underlined by world-weary creases, Irwin seemed like an affably shy country girl. But then I noticed her pants.

Their bright red velour fabric indicated that Irwin, best known as the singer for Freakwater, may not be as timid as one would expect. These suspicions were borne out a few hours later, when she teased the audience by telling them all about her underwear, or, more accurately, lack thereof.

"I usually don't wear any underwear," Irwin told the chuckling, cheering crowd of about 80. "But I tried to start because I thought it would make me more mentally together. Well, I just took them back off about a half-hour ago. I don't think it makes any difference."

Irwin's recent solo debut, Cut Yourself a Switch (Thrill Jockey), features sparse, acoustic country music, the kind that recalls days gone by, the Appalachian mountains. Backed only by an acoustic guitar, a bass and the occasional fiddle, Irwin sings with a creaking, twangy voice on the album's 12 traditional-sounding tracks.

Unsurprisingly, the extremely self-effacing singer/songwriter cites seminal country music innovators the Carter Family as a big influence. Back in the 1930s, the trio originated a new style of playing that placed more emphasis on vocals instead of instruments. "They just produced an immense amount of great songs," she said. "All of their songs had great harmonies, with great guitar parts and lyrics."

Irwin, 40, is one half (along with fellow singer/guitarist Janet Bean) of the country/folk band Freakwater, who have released six critically lauded albums since 1989. Freakwater are best known for one-of-a-kind vocal chemistry between the two singers, which usually results in impeccable harmonies. "The only real aspect of music that I truly enjoy is singing vocal harmonies," Irwin said, toying with her necklace. "The sound of two voices singing at the same time is a beautiful thing — everything else is a chore. Playing guitar is a chore for me."

So why make a solo album? "Well, Freakwater was supposed to make an album last year but it didn't happen, so I had a bunch of songs that I wanted to put out," she said. "Basically, I made the album and I'm touring now so I don't have to go back to painting bathrooms."

Although she may not show it during her live shows, Irwin seemed unusually modest about her talents when we talked. She said that even after many years of performing, she still doesn't look forward to hitting the stage. "I don't like people staring at me," she said, speaking with a slight Southern accent. "We were going to call this tour the 'What Are You Looking At?' tour and make T-shirts — but we didn't.

"I once told my friend that I felt uncomfortable with people staring at me onstage and he said, 'These people paid $10 to get in here, they have the right to stare.' I guess it's kind of like stage fright," she continued. "We went on tour with Neko Case earlier this year, and I was amazed at how much fun she was having onstage; she seemed to feel better up there."

Cut Yourself a Switch is an album full of painstakingly detailed stories of loss and death. But, even with bleak song titles such as "Cry Your Little Eyes Out," "My Old Unlucky Home Far Away" and "Dirty Little Snowman," and such lyrics as, "The clear blue sky comes like a slap across my face/ I want to close my eyes until the dark clouds roll in," Irwin insisted that her songs aren't overly dreary.

"Every type of music, from AC/DC to Britney Spears, is about death and loss," she said. "Well, maybe Britney doesn't sing about death, but she does sing about loss. The only difference between me and AC/DC is that a lot more people like them. They sell more records."

The song "Dirty Little Snowman" tells of an imperfect wintertime creation. "Dirty little snowman/ A sight for sore eyes to see," Irwin sings. "That song is just about how snowmen never looked like they were supposed to when me and my brother would make them when we were children," she said. "They kind of looked like dog poo."

The album opener, "Needle in a Haystack," uses the tradition of homesteaders who would burn down their houses to get back the nails to use on their next home as a metaphor for gaining from one's experiences and moving on. "I heard about that tradition on a radio show," said Irwin. "And thought it would be a good metaphor for what I was trying to say in the song."

Mixed in with Irwin's original material are five covers, including Elvis Presley's "Power of My Love," Johnny Paycheck's "The Only Hell My Momma Ever Raised" and the Carter Family's "Will You Miss Me."

"I chose the covers because they were songs I really like, and we were playing them all the time anyway," Irwin said. Ever her own most scrupulous critic, she added, "I think they give the album some diversity and make it more upbeat. I think listening to a whole album of my songs would be tedious and boring." — Ryan Dombal [Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2002]