INTERVIEW: April Patterson Clemens shares new single

From Waxahachie in Texas to the rolling hills of Vermont, April Patterson Clemens has walked a unique musical path defined by constant development and steadfast vision. With origins in the energy of garage bands and a career that’s seen her explore punk, indie folk, jazz pop and reflective songwriting, she’s become a fixture in the Burlington music scene, known for her versatility and emotive voice. Her journey first started in the most unassuming of places; high school garage bands in Texas, where she first cut her teeth and found her voice.

By nineteen she was fronting an alternative punk outfit, already demonstrating her charisma and sonic talents before a move to New York proved pivotal when she connected with a group of musicians who would later bring her to Vermont, where she became half of the duo Blackthorne Wilderness. The project quickly earned recognition, even landing on Seven Days newspaper’s “Seven Bands to Watch,” confirmed her as a rising name in a growing scene.

Her solo endeavours took shape in 2011 with the release of Heart in a Golden Cup, a record that showcased her songwriting at its most intimate, blending delicate folk arragements with thoughtful lyricism. From there, she continued exploring different corners of her artistic output through projects like Steamboat Wonderlust, a more poignant offering and Chanteuse da Boom, a jazz pop cover band that displayed her adaptability as a performer.

Life in the Vermont countryside brought the next turning point in April’s story, her collaboration with French-American guitarist Cobalt Tolbert. A musician with a background across Europe and the East Coast, he’d already built a reputation through projects ranging from folk rock to prog punk. Known for his wide stylistic range and a distinctive ear, he added a new expression to April’s songs, providing guitar work that framed her songwriting with subtlety, texture and flair.

Today, April continues to explore new creative ground, returning with her latest single titled “Our Campfire Days,” a work that captures both the warmth and melancholy of memory. Arriving as an indie folk style ballad, the track recounts the tale of a girl looking back on her first love after his passing. It’s a song of memory and grief, but also of warmth, capturing the bittersweet nostalgia of love that remains even in absence.

With April’s heartfelt delivery and Cobalt’s intricate guitar lines engaging in a balletic dance, the song delivers an intimate and thoroughly moving listening experience. Opened by the soft strums of acoustic guitar, a laid back lilting sway carries a mellow rhythm as April’s airy vocal layers enter to thread elegant lines above the graceful arrangement.

With her tender lyrical writing brought to life via a timeless folk sound, the song flows with blissful melodic leads, wrapped in a hazy atmosphere that mirrors the lasting, but fading wisps of memory. Gently building in subtle intensity, the song swells with bold guitar rhythms as April’s impassioned vocal performance takes flight above to create a thoroughly absorbing sound.

Casting an enchanting soundscape that’s equally enduring and affecting, with “Our Campfire Days,” April Patterson Clemens presents a magical musical moment that’s guaranteed to move anyone who hears it. It’s a stunning display of her songwriting talent as well as the incredible musical partnership she has with Cobalt Tolbert.

We caught up with April Patterson Clemens to find out more about her musical journey so far, her inspirations and what she’s got lined up next. Check out our interview with April Patterson Clemens below.

What’s your earliest memory of making music?

When I was five I used to put rubber bands around the drawer handles in the kitchen and play them and thought that was so awesome (lol). Then at my grandparents, I’d bang on the piano alongside my grandfather. He played with one arm crossed over the other, not really sure why. He also played accordion and harmonica and we’d sometimes have family sing-alongs around the piano. But the first memory where I was like, “Music is total magic!” was at this restaurant playground. Me and a bunch of other kids started chanting one of those hand-game songs together and clapping and it had this rhythm and I was like whoa, we can all make something pretty cool together. Revelation.

Which artists do you draw most inspiration from?

A few of the bands that made me feel awe inspired when I first heard them are The Incredible String Band, Led Zeppelin, Iron & Wine, Rasputina, Nirvana,10,000 Maniacs, and early Pink Floyd. As a kid my parents listened to a lot of vintage country, which I didn’t like at the time, but am now realizing that influenced my writing sensibilities, as well, like with song structure, etc.. Also, as a teenager in Texas I’d listen to Dallas community radio (shoutout to KNON) and they’d play everything from metal to folk ballads, which, you know, that’s all in there somewhere.

How else do you find inspiration for your music?

My songs are written a variety of ways. Sometimes it’s a phrase and I’ll jot it down, then add to it later, so that the song is eventually this weird amalgamation of thoughts that somehow all work together. Or I’ll think of an actual event that’s happened in my life, like “You’ve Been Gone So Long” which is about a beautiful boy I knew who passed away or even just a fictional story I want to tell that has emotional echoes of real things that happened in my life, like in “Our Campfire Days.” One song, “A Golden Chain,” even came to me literally in a dream! In my dream there was an old woman at a store and she was telling me a heartbreak story from her youth and in the dream I said, “That would make a great song!” and I wrote it down in my imaginary notebook. Fortunately, when I woke up I remembered enough to actually write it.

What’s been your highlight for the year so far?

Playing music with Cobalt. I can play guitar, but Cobalt is one of the best guitar players I’ve ever known. I saw him play at a show and afterwards (we’re both like covered in sweat and pumped full of adrenaline, me from dancing and him from the stellar show he’d just put on) I was like, “Do you want to be my guitar player?” And he’s like “Okay!” I have a catalog of over fifty songs and counting and he puts his own spin on them. It’s pretty amazing and beautiful the way he can just hear something once and then reinterpret it in a new way.

What would you say is the perfect setting for listeners to enjoy your sound?

Ideally, sitting on a porch at twilight or sunrise, crickets chirping and fireflies flashing, maybe drinking a mug of coffee or a glass of beer.

How has your own style and sound evolved since you started out?

After my teenage bands, I learned guitar and was in a duo with my friend Angelica. We sang a lot of harmonies, which I really miss. Our voices were perfect together. We started out with a lot of old murder ballads. I do have a dark sensibility, I like a sad story, that lingering melancholy, which is ironic because I’m a generally cheerful person who loves to laugh (but I suppose my sense of humor can be a little dark, too!). I have a very pretty song about being eaten by wolves. So, I think my writing has gotten better over the years, but my songs have always been mainly darker.

Who would be your dream artist to collaborate with?

Okay, probably not what you had in mind, but I’d love to do arts and crafts with Bob Dylan. I saw this old interview where he’s in his trailer just doing a drawing while they’re asking him questions and it feels like he just wants to go back to the beginning, when making stuff was fun. I think it’d be great to have a little creative art time with him.

Otherwise, singing with Natalie Merchant would be the bomb. Especially “Verdi Cries.” Maybe Robert Plant could join in.

What’s the main thing you want people to get out of listening to your music?

I want them to feel it to their core, to feel grounded in their soul, and to feel like there’s another human out there who can relate to them. I think music can do that for us.

What’s been your favourite live performance so far?

I’ve played a lot of shows so it’s hard to say my fave, but a pretty awesome one was when the Radio Bean (a local venue in Vermont) had different bands play all Madonna songs. I did “Lucky Star” and “Like a Virgin” in a blonde wig and lace gloves. So super fun!

Finally, what do you have lined up for the rest of the year?

I’ll be releasing more singles on Spotify and playing live locally, for now. I love playing live and the energy you get from an audience, that feeling when you all seem like one big entity. It’s pretty epic.

Listen to Our Campfire Days below