Finding harmony Mel Parsons
Award-winning Ōtautahi indie-folk singer-songwriter Mel Parsons has spent 17 years building a loyal following. With a seventh album on the way, four young children, and a career built on her own terms, she talks to Metropol deputy editor Tamara Pitelen about the beautiful chaos of balancing family, creativity and life in Lyttelton prior to her show on 28 August at Isaac Theatre Royal.
The first thing I can tell you about indie folk singer-songwriter Mel Parsons from personal experience is that she has great hair. I became a little bit obsessed with her hair because for the entire 40 minutes of our online call, her camera was frozen on her in a ‘great hair day’. I stared at her spectacular mane until the image became imprinted on my retinas while she told me about her life as a mum of four and full-time musician.
There is, of course, so much more to this talented musician than her enviable tresses. Now aged 44 and about to release her seventh album, Castle Hill, and embark on a national tour, Mel has spent the last 17 years steadily building an impressively stable career and solid fanbase, while also raising four children in the Lyttelton home she shares with her partner Josh, who is also a musician, albeit a reclusive one.
Life in Lyttelton suits Mel, she says. Not because it’s an unofficial headquarters for some of New Zealand’s best singer-songwriters, although that’s true. And not because she spends her days jamming with other Lyttelton musicians like Marlon Williams or Delaney Davidson, because, as she gently disillusions me, the idea that they all hang out is a lovely myth.
It suits her because she overlooks the ocean. Growing up on a beef and sheep farm by the beach on the West Coast, Mel likes to have the sea nearby. Lyttelton, with its weathered port, battered hills and creative undercurrent, offers the right balance of beauty and rough edges.
“Being able to see the water is a huge draw for me. I love Lyttelton. It’s kind of got everything. It’s really beautiful, but it’s also got that gritty port side; it’s not completely picturesque.
It feels very creative.”
Musician mecca
She’s clearly not the only artist who feels this way about Lyttelton. The small quirky port town punches above its weight with surely more award-winning musicians per capita than anywhere in the country. As well as Marlon and Delaney, other musos who do or have called it home include Mim Jensen, Jess Shanks, Reb Fountain, Kommi, Adam McGrath and most members of The Eastern, Aldous Harding, and Al Park, to name just a few.
Which all adds up to a top-notch local live music scene. “The other cool thing about Lyttelton is that there’s a really high concentration of great venues,” says Mel. “You can literally walk down the road to a world-class gig.”
However, Mel and I did not meet in cyberspace to discuss her talented neighbours. We are connecting to talk about the upcoming release of her seventh album, Castle Hill, and the accompanying seven-date national tour (she plays Christchurch on 28 August).
Named after the remote Southern Alps Canterbury town in which it was recorded, Castle Hill is out on 7 August, but Mel’s been selling it on pre-order since June. Like many innovative independent artists, she turned to crowdfunding.
Her Kickstarter pre-order campaign in June easily met its $40,000 goal. Within 20 days of launching, more than 460 people had chipped in anything from $30 to $4000 for one of the offered incentives. What does $4000 get you? One lucky patron will enjoy a live solo show from Mel at their home, plus two copies of the new album on vinyl and CD and unlimited streaming access.
The juggle is real
The response validates her talent and tenacity as a self-employed, full-time musician who tours the world and runs her own production company, all while raising four children. She admits, though, that keeping a foothold in both of these demanding worlds has been “very difficult”.
“We’ve got a five, six, seven, and a 12-year-old, so yeah, we’ve got quite a wee cluster there. I’m trying to train them up so that they can eventually become the band at some point.
“The youngest has just started school, which is amazing, but when we had a newborn, a one-year-old, and a two-year-old, it was extremely challenging due to the combo of sleep deprivation and navigating this world you’re thrown into without any kind of training or warning,” she says. “I’ve struggled, probably in a very similar way that all parents struggle, with all aspects of it. I still find it difficult because I like to do things well, and a lot of the time with parenting, I feel like I’m just dropping all the balls. I throw all the balls in the air, but most
of them drop to the ground around me. It’s been a huge learning curve.”
Given the pressures, it would have been easy for Mel to press pause on music altogether. Instead, songwriting became the thing that kept her afloat.
“I honestly think it’s been the scrap of sanity that’s kept me going,” she says. “Because in parenting, you’re so consumed in the caring role that you lose part of yourself.
“I feel very lucky that I have been able to continue songwriting and performing; it has, I think, really helped retain my sense of self. Being able to hang on to that creative thing – by the skin of my teeth, but hanging on to it – and continuing to tour has helped me still feel like a human.”
She is, she says, extremely grateful to be able to still make music full-time. Grateful that audiences continue to listen. Grateful she has found a way to balance creativity with family life, even when the balance sometimes feels impossible, and grateful for the connections music creates.
“Sometimes I feel surprised that I’ve got seven records. I feel like, ‘Wow, I’m mid-career, how did that happen?’ because at times I feel like I’m just starting out, so that side of it is quite funny. But mostly, without being too cheesy, I’m just filled with so much gratitude that this is my gig, and I just hope that I can do it forever. It brings me great joy, and enables me a connection with people that I don’t think I would have otherwise.”
Sharing vulnerable songs, she says, somehow creates permission for vulnerability in return. After performances, audience members often approach her to share personal stories about grief, hope, love or loss – conversations they might never have with a stranger under ordinary circumstances.
“I feel really humbled by that connection. People feel comfortable telling me their deepest secrets, or about really intense times in their lives. I feel so lucky to have music that enables me, that privilege.”
Pre-orders of Mel Parsons’ new album, Castle Hill, and tickets to her upcoming national tour are available now at melparsons.com. She plays the Isaac Theatre Royal in Christchurch on Friday 28 August.
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Quick fire with Mel Parsons
Your favourite Lyttelton hang out?
The Lyttelton Coffee Co on London Street for black coffee. Something like a long black or an Americano.
Podcast you’re listening to?
I listen to all sorts of podcasts, actually. Most recently Small Town Scandal by Tom Sainsbury.
Car music?
I’d love to say something really cool, but unfortunately at the moment it’s mostly KPop Demon Hunters. Although the kids have gotten back into Michael Jackson lately so that’s not all bad. When I’m driving in the car on my own, it’s Dire Straits or Mim Jensen, she’s amazing.
Comfort food in your hour of need?
My daughter has been doing lots of baking recently. She’s started a little stall at the Lyttelton Market selling sweet slices. She makes a mean ginger crunch, so for my sweet tooth, it’s the
ginger crunch.
