Feature Artist - Mae Moore

The Fernie Writers’ Conference is back this July and with it a new schedule and array of exciting instructors and courses. One of these instructors is acclaimed Canadian singer/songwriter Mae Moore, teaching a course on songwriting, the first time a course of this nature has been included in the Conference’s lineup.

I caught up with Mae this May after she spent the weekend in the studio working on her eighth album set to come out this 2011. Prior to our chat I did a little web stalking, visiting www.maemoore.com. There I discovered interesting and surprising facts, such as:

- Her first big break as a songwriter came when she co-penned the lyrics to “Heaven In Your Eyes,” the 1985 hit for Loverboy from the Top Gun soundtrack
- Alongside performing and writing music, Mae is a visual artist and had her first solo show in the summer of 2007 at the Tumbleweed Gallery in Penticton, BC
- She lives on five acres in the Gulf Islands where she enjoys working on her organic garden and heritage apple orchard, or tending her flock of hens. Mae has been gardening organically for 35 years!

A little intimidated after learning of her impressive diversity, I made the call and was pleasantly relieved. Mae Moore immediately put me at ease, responding to my blatant insecurity in giving phone interviews with an encouraging, “Well, I’ve done this a thousand times so we’ll find our way together.”

The conversation took off effortlessly and soon we were discussing her dilemma when deciding upon a career at a young age. After finishing High School, Mae was naturally drawn to art school but while she really enjoyed visual art she soon realized it was a difficult way to make a living.

“I didn’t know what I was going to do, and had started performing at the same time getting the odd job while continuing my painting. I’ve always kept painting throughout my musical career.”

With eight albums under her belt it is clear that Mae has a talent for singing and songwriting and a large following, but for Mae the real pleasure is in creating music – it’s her preferred mode of communication. “I’m very shy, and not the most socially adept person. It’s a skill I had to learn through my profession. Writing music was a way for me to express feelings, and it continues to this day,” she reflects. I found the following quote on her website, which truly portrays how her music comes from her heart: “More than ever we need to connect in community and not feel so isolated. Songwriters bring the world together. That’s also my mandate: helping people feel less alone.” Who can argue with that? Take this passage from “Bohemia” (1992).

“Bohemia” (1992)
I always meet someone I could call a friend
Prejudice is something we must transcend
Coming into season this world will flower
With the power of love, not the love of power

So how did this self-proclaimed “shy artist” get into teaching? Through her success as a performer and song writer she gained the attention of the BC Festival of Arts ten years ago and was approached to teach a writing course, which she did for two years. While she realized that teaching how to write songs was a completely different and challenging experience, the courses went well. “I thought, I could do this,” she says. “And I went on to run my own songwriter camp for four years.”

With an interest in music I’ve always been intrigued with the process of creation. Do artists first work with lyrics, or melody? “Everyone has a different approach. I write on guitar in alternate tuning, tuned to an existing chord… it’s kind of like painting and prepping the canvas. I find a chord for the tuning, which dictates what the song is going to be about. There are many ways to write a song. Some people hear music in their head and need to get it out, or have poems they have written and want to set them to music.”

Mae’s lifelong passion for music comes from her need to create. “I am a very creative person, and have to create at least one thing every day,” she admits. And that can include something in her garden, something she’s baked or her next track on an album. While Mae admits that there isn’t as much support in the arts anymore, she loves what she does and recognizes the opportunities it has given her.

“It’s mine. I don’t work for anyone else. It’s harder in some ways, as you have to be disciplined to work. But if you have something to say you can’t keep it in a box. It has to be expressed!”

So what can you expect from her course this July? “It all depends on who shows up. I draw on inner experience, from the heart, trying to find a successful vehicle for getting in touch with a person’s emotions and feelings. Of course there are the technical aspects of the song, chorus and verse as well. And potentially the business aspects of song writing.”

Some proficiency on an instrument is recommended, but Mae has taught people of various skill levels and encourages anyone interested to join. She’s excited to be involved in the conference and come back to Fernie, and is beginning her week here with a performance at the Arts Station with Big Bubba Cook opening for her on July 18.

For more information on Mae Moore and her upcoming tour dates and album, visit www.maemoore.com. To register for the Fernie Writers’ Conference or to learn more about this course or others offered this July, visit www.ferniewriters.com.