QUESTION: Well, basically, we were wondering how you got "discovered" for Cornerstone '98. You being on your own label instead of a big one, we were rather pleased with the fact that you played two shows in two different tents the first time you were there. (98 was the first time, right?) How did that all come about? We weren't aware of too many other small-label bands playing on the more popular stages, especially not twice... Vance Rutherford, Florida (06 08 2000) ANSWER: cornerstone festival has and continues to be a very different kind of festival in the sense that it will support acts that are independent and grassroots. ranging from goth and industrial to roots and black gospel. but like any festival, there are many hundreds of deserving musicians that fall into the "black hole". in my case, i had spent a month in chicago, checking out "the house" (an old ten story hotel turned into a spiritual commune of sorts) where the organizers and their 300 or so "family members" live. while i was there, i taught art classes at their school and did shows on the weekends. it just so happened that at one of the coffeehouses where i was playing, the management didn't come through with a sound-system. i was in the lurch, battling a bout of larangityis. one of the guys at the house totally came through and not only provided a sound-system, but people to run it and a 15 passenger van to get it there (with 15 passengers on board to see the show!) one of the guys in the audience just happened to be a fellow by the name of dave, who was helping with the festival in the booking dept. the next morning, i found a note on my door requesting a promotional package - so i dropped into the office and brought them a package which had been sitting on my bed for weeks (i had been unsure of how to approach them) after reconnecting with them about a month later, they offered me 2 slots. it's often a struggle to get hooked up with a good festival, so in my books, it was nothing short of a miracle. QUESTION: What were your last three significant CD purchases? Kevin, N.Y city (06 07 2000) ANSWER: i don't buy a lot of cds, but the most recent ones (as of the last 2 months) i've managed to get a hold of and enjoy are: 1. music from THE LONELY PLANET (compositions based on the british travel show that features music from the orient, africa, south america and india. ethnic music with some modern elements. 2. SLINGBLADE soundtrack. (produced by daniel lanois with the help of some guest artists. a very moving collection of music based on the film (which, actually, i haven't seen yet) 3. an odd assortment of G LOVE AND SPECIAL SAUCE. you're from new york, i suppose you know of them. really, i haven't been listening to a lot of music as of late. occasionally, i turn the radio dial when i drive and listen to Punjabi movie themes and other languages i can't understand. and sometimes i listen to classical... snatches of jazz in small amounts...bach cello suites. QUESTION: I'm really curious about what it takes to go through stuff as a musician - especially an independant one. When you go on tour who all goes? Is it just you? the band? all kinds of technical and managerial people? kirk holloway, Calgary AB (06 06 2000) ANSWER: up to this point i have usually toured on my own. it's very difficult to take a band on the road, especially if they have spouses or day jobs. also, the issue of paying them is a problem. i believe that musicians really earn their wage on the road, double times over, because of the conditions, so if a venue can't or won't pay well enough for a concert, i don't bring them. i do have a pretty steady bunch of guys that work with me for local shows. i have a red dodge ram van with a bed, a small kitchen, and a bookshelf... the whole thing is made out of plywood, and it's very low-fi. all the stainless steel bins (kitchen sinks) slide out so i can dump the dirty water out the back down, and the stoves are butane, so there's no crazy stuff to figure out (like in a motorhome) however, i'm sure that if someone ever crunches into the side of my van, the whole block is going to know about it (the stockpile of butane cans) QUESTION: How big is earthdress? kirk holloway, Calgary AB (06 06 2000) ANSWER: earthdress productions is an office of one. i've had a couple hours of volunteer help, or paid help every couple months; i now have someone who is skilled on the technical side of things to upkeep the web site. i would like to see more of a community kind of thing. that's one of the bigger advantages of being with a record label; you're working with a bunch of other folks that are handling some of the things you shouldn't always have to be doing, like booking, management, promotion, etc.. it would be great to actually play my guitar and work on my writing. as it stands now, i spend 90% of my time in the office, some of which is spent doing administrative work, most of which is spent on the phone, and the other 10% is used for recovering from phone calls that went badly. QUESTION: Are you writing? Do you keep a journal and write from there? How often do you write a song? How many have you written? Kevin- N.Y. city (06 01 2000) ANSWER: writing. um, wow. writing happens all the time. sometimes writing isn't writing at all, more like thoughts that disappear and never make it to the paper. i lose a lot of songs that way. i keep a rather complex journal. in a sense it's a stack of letters to god, or a letter to someone i miss. the journal is my "directors cut". it's unedited, uncensored, as free-form or as crass as necessary, brutally honest as i can muster. that's where i'm going to tell people the truth that i'm scared to tell them to their face. often it's self-identification. but i feel like the best kind of writing happens usually happens when i'm writing to someone else, through e mail. if the letter gets larger than life, then i simply send it back to myself; it gets printed and retires into an old army cabinet with files mysteriously named "paper, scissors, rock" and "flour, sugar, salt". these letters are the ingredients for songs. i steal from myself on a regular basis. i try to keep scribbled notes in some kind of order and when i'm hunting for inspiration, they get pulled out again. i carry a small hardcover notebook in the right hand pocket of my woolen coat. i lose the best stuff while i'm driving alone down the road. i've tried to keep a tape recorder in the van but for the first little while i was so self-conscious that nothing good came of it. songwriting is generally hard, unless it's easy (very rarely) i don't consider myself the model of a prolific writer. i can't remember how many songs i've written. a lot of them suck. a ton of them are still-born. some of them have abdicated, like ornery teenagers. QUESTION: There are rumors that you'll be having a new album soon. what's going on? (nick - seattle, WA 04 12 2000) ANSWER: i am currently collecting writing and songs for a studio album that i hope to work on sooner or later as far as "normal" miranda stone material..... however, i am also trying to put together a different kind of project that melds some of my writing and some electronica stuff as well. if it works, it would be great, but i can't say for now. thus, the rumors. QUESTION: I liked "The Power of One." Does this song in anyway answer the question from "Growing Old"? For those who suffer, and those who bleed, Is it the heart or the mouth that we should feed? (Kevin, N.Y City, 03 28 2000) ANSWER: no. both songs are addressing different root issues, however, i recognize that there are certain themes which regularly flavor my writing. some words about growing old: issues regarding mother and daughter, what happens when everyone you grew up with leaves the old community, trees getting cut down, smooth bare-foot mud paths getting paved over. a question- is all our technology, all our complicated machinery making us better? internally? first verses deal with some personal childhood images, later, the verses are dealing with some universal ideas. parallel the heart and mouth line with "your sins are forgiven.. however, anyone can say that, so get up and walk" (and the man is healed and walks away.) or your typical soup kitchen. feed the mouth? feed the heart? some hints on "power of one": rents in toronto currently average between 1500.00- 2000.00/per month. mayor declares homelessness a national disaster. nothing changes. the widow and the orphan are still crying out for justice. the folksinger is still looking for an apartment, on a poverty level wage. the school yard bully grew up and became the slum lord, the schoolyard grew up and became the city, the girl is now 25 and vows to fight for the 10 year old who is still living within her. a fighting song. QUESTION: do you have a concise understanding of exactly what it is you're doing? Why do you go on the road and sing? (Kevin, N.Y City, 03 28 2000) ANSWER: good question. maybe if you rephrased your question i would know more of what you're driving at. for example: do i know what i'm doing when i get in my van and hit the road for 2 wks?( you book as best you can and then wait for the atom bombs) do i know what i'm trying to say when i phrase a line in a certain way? (often yes, sometimes no.) do i know what i'm actually writing about? (yes, there's always a start off point, i'll try to keep some kind of theme going, especially to finish the song. sometimes though, i'll have surprises. so... no) do i know what i'm doing, running a business on my own? (hell no. you do the best you can keeping in mind your responsibilities to your alpha male (government, revenue canada, woof woof, down boy!!) why do i go on the road? because if i don't go on the road, i don't sell albums. and i don't eat. because there are only so many places to play in a 4 hour circle from home. because the goal is to perform to a listening audience (good live experiences are... good... bars rarely provide that positive atmosphere, however, the only way you can play a theater is if you can fill it. and until then, you play the bars, or church basements, or coffeehouses. also, if people actually come out to a concert, and bring their friends, you potentially can make a little bit of money "singing for your supper". so you try and mix up bar gigs with gigs that you know will pay you a set fee. also, people don't know you exist if you don't travel to them. they won't come to you. finally, i travel/sing because i want to communicate. 3 main reasons being- my living, my art, my faith. QUESTION: Who are you writing these songs for? (Kevin, N.Y City, 03 28 2000) ANSWER: i write to heal. to remember. to figure out. to forgive. to love. to grieve. and in the process of all of these, to give. so i write for me. and then i edit for everyone else. first and foremost, i write. most people won't see most of what i write. some of it is dangerous. QUESTION: Miranda, I've just read through your lyrics and an initial hunch I had was confirmed. There's a "God thing" going on here. I'm interested in your take on things divine. I have a deep appreciation for the Christian faith. I was raised Catholic, I'm sort of lapsed now in the Walker Percy sense. I hope this is not too personal. I was impressed by your performance at Arlene's and believe me, I'm never impressed. Peace- (Kevin, N.Y City, 11 24 1999 ) ANSWER: A god thing. yes. though he's seemed awful quiet lately, i call god my friend and father, and through some mystery i'm known to be his daughter. (he got the rough end of the deal) so my writing reflects that, in some places more clearly than others. there's church. and then there's god. and either one doesn't always represent the other well. you can bash any kind of organized group if you truly want to. you can also find the miraculous if you want to. i as far as my background, i was raised german baptist, ran through the fountain of the charismatic movement with my grandparents when i was waist-high, did some time in a non-denomination church-plant when i was in college (which was by far my best experience) and then moved back home to land in some "limbo-no-mans-land-looking-for-community" wasteland, which i am struggling to get out of currently; largely held back by, the lack of affordable housing in the toronto area, where most of my "community" resides. so i am still here in the small town of my parents (a cactus in a flower bed of petunias!) where i have ended up is a faith that is secretly conservative and secretly liberal, but passionately living for reality. and some good old real alive love. in a semi-nut-shell. heaven forbid i am talking about faith with a princeton theo student!