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V'' ana Rebel's m usilflSWSPtes an
long-gone era of country music. Her
bio asserts that she's been compared
I ^ to Loretta Lynn and June Carter,
■ ■ and Rebel's music certainly brings a
■L simpler time to mind. Although she
writes and performs in a traditional country
style, Rebel approaches her craft like a punk-
rock DIY musirian. An overview of Rebel's past
makes sense of this seeming paradox, and it
also illuminates her honest, straightforward
approach to songwriting.
"I liked listening to stuff like The Circle
Jerks and Black Flag," says Rebel. "But I
mostly grew up listening to local bands—
going out and seeing my friends' bands."
But Rebel didn't merely listen to heavy
music in her younger days—she actively par
ticipated in the Tucson, AZ scene for years as
a touring bassist with her longtime band, Last
of the Juanitas. "It was kind of a math metal
band... but a lot of people compared us to
Black Flag and the Melvins. We made a lot of
noise; that's for sure."
Listening to her liber-classic country song-
writing style, one would never guess that
Rebel came from such a "noisy" background.
This begs the question: How and why did her
music take such a dramatic leap?
According to Rebel, the leap isn't quite
as improbable as one might assume. "A lot of
the people who are doing folk-rock or more
traditional styles of music—the ones I play
with, anyway—came from the same kind of
background as me. I guess it sounds weird
on paper, but it's not too weird, because I'm
definitely still living the same lifestyle: call
ing clubs, getting my own gigs... still putting
out my own records with my own money and
trying to keep track of it all so I can make a
little money to make the next one."
Still, the transition from "math metal"
bassist to throwback country singer-songwriter
is a strange one. But Rebel made the transi
tion in an organic, almost innate fashion. "I
wanted to teach myself how to play guitar,"
says Rebel. "So, I was learning chords, and
it was easy to play along with country music.
I had old Johnny Cash and Hank Williams
records, and I've always loved all that... so I
learned by playing along with those songs."
Through learning a new instrument, Rebel
developed a new songwriting style for herself.
"I was writing songs in Last of the Juanitas...
but the more personal, traditional songwriting
style—that happened about the same time
I was teaching myself guitar... and I liked
doing it, so I just kept up with it."
As she grew as a solo artist, Rebel
embraced the approach of the classic era she'd
been learning from. "Stripped-down, classic,
Hank Williams—Senior,” she stresses, with a
laugh. 'That's my favorite stuff. It's just so
simple and beautiful."
The result is a set of intimate songs with
familiar but timeless themes. "Unfortunately, a
lot of my songs started from drinking," laughs
Rebel. "Drinking and heartbreak, mostly... but
I also like to think that my songs tend to have
more of a positive outlook on the downside.
As in, TU get over it. You broke my heart, but
I'm gonna De OK.'"
Rebel says that her main ambition is
to write "from the heart, personal stuff."
"[Songwriting] is a really good way to process
feelings... and if I can say the things that
other people are feeling, maybe I can help
them process their feelings, too."
Miss Lana Rebel currently tours with her
co-guitarist/co-vocalist/boyfriend/saw player
Kevin Mayfield, playing "chill," two-piece
shows that emphasize the songs themselves.
And while she mostly sings and plays guitar.
Rebel says listeners can expect to hear some
"fiddle tunes" on the viola—an instrument she
"just picked up." Perhaps, as happened with
the guitar, testing a new instrument will once
again midwife an evolution in Rebel's sound.
Kevin Craig
WHO; Una Rebel, Nightingale News
WHERE: Farm 255
WHEN: Sunday, May 28,10 p.m.
HOW MUCH: FREE!
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MAY 25, 2011 - FLAGPOLE.COM 17
