Willow Avalon Interview

Mitch: Your sophomore album, Pink Pocket Pistol, just came out on June 26! Do you mind sharing a bit about the album and the themes that can be found throughout?
Willow Avalon: It’s mostly scary, sweet, loving Southern women. That’s kind of the energy and vibe that I wanted to go for. Think lots of sparkles and firearms.

A big part of my family is that all the women in my family have husbands who are terrified of them, which I think is a really good thing to have. I think you should be a little bit scared of your girlfriend or your wife.

I grew up with really strong, loud-mouthed women, and the men that love them, love them hard. I wanted to make a reflection of my upbringing, which was really beautiful and pretty and delicate, but also very strong and hearty. I also threw some of my favourite '60s influences in there, like Nancy Sinatra.

Mitch: What feels different about this album compared to your debut, Southern Belle Raisin’ Hell?
Willow Avalon:Southern Belle Raisin’ Hell was recorded while we were touring and doing a lot of stuff, so it was kind of fitting one song in here and one song in there.

With this record, we actually got to sit down and spend two weeks in the studio. We made two records during those two weeks, and Pink Pocket Pistol is the first one. The second one will come at some date.

It was amazing to play most of everything you hear on the record live and have that cohesive energy instead of splicing and splitting up. That felt really different from the previous record.

Mitch: If the album was turned into a movie, what would the plot be? What would the movie look and feel like?
Willow Avalon: Jessica Chastain would be the lead actress. She’s married to a terrible guy and she’s a ’60s housewife. He works for some branch of the police department, and she ends up killing him. Her friends, who are also ’60s housewives, help cover up the murder of this man of authority.

I think the soundtrack would be really cool for that. I think in soundtracks a lot. That’s how I like to write music.

Mitch: There are so many iconic lines throughout this album. Was there any line in particular where you stopped and thought, “That’s a bar!”?
Willow Avalon: My favourite one is on one of my diss tracks, Hex. This man is probably gonna poop his britches. He’s gonna need a diaper for when this record releases.

He was the dumbest man alive. He was unable to spell anything, including his apology note to me for being the most despicable human of all time. He wrote me this note saying it was the lowest point of his life, and he said, “You’re my dream girl”, except he spelled “your” wrong. So, I took a picture of it, and that’s now the cover of Hex.

The second verse goes:

“I threw out the flowers you sent to my door,
along with the card where you poured out your heart,
I read it and laughed ’cause you couldn’t spell ‘your’”.

They had to stop me from giggling. That’s probably my favourite line.

Mitch: What was your favourite memory from making the album?
Willow Avalon: Honestly, all of it. Being in the room with Jason was amazing, especially in Studio A at RCA, which is such a historic place. Having him come in and be so warm, willing to collaborate, and really complimentary was awesome.

Mostly it was just hanging out with all the amazing people who helped make the record. Every day felt like spending time with your family, hearing stories from Russ, our pedal steel player, who’s just the coolest guy in every room. Literally all of it was amazing and I’m really lucky.

Mitch: What is the best way for people to support you and this album?
Willow Avalon: I think buying my record helps support keeping men accountable. The more records people buy, the more people will hear it, and the more men will not want to act up. So buy my pink sparkly records. And if you’re a boy, buy my pink sparkly records and be a good, good, good human. That’s it.

Mitch: You’re about to head out on a huge US tour. How are you feeling leading up to it, and what can fans expect?
Willow Avalon: Well, I’m going to try to be super extra hot. I’m doing Pilates now because I was recently told by my vocal coach that your vocal cords are at the top of your body and everything is attached to them, so you have to treat your life like you’re an athlete.

Hence why I’m drinking carrot juice and coconut water. I’ve cut out most sugar, I don’t drink, I do mat Pilates every morning, I go for a run, and I have a cycle machine because I don’t know how to ride a bike.

I’m really excited. It’s going to be a lot of shows, but a lot of amazing memories and moments too, and I’m excited for my band of boys to experience a tour this big together for the first time.

Mitch: Can Australia expect a tour soon?
Willow Avalon: God, I hope so. I went over there for like two minutes. We took a 20-hour flight, or however long it was, and then got there, played the festival the next day, and then flew home. We had some technical difficulties, which was kind of hard, but everybody was so happy. I was just like, “Well, I don’t even know what this is sounding like, but everybody’s having a good old time,” so we just kind of gave into it.

Our drummer, Tim, did a shoey, which was funny. You will not catch me drinking out of a boot, though. I’m sorry. I drank absolutely terrible things and had way worse than a boot in my mouth as a kid. I don’t eat bugs anymore, and if I’m not eating bugs and chewing on lead paint, I’m surely not drinking stuff out of a boot.

We were there for like one day, so we didn’t get to go to the beach or do anything—or even get bit by a shark. Hopefully we get to come back sometime soon. I’m very, very excited, and I hope you guys will have us back because I’d absolutely love to come back.

Mitch: You say your music is written about men who’ve wronged you and don’t say sorry. What’s the most ridiculous thing a man has done that ended up inspiring a song?
Willow Avalon: Yeah, just say sorry. It’s not that hard. My lips are sealed, water under the bridge, no problem. Accountability is really not that freaking hard.

I’m the first one to go, “God, I did something I wouldn’t have liked if someone had done it to me and now that I know that I did it, I can say sorry.” But guess what? Some of these men can’t say sorry.

If they won’t say it to me, you’ll hear about it on Spotify instead. Hopefully that’ll teach them that it’s a lot better to say sorry to one person than have a whole lot more people hear about it.

There are so many, but I’d probably say the worst one that’s actually on the record and made me want to send a fruit basket to every other man that had wronged me and apologise because I didn’t know it could get that bad, was when I flew all the way across the world to go on a family holiday with the person I was dating. I found out he was attempting to hire women for their services. And there’s nothing wrong with women doing those services, but I wanted to Venmo that girl some money just for having to talk to his dumb ass.

I found out and then his parents put me on an $11,000 first-class flight home the next day. His mama gave me the Louboutins he’d bought me for Christmas and said, “Wear these for a man that deserves you.” His dad almost got into a fistfight with him in the front yard.

I’d probably say that was the worst. He’s got a couple songs on this record, and I hope his ears are wide open and his diaper’s on.

RAPID FIRE QUESTIONS!!

Favourite song on Pink Pocket Pistol?
Hex or Georgia Mile. They’re complete polar opposites, but they were both very cathartic to write.

Describe your music using three words:
Sassy, sparkly and scary.

Go-to karaoke song?
I never do karaoke because I lose my voice so easily. I sing what I have to sing and then I shut up the rest of the time. But if I had to pick one, it’d be Tight Fittin’ Jeans by Conway Twitty.

One song you wish you wrote?
Coat of Many Colors by Dolly Parton. That song moves me to absolute tears.

Finish the sentence! Willow Avalon is for fans of...
Girls winning.