Thursday, February 7, 2013

Sixpence None The Richer Feature-Virginian Pilot

If you made your sweetie a mix tape/CD in the late '90s, chances are the playlist included "Kiss Me" by Sixpence None the Richer.
The sugary audio valentine, featured on the pop rock band's 1997 self-titled release, was an inescapable radio hit in the back half of that decade; and was featured in the TV teen drama "Dawson's Creek" as well as being the theme song for the romantic comedy film "She's All That."

So, what's it like to be the voice that launched a million high school romances?

"It's a bit of a double-edged sword," said Leigh Nash, the woman who sang the track. "It's an adorable song, but it's kind of taken on a life of its own. So it's sort of become this albatross."

Ironically, the band's best known tune almost missed the cut on the album.

"Matt didn't even want it to be on that record," Nash said of her partner, guitarist Matt Slocum. "The song didn't really fit with the rest of that album, but the label insisted for what became pretty obvious reasons."

Despite worries over being perceived as one-hit wonders, Nash says she understands the pop culture relevance of "Kiss Me."

"It's wonderful that the song still means something to people. We're certainly not embarrassed by it."
And it's not like Sixpence None the Richer vanished from the radio charts after its first monster hit.
The group, which plays The Attucks Theatre in Norfolk on Friday, went on to record such candy-coated pop favorites as "There She Goes" and "Breathe Your Name."

There's every reason to believe the hits would have kept coming had Sixpence None the Richer not decided to call it quits in 2004.

By then, Nash and Slocum were ready to move on. The pair started the band as teenagers, and young adulthood brought new priorities. Slocum's wife was pregnant with their first child; Nash was newly married. It felt right for them to take some time to focus on their family lives.

Four years later, Sixpence None the Richer's two central figures reunited for a Christmas album, and in 2011, Nash, a devout Christian, released a solo album, "Hymns and Sacred Songs." Although spiritually fulfilled, Nash still felt a void.

"I missed the camaraderie," she said of working with Slocum. So last year, the longtime friends released "Lost in Transition," their first new album of original material in 10 years.

"I think it's very pure," Nash said of the duo's musical connection. "There's something interesting about the way his writing and my voice mix together. We both consider it a gift that we happened to grow up in the same town. We formed a partnership as kids, and now we're in our 30s and we're still making music."

Still, Sixpence None the Richer's second act isn't without its challenges.

"I've gotten discouraged about what I do for a living plenty of times," Nash said. "I didn't go to college, because I was on the road or making records. It's hard to make a living at this, so it's a financial issue, not because it's so hard being a musician."

Even so, Nash believes payment isn't always monetary.

"I had a woman tell me her brother had not been out of the house in years. I'm not sure what his issue was, but he came to our show. She was tearing up when she told me. It was pretty overwhelming," Nash said. "Just recently I had a father come up to me after a show with his two girls. He said, 'I want you to know that your music has been the soundtrack to my daughters' lives.' Those kids have been listening to my music since they wore born. That's an incredible feeling."

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