I came across Carsie Blanton while I was looking for things to enjoy during the pandemic. Because all of the concert halls and clubs have closed or been limited, I’ve not bought tickets to anything, for fear it’d be canceled. And here were these bands, trying to make ends meet, simply by holding in-house concerts via their social media platforms.
Carsie stood out, her personality popping from her look and her voice. She reminds me so much of Dolly Parton in her message and her voice. So, I took a closer look. Her tribute to legend John Prine was especially enjoyable.
Table of Contents
Style & Influence
Carsie’s music is kind of a mixture of country, blues, and folk singing. She reminds me of Dolly Parton and she definitely is someone worth watching and listening to. As is stated on her Facebook page – “Carsie Blanton writes anthems for a world worth saving. Inspired by artists including Nina Simone and John Prine, she delivers every song with moxie and mischief, bringing her audience together in joyful celebration of everything worth fighting for.”
I find that Carsie writes songs that are openly sexual and political and is unapologetic for it. Like the singer-songwriters she admires, Carsie Blanton makes music that prizes mischievous wordplay and an antic sense of humor.
History
Carson Amanda Blanton or “Carsie” as she is known, is an American singer-songwriter based in New Orleans, Louisiana who performs on guitar. Born in 1985, Carsie Blanton grew up on a former cattle farm in Luray, Virginia.
She underwent homeschooling and her parents were hippies – which is a countercultural movement that rejects the mores of mainstream American life. She began taking piano lessons at age 6, and playing guitar and writing songs at age 13.
At age 16, Blanton went to live in a group house with other artists and musicians in Eugene, Oregon. There, she sang backup vocals for a touring funk group, took up swing dancing, and started her first band, The Short Skirts.
Since then, she’s set out on her own with friends who are musicians to wind up in New Orleans and begin crowdfunding and releasing albums and videos.
She has released all her music with a “pay what you please” pricing strategy. Blanton wrote, “My true calling as an artist is to share…What I actually want to do is make beautiful music and then give it to everyone, regardless of what they give me back”.
She has been invited and appeared on multiple radio and syndicated programs, including NPR. She had been an opener for Paul Simon and Shawn Colvin.
She has been successful on Kickstarter, funding both her music and her creativity – a card game called The F’ing Truth. One thing is for sure, she is not afraid to speak her truth and her mind about social issues, as shown by her video and song “SHIT LIST“. Take a listen, if you dare!
Original Songs/Discography
Year Album/Video
- 2002 Hush
- 2005 Ain’t So Green
- 2009 Buoy
- 2010 Beau EP
- 2010 Baby Can Dance
- 2012 Backseat
- 2012 Idiot Heart
- 2013 Backbone
- 2013 Smoke Alarm
- 2014 Laziest Gal in Town
- 2014 Not Old, Not New
- 2016 Hot Night
- 2016 Vim & Vigor
- 2016 So Ferocious 2019 Buck Up
So Ferocious is the last of a trio of songs that were on an album release in 2016 and it’s one of my favorites.
Carsie and her band have been holding monthly “Rent Parties” to help keep everyone afloat during the pandemic.
Be Good is the first single from Love & Rage (out 4/30/21) and has been released on all platforms. As of this article the band has released more and has returned to working gigs!
Find Out More:
WEBSITE: https://www.carsieblanton.com/
YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5jzY5EVnfveVBGiqu9gvrg
As always, if you want to share more, or feel I’ve missed something, let me know by emailing untappedsoundnc@gmail.com.
SOURCES: Mostly the information in this article comes from Wikipedia.org, the artist’s social media and website, and –
https://americansongwriter.com/bringin-it-backwards-interview-with-carsie-blanton/
