Lucy goes back to her musical roots

Coming from one of the most well known families in music, and with a background as a school teacher, Lucy Wainwright Roche is not easily fazed.

Coming from one of the most well known families in music, and with a background as a school teacher, Lucy Wainwright Roche is not easily fazed.

The Scottish vernacular, however, did leave the 25-year-old stumped.

Ahead of her return trip to Scotland, to play headlining shows at Brel in Glasgow and the Carnegie Hall in Dunfermline this week, she recalled her previous trip, when she supported Eddi Reader.

"I got a great reception. It was a sold-out show and someone kept yelling something to me. I couldn't understand him, because of the accent, but the whole audience was laughing, because they clearly could understand him. Eddi told me afterwards it was something nice, and a compliment on my looks but I'm not sure if she was telling the truth or not."

When it comes to compliments, Lucy is adept at handing them out. The youngest of the Wainwright clan, she is full of admiration for Reader and the tradition of Celtic music, having covered tracks on the two EPs she has released.

She explained: "Eddi's incredible, I love her music. I had a great time with her, and I think she's the best. She's also one of the most fun people to be around.

"And I'm a big fan of traditional Celtic music, though I do feel that when I come over I'm a bit of an impostor, as I'm American and playing these songs. But I do like it very much. Those songs are so great, they have such melody, that I feel the best thing to do is cover them in as straightforward a way as possible. They don't need a lot of adornment."

You suspect Lucy would have no trouble fitting into Scottish culture either. She's refreshingly down to earth, and throughout our conversation displays a disarming ability to laugh at herself. She also freely talks about her famous family and her childhood "growing up on the road with mom".

Mom is, of course, Suzy Roche of the Roches, while her father is Loudon Wainwright III. Unlike either her half brother Rufus, or half-sister Martha, Lucy has not dragged any bitter family issues into her songs yet. Her music itself is also different, following a more rootsy, folk path. She was, however, even more of a black sheep than the others, in that she initially shunned any musical calling and trained to be a teacher instead.

"I taught second and third grade, which is seven and eight years old, in New York for a few years. I loved it and still miss it sometimes actually. Music wasn't so big a part of my life and I started to miss it.

"Then I did some travelling with my brother, which reminded me how much I was missing it and I decided to give it a go and see what happened."

She argues that there are certain parallels between life in the classroom and performing on stage.

"It's a really creative job, if you're in the right setting, and it's never boring. You can really connect with people on a deep level, which is very rewarding. And you get a lot of stories out of it. I've got a couple of songs that lift things from there, and being a singer and a teacher are kind of similar, in that they're both about communicating with a group.

"I think it's good to have done something non-musical. Like in anyone's life, it's good to have done an array of things and seen as much as you can. It definitely impacted who I am, and that's a positive thing."

While taking the step into the family business must have been initially daunting, she feels she has been able to carve her own distinct niche.

"When I started writing I was nervous about what people would think about me, but the truth is that once you start you don't have time to worry. And everyone (in my family) is doing their own work, so they're not as concerned. Not that they're not supportive, but everyone is doing their own thing, not worrying about what you're doing, which is a relief."

With two EPs under her belt, Lucy's next objective will be to continue to tour, and then move onto recording her first full-length debut album, with some material set to be road-tested at her Scottish dates. The increasing attention and praise still doesn't stop the singer from feeling star-struck herself.

"The other day I was at a festival in Tennessee, and I was watching my friends perform. I turned around and Bruce Springsteen was standing watching too. I had my CD in my bag, which has a cover of Springsteen's Hungry Heart, but I just didn't have the nerve to give it to him."