Emily Hope Price

Think about the things that you do every single day: eat, brush your teeth (hopefully!), and go to your job/school. Now imagine if you wrote a song every day for an entire year. Emily Hope Price doesn't have to imagine it, she's living it! Even with her recent sabbatical to write for a movie score she is still reaching and topping her goal of a song a day.



Besides this amazing feat, the songs that she writes are heartfelt and passionate. Armed with a poet's tongue, a graceful sense of melody, a voice that changes octaves and keys with ease, and a unique take on a classic instrument- you can't go wrong with Emily Hope Price!

Who/What inspired you to pursue music?
I would have to say my dad. He is a passionate music lover who always had music playing in the house. His mother is a pianist, organist, and singer as well and has always led a life revolving around sharing music.

How do you usually write your songs?
Every song is different and is born in a very different way, though many of my songs come from an initial "playing around" or improvisation period in my day. I'll find a tiny chord progress and spontaneously sing a melody with it. If I latch onto it immediately, I'll record it as quickly as possible and keep working until it fleshes itself out. It can be a daunting, yet totally fulfilling process this way. Other times, I'll deliberately sit down and say to myself, "This song is about a dream I had once..." or what have you, and I'll build the progressions using things my theory teachers taught me (kudos!). It progresses as the story progresses. The important thing for me is to keep everything new and interesting. Without this, my minds will grow stale and shut right up like a steel trap. The most freeing thing for me to believe is that there is no wrong or bad. I try not to judge anything before I have a real idea of what it is. If I can tell myself this, I can always come up with something I can learn from at the very least, if not absolutely love and play live again and again.

What is the first artist you remember loving as a child?
I absolutely loved Michael Jackson. I remember being in Kindergarten when I saved up 200 pennies to buy his picture biography. I watched Thriller a million times. He had such a stage presence.

If you could collaborate with one musician,dead or alive, who would it be?
This is so tough. There are so many... Just thinking of the hundreds of people who are now gone who I would have loved to collaborate with - sound artist Richard Gribenas, Son House or Johnny Cash. If I had to choose one (and if this ever became a reality, I'm not sure if I'd hold up very well) - I am a huge fan of Jonny Greenwood's work. He's absolutely brilliant and incredibly thoughtful about sound and the art of composing.

What is your dream venue to play?
Cliche or not - I would have to say Carnegie Hall or the Paris Opera House. (Hey, dress for the job you want, right? :)



If you could experience another decade of music first hand, which would it be?
Beethoven's later period. Absolutely. (Though I didn't single out a specific decade - oh, to be a fly on the wall of that man's total genius.)

If a movie is ever made about your life, who would play you?
My band, Pearl and the Beard, has actually talked about this quite a bit. We are such a wonderful collection of nerds that we've already planned who will play each of us in Pearl and the Beard's made for TV movie. For me? Milla Jovovich (due to receiving a Christmas Card from her - or her assistant, which is still pretty cool - when I was 8) or Zoe Deschanel (for the fringe).

If you could pick a gemstone to symbolize you and your music what would it be?
The first one that comes to mind is Amber. I say that because amber comes in a variety of colors (green, red, yellow, orange, blue, black...) but even the most common of colors has been affected by its surroundings, each having its own character, and it may have trapped an artifact of life deep within its core, telling yet another story of its past and where it has been. I think that's a good summary of how I hope my music comes across. I'm very affected by everything that has come before me and all that is currently swirling around me. It all becomes affected and gets "trapped" within the frame work of what I'm creating, hoping that each is very distinct and different from the next.

Is there anything that I haven't asked that you'd like to say?
Nope. I think you've done a great job asking the questions! These are very good!

You can browse through her many brilliant creations here: http://emilyhopeprice.wordpress.com/