We all make mistakes. In life, in love, in our careers, in our relationships, in our day-to-day existences, mistakes happen. Some are big, some are life altering (for better or worse), some are insignificant, others are like a time bomb with a delayed reaction. There are the ones we learn from, the ones that cause us to grow as individuals, to gain knowledge and wisdom, to become more complete humans. Those are the right mistakes.
It is on this subject of taking something positive out of something negative that underlies the compelling, thoughtful and revealing five-song EP from London, Ontario singer/songwriter Karen Emeny. The ‘Right Mistakes’ are ones where you learn to follow your own heart and not the opinions of others, that sometimes you are blinded by the naivete of love to see the big picture, and then within that mindset you sometimes chase the ones who are the worst or you. Or worse, you get involved with someone where you willingly supress your own individuality, hopes and dreams for the sake of someone who will never do likewise. At some point you learn the hard lessons of love and come out the other side bent but unbroken.
In summation, that’s what Emeny tackles with The Right Mistakes, and she does it from her own experiences, and is able to meld the sometimes soul crushing subject matter with spritely melodies, enchanting and emotive vocal performances, and enchanting musical constructs.
The EP is the first new music Emeny has released since a pair of singles in 2017. Very early in her career, while learning to be a teacher at Nipissing University in North Bay, she released her first EP, entitled Finding the Words. Teaching became her life’s vocation, while music had to take a back seat for a little while. Now ensconced in her rewarding career teaching Grades 1 and 2 with the Thames Valley District School Board, music has leapt back up her priority list, allowing her to enjoy her two most passionate pursuits at the same time.
Not a bad way to live your life.
“The two singles I did back in 2017 were initially going to be part of this EP and then I kind of decided that since I’d already released them, and because I already had a bunch of new content, I would like to start fresh and work on a new EP and have all the songs done at the same time. I released those singles to get my name back out there, so I could start playing again, because I had taken a break from music because of university and teachers’ college and getting my career going,” Emeny said.
“I don’t really think there was ever a question of me teaching. I have always wanted to be a teacher. I know now why that is, but I have always wanted to lean into that career since I was very young. And with music, obviously you always have the rock star dream, and I always said if anything amazing came up music wise, I would definitely consider it and take time away from teaching. But my approach when I started getting back into music was that I wanted to have the stability of a career, but one that would still allow me freedom to do what I want with music and follow that passion, in some capacity, and just see what happens.
“Honestly, I can’t see myself doing anything else, because those were the two things I gravitated towards at a young age. They were both things that I always wanted to do. And not a lot of people can say that. I consider myself very lucky to have two very diverse pathways, but at the same time they are interconnected, because they are both creative, which I really like.”
Emeny’s music is tough to pigeonholed. There is a definite singer/songwriter bent to the lyrics, because of the deep introspection and ethos of honesty that prevails, but there is an edge that could lead an observer to put her in the alternative vein.
“I definitely hear a lot of that 1990s vibe in my music, because I grew up listening to a lot of that and I still love 1990s music to this day. There are little hints of country and hints of pop, but I do feel I mostly float in that alternative space. Music was definitely encouraged in my house. Although my parents didn’t play, they had a huge love of music and there was music in the house all the time. My dad really loved classic rock, so he was listening to Tom Petty and the Tragically Hip. He had a long list of things we used to listen to on the back deck,” Emeny said, adding that she took music classes in school, and also private lessons for much of her childhood and youth.
“My mom very much liked Motown and the oldies, so she got me into the Jackson 5 and Elvis and The Supremes. They always encouraged me in whatever I wanted to do, so when I said I wanted to take guitar lessons, they put me in guitar lessons. It wasn’t until I was in high school that I developed an interest in writing songs, and then I really took the lessons seriously; you couldn’t ever get the guitar out of my hands. The primary influence and the reason I started writing was Jewel, which is also where I think a little bit of that country kind of sound comes from. I listened to a lot of Jewel and then Counting Crows were huge for me. Jimmy Eat World is actually one of my favourite bands and a lot of it has to do with their lyrics. I am definitely one that connects with lyrics and I am just in awe of Jim Adkins’ writing, he is just awesome.”
Emeny enjoys the songwriting process, whether it be on her own, or working alongside others during a writing session.
“Most of the times, songs come about very differently. Sometimes I will get a melody line in my head. Sometimes I will find something on the guitar before I incorporate any vocals. Sometimes I will have a lyrical line come to me. And, actually, I have a million ideas on my phone, various lines that just come to me and then when I am working on something, I have these little pieces I can pull ideas from when I need a creative boost. Honestly, I think it really depends on what sparks for me at the time,” she said.
“When you are doing co-writes that’s a totally different story, because someone might write totally different from you. What we normally do in those situations is toss around some ideas of things that we’ve kind of had in our heads, whether it’s a lyrical idea or we start with a basic guitar part, and then find something one of us gas been working on that might fit with that. So, writing kind of comes in all different ways, but I would say when it comes to co-writing, I do go into the process a little more prepared and with a more concise plan with either a definite guitar idea and some lyric ideas and try to bounce that off the other person to see if anything fits, or if it doesn’t you start fresh on the music part of it.
“I do a lot of writing on my own. For this EP, Meant for This I cowrote with Emm Gryner and Just A Little Heartbreak I co-wrote with a good friend of mine, Nick Ross, who is also my lead guitarist. Someone Else I wrote with Justine Chantale, a good friend of mine who is a musician and songwriter as well.”
Being in London, Emeny is not that far from the prolific and highly acclaimed Gryner, who lives nearby in St. Marys. The two met at a showcase event and kept in touch over the intervening years.
“She was lovely from the get-go. She walked right up to my table and introduced herself. She said she had checked out some of my music before the event and that she really liked it. She hosted the event and also played a couple of songs at the end of it. I really didn’t know a ton about her. I wouldn’t say that I was a long-time fan, but the wonderful experience I had with her at that event pushed me to look into her music and her career and it was awesome to be open to that and be able to listen to her stuff, because she is phenomenal,” Emeny said.
“After playing the showcase she suggested we connect on Facebook or whatever and a while later I was working on two songs that I released as singles in 2017, Maybe Tomorrow, and You Left Me With A Kiss, and I just messaged her to see if she wanted to be involved. I asked if she would consider playing piano on these tracks and she said sure. Later I ran into her at the London Music Awards and it was after those singles, and at the event she introduced me to her producer Kevin Doyle. And then she said, ‘maybe we could even write a song for you guys to work on together.’
“We got together to write this song. We sat down and I had this guitar part started and she really liked it and asked if I had any ideas for lyrics. I didn’t necessarily have anything for that piece of music. I had been seeing somebody kind of before this writing session. I had mentioned that a lot of my friends were getting married and having kids and that there always seemed to be this timeline the we all had to adhere to in our lives. You feel a lot of pressure to keep up with everybody and she said, ‘cool, let’s writing something about that.’ I didn’t feel like the relationship was really working, so we ended up making a list of all the ways you compromise for other people in relationships, and how you lose yourself if you compromise too much of yourself. We also made a list off what all these timeline expectations are. So, there are lines in the song like, ‘make a list and check the boxes one by one; you better fall in love.’ We had all these little things about the expectations of society and that’s how Meant for This came about.”
Storm Chaser is about another aspect of relationships – going after someone who may not be the best for you, but who has captured your attention.
“It’s about the idea where I think we’ve all been in situations where we’ve chased somebody. You know it’s not a good idea, and you know that they’re bad news, but there’s something about them that you just can’t really let go of. So, you chase them, and it usually doesn’t end well – I don’t think those kinds of situations ever end well. It’s that idea of, ‘yeah, you’re the storm and I know that you’re bad for me, but I am going to chase you anyways,’” Emeny explained, adding that Hard Love is a necessary part of the process before you can get to true love or your forever love.
“That one is interesting because it’s based on an article I read in some journal. Basically, it talks about the three loves of your life. The first love is your fairy tale love, your high school kind of love. Your second love is hard love, it’s the one that kind of breaks you and then your third love is your forever love. I wanted to take on that hard love aspect and how you’re thinking this could be it, this could be the one, but then having it all fall apart around you. I think everybody needs to go through those things and know that you can stand back up on your own two feet and that you’re going to get through it. I think those are the times when you grow the most, you learn, and your grow and you also learn what you really want when you go into the next relationship.”
For more information on Emeny, The Right Mistakes and any shows, visit www.karenemeny.com, or her socials.
- Jim Barber is a veteran award-winning journalist and author based in Napanee, ON, who has been writing about music and musicians for nearly 30 years. Besides his journalistic endeavours, he now works as a communications and marketing specialist. Contact him at jimbarberwritingservices@gmail.com.
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