Hello Anna,

First, i am very happy to have the opportunity to interview you. Thank you very much for agreeing to answer us!

1/ SBL Eu: So, you played the bass in the band Drew and The Medicinal Pen, you are now singing and playing the guitar in Yet Cut Breath. Do you have any other musical projects going on right now?

Anna Morsett: Cheers, thanks for the interview. Yes, I’m still bouncing around with a few other projects. Occasionally I’m lucky enough to play bass for The Kissing Club, as I did on our duo-tour this last February, which is so fun to be a part of . AND I haven’t played with them yet, BUT, my fingers are crossed that someday I’ll get to rock out with Mechanical people . . . eee!

2/ SBL Eu: How was Yet Cut Breath born?

Anna: I’d been writing and playing on my own for ages and had been playing out under the name “Yet Cut Breath” in the early days of living in NYC, around early 2008. It was just me at first, solo, but I was eager to bring others in and really build it as a band. Eventually Missy Liu joined me on violin for a few shows (we were both playing in D&MP at the time) and she then introduced me to the amazing cellist/musical genius John Swartz and we all began playing together. We played just the three of us on and off for several months and at some point Jake Miller joined our ranks with his incredible talent. Jake is one of my personal heroes, no joke. Actually they all are, they’ve each added so much to these songs. I couldn’t be luckier; these guys really helped shape the project and bring it to a whole new level. Occasionally we have Brian Hospital join us on drums (he played for this last tour), and sometimes Yahoteh Kokayi (he drummed on the record) will join us for a show or two.

3/ SBL Eu: I also know for sure that finding the name of a band is always complicated. How did you come up with that name?

Anna: Tell me about it! “ Yet Cut Breath” was actually a phrase I was obsessed with for years. Strangely enough, it’s a quote from The Winter’s Tale by Shakespeare. In the play, several characters are looking at an extraordinary statue of a woman. The statue is SO life-like, so seemingly REAL, it appears to be breathing. Remarking on how stunningly alive the statue seems, one character says, “What fine chisel could yet cut breath?” . . . That really struck me, what an incredible thing to say, what tool/artist could create a perceived ability to breathe and be alive?

This idea, that art could produce life, that it could create something so ostensibly real that it seems to breathe and have a life all its own, really inspired me. At the time, I thought that was a good thing to shoot for in making music. I hoped that using it as the project name would remind me to work towards creating something alive, something that people would connect with outside of its bones of composition, lyrics and melody. Forget that it’s music playing though a speaker and accept it on new terms, as something as real and alive as you, the listener, are. It’s what happens when we see amazing live performances, because it’s LIVE and we’re a part of it, even helping create it perhaps, we’re able to surrender to the experience of it and connect to it differently. Even if it just exists in that single moment, it’s colossal, it’s real, it’s alive and powerful. So . . . you know, we’re working on it . . . Everyone has to start somewhere, don’t they?

4/ SBL Eu: Since we are looking at the past, when did you start playing music? Did someone in particular influence you toward it?

Anna: I started playing music when I was 7 or 8 years old when I was forced (thanks mom and dad) to take piano lessons. I did actually, eventually, enjoy it. My dad had played guitar since I was little and I remember SO badly wanting to play like him. I mean, you could really move and rock out on guitar!! No so much on piano. AND around that time, I was about 11 then, I started learning about Nirvana, Pearl Jam and other Seattle grunge bands from my sister, so of course that swayed me towards wanting to play loud, electric rock.  I remember having a little plastic toy violin that made horrible violin-like sounds that I used to carry around and play like a guitar for weeks. Haa, it must have been HIGHLY annoying. SO for my 12^th birthday I got a REAL guitar and despite the broken arm I had at the time, began playing. My dad taught me a few chords that first week but after that he let me loose and I slowly taught myself to play.

5/ SBL Eu: How many instruments do you play? Which ones? And which is your favourite?

Anna: Guitar, bass, ukulele, piano and on cold, dark nights . . . the whistle machine.

6/ SBL Eu: For some of our readers that I know are trying to learn the guitar right now, Any advice for them?

Anna: Stick with it! Even though your fingers don’t move the way you want them to at first and it hurts . . . stay with it, it is so worth it, music is an incredible gift. Start basic and find songs that you ACTUALLY enjoy and that will motivate you to learn and keep practicing. Email me with questions and complaints.

7/ SBL Eu: Do you have other talents we are not aware of? I don’t know, drawing? Dancing? Pottery? Something completely random?

Anna: Hmm. Random talent . . . well, I can open beer bottles with a sheet of paper and have been known to create secret handshakes in seconds?  Outside of those talents, I am also a guitar tech and have toured the world this last year repairing and tuning guitars for an amazing artist named Kaki King. I HIGHLY recommend you check her music out, she is phenomenal.

8/ SBL Eu: Ok, back to Yet Cut Breath, you describe your music as and I shamelessly quote from your myspace “Yet Cut Breath is a collection of acoustic thoughts that take place in the small spaces of morning, inside light fixtures and up against bathroom tiles. Turbulent and tender songwriting driven by cello, violin, guitars and a stormy voice that will leave you a little cut up. “Can you tell us more about the writing process?

Anna: Oh myspace, ha. As far as the writing process goes, I feel like a lot of the earlier songs actually DID come from early morning hours and up against the tiles of various bathrooms (good acoustics you know J) . . . Writing is such an emotional outlet. And a lot of the stronger songs I’ve written have poured out of me in those moments when I’m hiding away from everyone else, trying to sort out some tangle  . . . playing in a bathroom, writing while everyone else is asleep . . . where it’s just me. And yeah, sometimes they’re tender words and sometimes they’re stormy. Just as up and down as the person behind them I suppose.

9/ SBL Eu: Can you give us your opinion on one philosophical/practical matter: Who from the lyrics or the melody themes come first when songwriting?

Anna: It really depends, sometimes I’ll have the music for a song fully fleshed out with only a tiny little inkling as to what – lyrically – it will be about . . . other times words will come sparsely as I play and I’ll have to keep playing until more make their way to the table. Like shuffling around in the dark, slowly finding your way towards the light switch. That’s usually what happens actually, it starts with an “oh yeah, I like that riff” and then I’ll piece together a vocal line and encourage words and meaning around it. Then I’ll step away from the guitar and sew words and ideas into potential lyrics. Try them out, rearrange, adjust, re-write, shuffle some more . . .  such a process.

10/ SBL Eu: I must tell you that the music video for Kindness is incredible. Great job there! Can you tell us more about how it was done? The idea? How was the set found? How it was to film it?

Anna: Aw, thanks! We had a great time doing it, an eerie time, but a great one. We shot it in the abandoned wing of a hospital in upper Manhattan. So creepy, the rooms were just falling apart  . . . the nurse’s station still had some broken equipment left over, things like old IV stands and gurneys. We snuck in and had a very short time to set up mics and arrange a path for the actual shooting. Not only did we not want be caught by security (and ghosts) BUT we ALSO didn’t want to be there when the hospital shut off the lights. Eeee! My dear friend and filmmaker David Sosnow shot and edited the whole thing and did such an incredible job. I hope we do something like this again soon, such a fun experience . . . despite the creepiness.

11/ SBL Eu: You finished touring about a month and a half ago. According to your fans, the shows were awesome. So, tell us, for all of us who were not lucky enough to be there, how was it?

Anna: That’s so sweet of them, they were the best, seriously – those who came out to the shows REALLY made every ounce of difference. Especially when I was sick, having their support (hot toddies) and kind words absolutely kept me going. It really was SO much fun and it being our first tour with this project I was overwhelmed by how well we were received. I can’t wait to get out there again!!!

12/ SBL Eu: A best memory during this tour?

Anna: Absolutely the best was when everyone danced when we played at the Friends of SBL show near Detroit. I mean, ACTUALLY danced, like moved their bodies and wildly danced. Runner up though was receiving a care package of tea, honey and whiskey from a fan/friend. Really helped me get through!

13/ SBL Eu: A worst memory?

Anna: The worst was definitely getting severely ill on the loooooong drive from Boston to somewhere in the middle of PA. I really haven’t been that sick in YEARS, I was achy, shaking and coughing up a lovely array of colors. And despite the help of tea and whiskey, my voice was just destroyed there for a bit. Ugh, the worst.

14/ SBL Eu: Are there any new shows planned in the near future?

Anna: I have a few booked in NYC with Yet Cut Breath, next one coming up is May 3^rd at Pete’s Candy Store, Brooklyn. AND I’ll be in Europe this summer playing a few shows there too, I’ll keep you guys posted! Anyone in Amsterdam, Belgium and Paris want to hang out?

ALSO I’m playing with The Kissing Club on May 7^th at the Highline Ballroom in NYC (eee!) and with Mechanical People on May 11^th at Trash Bar, Brooklyn and the 12^th in Philly. Soooo excited.

15/ SBL Eu: You have already one Cd out. Will there be any possibility of buying it somewhere else than at your shows?

Anna: Definitely, we’re working on finalizing everything, finishing up art etc. It will eventually be available on iTunes and CDBaby BUT if you want a physical copy we’ll post a link on our sites to let you know how.

16/ SBL Eu: Do you have another cd coming out soon?

Anna: I wish! Hopefully within the next year we’ll have something ready, can’t wait to get start recording again. Plenty of new songs to be worked out . . .

SBL Eu: Well, thank you very much for answering all those questions. We wish you all the best and hope to hear more of your music very soon!

Anna: My pleasure, thanks for the questions and keep in touch! xa

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For more about Yet cut Breath:

http://www.myspace.com/yetcutbreath
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Yet-Cut-Breath/149852248386217

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This entry was posted by Angie on Tuesday, April 26th, 2011 at %I:%M %p and is filed under Interviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.