www.Songwriter.com
by: Emily Maxwell
Minnesotan sibling duo The Cactus Blossoms, one of the most promising up-and-coming classic country acts around, adorn their songs with warm two-part harmonies and unmistakeable elements of bluegrass. We chat with brothers Jack Torrey and Page Burkum about Willie Nelson, working crowds and the best jukebox standards.
How long have you been writing songs?
Jack: I’ve been writing songs for eight years or so. Cage, you’ve been writing songs for a few years, right?
Cage: I’ve written a couple songs over a few years. A song a year or so.
How old were you guys when you started playing together?
Jack: I guess we started playing out together a few years ago. I was about 24 and Cage was 29.
Page: It was about six years ago that we started. It was our first band where we were leading together, singing and playing guitar. I had played drums in some local bands in Minneapolis, and Jack had been writing songs on his own.
What’s your typical songwriting process now?
Jack: Well, I guess it’s changing. I’m kinda waiting to find out what the next change is gonna be like. It’s mostly just an idea that kinda knocks around my head and eventually comes out as a whole song. It’s a pretty simple process for me. There’s a little editing at the end and then it’s done. I don’t have a huge, drawn out creative process for it. I heard Willie Nelson talking about it and he was right on. He said it was like hearing your neighbor’s music through the wall. You hear something that catches your ear, but you don’t get the whole thing, and it takes a while before you finally do and it all pops off.
Do you usually start with music or lyrics first?
Jack: Sometimes it’s just a funny line, some irony or play on words that unfolds into a whole song.
Page: Yeah, there was one song I wrote on this album that I had a melody in my head for for almost two years. I just had the chorus “powder blue” – those were the only words I had – knocking around in my mind for a while until I could finally finish it.
Who are your favorite songwriters?
Jack: I’m a big fan of Bob Dylan, Hank Williams and Willie Nelson. Those are people I feel have had a direct impact on me. The Beatles were so good. They were amazing songwriters.
What’s a song someone else wrote that you wish you had written?
Page: “You Really Got A Hold On Me”. I heard it when I was young and I think it just stuck in my head. It’s just so simple and so good. The words perfectly fit the melody.
Jack: I probably would have written “Crazy” by Willie Nelson. On multiple levels, it’s the top jukebox song of the century.