The Llano Idea

Copenhagen, Denmark, seems an unlikely place to come across good ol’ fashioned country western tunes. However, this past July I stumbled across a Danish artist that cured my West Texas homesickness with just a strum of his guitar. In a region better known for its electronic acts, CS Nielsen has been able to make a name for himself with powerful singing and intelligent songwriting reminiscent of past Americana greats such as Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan. I caught up with CS recently to ask him a few questions concerning his unlikely choice of sound and whether he had any plans of making a pilgrimage stateside.

How did you first get exposed to traditional country music living in Denmark?
First of all, I’m a little uneasy about categories and genres. I’m not too sure my music fits the label ‘traditional country’ – maybe it’s not even country, possibly Americana or folk music. All I know is that I’m a huge fan of classic 20th Century Americana, from Harry Smith’s “Anthology of American Folk Music” to Hank Williams, to Robert Johnson, to Louis Armstrong, to Woody Guthrie, to Bill Monroe, to Muddy Waters, to Billie Holliday, to Elvis Presley… I dig Appalachian ballads, Delta Blues, Tin Pan Alley standards, old jazz, hillbilly, gospel, bluegrass, rhythm & blues, rockabilly and certainly also country & western. I’m sure some or all of these influences are evident in my music, and if you hear me as traditional country more than any of the others, maybe it’s because that was my earliest influence.

Do you remember that first album that got you intrigued with country music — the one that made you think you wanted to do something like this?
I think my first introduction to hardcore country music was some old reel-to-reel tapes of my father’s that I got exposed to at a very early age. It was mainly Johnny Horton, Buck Owens, Marty Robbins and Johnny Cash. As a small kid I didn’t understand a word of English, but I was totally captured by the drama and fatalism of it all. Marty Robbins’ gunfighter ballads, for example – that was frightening stuff! It wasn’t too long after that that I discovered Hank Williams, and I still remember the first time I heard “Alone and Forsaken” and “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry”.

It’s obvious through your music that Johnny Cash is a huge inspiration. How would you say he has helped shape your singer/songwriter ability?
Johnny Cash was my first big musical hero. He showed me a lot of things. His ability to communicate emotions was incredible – he was a soul singer, really. Also, his music brought home a lot of grim realities to me – he didn’t cover up unpleasant facts and contradictions of life – maybe he was a punk singer as well! I got to meet him in Germany in 1995, and that was really something for a kid at 18 looking for the truth! He had a lot to do with the way I developed into a performer in my own right as well. People often mention him when they hear my music. I can understand that, but I’m not really conscious of his shadow anymore. Maybe it just looks different from my perspective.

What other country legends would you credit for inspiring your act?
I’m obsessed with Bob Dylan. He has revitalized the art of songwriting – how it represents life. He has changed the way we think of songwriting, and quite importantly, he has forced critics and the rest of us to pay attention to the old masters who came before him and take them seriously as original representatives of unique American art forms. I think Dylan has meant to American music what Martin Luther meant to Christianity in the 16th Century – a reformist. Obviously, Dylan also influenced a host of songwriters who came after him (myself included!), but I only listen to few of those.

My second favorite songwriter of all time did, however, follow Bob Dylan: your fellow Texan Townes Van Zandt. Musically, I feel very closely related to Townes. His takes on melancholy and hopelessness with beauty, wisdom and humor are nothing short of fantastic! He grabs me by the heart and never loses his grip! I owe a lot of my songwriting to Townes. A song like “Rex’s Blues” contains everything I personally could ever aspire to be able to put into a song: “It’s legs to walk and it’s thoughts to fly/ Eyes to laugh and lips to cry/ A restless tongue to classify/ All born to grow and grown to die” – Maybe there are no other truths in the world than what these few lines hold!

Among other songwriters from the so-called ‘modern era’ I really dig are Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, Leonard Cohen, Kris Kristofferson, Lee Hazlewood, Willie Nelson, Tom Waits and Nick Cave. As far as guitar playing is concerned, Mississippi John Hurt, Merle Travis and Doc Watson taught me everything I know – which, in fact, isn’t all that much.

I noticed too that you played some prison shows in Denmark. What was that experience like?
The prison audiences were some of the best audiences I have ever been in front of. These guys taught me about my own music, as well as the power of music in general, in ways I hadn’t imagined. For example, we did Arthur A. Brumley’s old gospel classic “I’ll Fly Away” at every show, and the prisoners always started singing along. I’m sure they had never heard the song before, but sang along anyway – they somehow knew the song much better than I did: “Like a bird from these prison walls I’ll fly”.

If I remembered correctly, you also spent some time in the Southern United States. Was it everything that you imagined the South being?
I spent a semester studying literature and film at Centenary College in Shreveport, La. I did play various venues in Shreveport, though. It was quite amazing – like a musical homecoming!

Any plans on returning?
As a matter of fact I’ll be coming back to the U.S. this fall to tour with my good friend and colleague MC Hansen. We’ll try to book a tour of house concerts and clubs from New York City down through the South to Texas. Some of the dates will be with the fine American artist Dana Cooper and may include a gig at the Old Quarter in Houston, where Townes Van Zandt recorded one of the greatest live albums in the history of recorded music back in the 70s. I can’t wait! As we start with the booking, the dates will be posted on my web site.

Do you see the popularity of country music expanding in Denmark and the rest of Scandinavia — kind of like the emergence of “cool jazz” in the 50s and 60s?
Well, as far as country music I actually don’t see much going on in Denmark. Maybe I’m not looking hard enough! In the pop field, there’s a certain trendiness about ‘going country’ these days, but I don’t pay any attention to that whatsoever. Honestly, I don’t pay much attention to where country music is going in the States either. It’s extremely rare that I feel myself being moved by a new popular country act. In the left fields of alt. country something is happening though – at least from time to time. Gillian Welch may be the most important artist for many years to write and record in Nashville, she’s fabulous. And of course we still have Steve Earle, Lucinda Williams, Emmylou Harris, and Hank III, bless his hell-billy heart!

Other than you of course, what acts should we have an eye on for the future of country music in the region?
One Danish artist to whom I feel very closely connected – as a songwriter, musician and friend – is MC Hansen. I’m really looking forward to touring the U.S. with him. Another friend of mine, Backdoor Red, is one of the most authentic traditionalists I have ever come across. Ester Brohus is great: she’s the grand old lady of country music in Denmark – she sings like an angel and has toured with Wanda Jackson!

After a glowing review from [popular Scandinavian Music Site] It’s A Trap and two Danish Music Award Nominations, 2008 shaped up to be pretty good year for you. What can we expect from you in 2009? Any new material?
Yes, “Against the Dying of the Light” was my first official album release, and I have been lucky that a lot of people seemed to like it. Basically Danish national radio ignored it, but it did get airplay on some independent stations, and Americana podcasts all over the world, and I’m proud of that. Right now I’m in the early stages of recording a new album, which I hope will be out before the year is over (but you never know about these things!). Other than that I’m going to try to keep myself as busy as possible playing concerts and writing songs – that is whenever a song begs to be written and is able to convince me of the necessity of its existence! Like I said, the American tour is also coming up, and my record company Songcrafter Music and I are trying to set up a Greenland tour as well.

As long as I feel the music matters, as long as I can make it matter, and as long as I’m able to play it where it matters, this is what I’ll be doing.

CS Nielsen – Rage

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CS Nielsen – Here’s Lost John

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CS Nielsen – New Song

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UnclePhil Column, Music Against the Dying of the Light, Bob Dylan, CS Nielsen, downloads, Hank Williams, interview, Johnny Cash, mp3