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<\/p>\nBased since 1996 in Western North Carolina, singer-songwriter-guitarist Nikki Talley took to the road about six years ago. With husband and multi-instrumentalist Jason Sharp, she toured constantly, traveling across the United States in a converted passenger van named Bluebell. For many years, that nomadic existence defined her musical persona; most every story about Talley\u2014including this one\u2014makes mention of it.<\/p>\n
Over the past 11 years Talley has released three studio albums plus a live set, 2012\u2019s Live at the Altamont Theatre<\/i>. And during that time she and Sharp have played hundreds of live shows every year, scheduling regular visits back to to the Carolinas to play in front of old friends and fans before heading off to the next gig. \u201cWe would come back annually, but we\u2019d only stay for two month or so,\u201d Talley says. \u201cAnd then we\u2019d take off again.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
But now that the couple has a child, they\u2019ve made some changes. \u201cWe\u2019ve started to plant some seeds and let them sprout at home,\u201d Talley says. Today, she and Sharp once again call North Carolina home. \u201cWe\u2019ve got some acres about 30 minutes from the nearest stop light in Brevard,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s very nice being on the road and being around people, but this is a fantastic place to unwind and slow down. I<\/span><\/span>t\u2019s nice to kind of settle down a little bit. I hadn\u2019t had a garden in six years.\u201d<\/p>\n But Talley and Sharp haven\u2019t forsaken the traveling life completely. \u201cWe first took our daughter on the road when she was two months old,\u201d Talley says. \u201cAnd we\u2019ve got a car seat ready for her.\u201d Bluebell has logged more than 307,000 miles, and while the couple have scaled back their touring schedule, they continue to schedule regional dates within a six-hour radius of Brevard. \u201cBluebell\u2019s still our adventure-mobile,\u201d she says with a smile.<\/p>\n And while the road certainly provided inspiration for creating new music, Talley\u2019s prodigious songwriting continues at home. \u201cI have a ridiculous amount of songs,\u201d Talley says. \u201cI\u2019ve probably written 150.\u201d She says that the tunes vary widely, as they variously came about during what she calls her \u201cpiano phase\u201d or \u201cbanjo phase.\u201d Selecting the right songs for a fourth studio release is one of her current projects. \u201cI\u2019m ready to do another album,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Talley emphasizes that while she\u2019ll likely do much of the post-production work\u2014mixing, mastering and editing\u2014in a professional studio, she hopes to record the basic tracks at home in rural Transylvania County. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing like making an album where you\u2019re the most comfortable, creative and free,\u201d she says. Talley wants the next album\u2019s character to be \u201chomegrown and homemade,\u201d she says. \u201cBecause the albums that I really, really like sound like [they were recorded] in someone\u2019s living room.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n A homespun quality would reflect the lives that she and Sharp are leading today. \u201cAfter having a baby, I feel like I want to be a little more relaxed,\u201d Talley says. \u201cI\u2019ve lightened up a lot. I\u2019m okay with things that aren\u2019t as perfect.\u201d She says that she focuses less on making music that\u2019s specifically designed for radio play or widespread accessibility. \u201cI\u2019m kind of saying to myself, \u2018Write the song for you. Other people will relate to it.\u2019 Because that\u2019s the way art happens sometimes.\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n And Talley\u2019s art is a product of her life in 2018. \u201cI\u2019m not writing about botched relationships, having your heart broken,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019m moving on to a different phase of the good life, writing stuff that is more about the human happy, lovey experience.\u201d And she readily admits that her infant daughter acts as a kind of muse. \u201cShe\u2019s definitely influencing my songwriting,\u201d Talley says. \u201cAnd in a good way.\u201d She also admits that having a baby influences her creative work habits, too: \u201cI need to write quicker, because her naps are getting shorter!\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Based since 1996 in Western North Carolina, singer-songwriter-guitarist Nikki Talley took to the road about six years ago. 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