The success and critical acclaim of Martha Wainwright's two albums, including the recently released I Know You're Married But I've Got Feelings Too sets her far apart from the clichéd labels so easily attached to other female songwriters; and the fans present at her three shows at this year's Edmonton Folk Festival prove it.

Edmonton Folk Festival 2008
Concert Stage 6 at 4 p.m. 10^th Sunday  

By: Xanthe Couture (Edmonton Correspondent - Canada)

The success and critical acclaim of Martha Wainwright's two albums, including the recently released I Know You're Married But I've Got Feelings Too sets her far apart from the clichéd labels so easily attached to other female songwriters; and the fans present at her three shows at this year's Edmonton Folk Festival prove it. Fifty something men to twenty something girls and everyone in between could be seen singing along to her deeply affecting songs.

With several famed songwriters in her family including aunt Anna McGarrigle, mother Kate McGarrigle, father Loudon Wainwright III, and her brother Rufus Wainwright, it's important that she makes a name for herself. Yet performing with them is always enjoyable "I wish they where here. I would do my own show and then we would do a show together. But right now I'm promoting a record so that is my plan of action," she says. "Funnily enough I am still always drawn to playing with them. Last night in Atlanta my mom was on piano so whenever she is around we play together," she adds. 

Although it helps having other acclaimed musicians in the family to rally round when creating your albums, Wainwright says, "Because we play so much together my albums are more about making a name for myself; that is really the emphasis." Wainwright describes their input as like that of a friend. "It's someone who cares and it's someone who wants the best for you. In the case of my family they are people I respect heavily and I look up to since I'm the youngest," she says.

"What they say matters but then if I don't agree with them then what they say doesn't matter," she says. "In the end it has to be your decision as an artist. The point to is to have your own voice." 

Wainwright is known for her personal lyrics, with references to past boyfriends, past experiences and a song about her Father, Loudon III, on her new album. Concerns for the privacy of the people she sings about, or her own personal life don't worry her "I have a tendency to push the envelope with lyrics because I think it's important to get the point across and not pussy foot around it," Wainwright says. "Its kinda funny in a way, it's important to have a little tongue and cheek, its important to not just be too careful," she adds.

"The songs are personal, but they are not really about me anymore once I've sung them. They are about what the listener wants them to be about," she explains. 

Beyond growing up surrounded by the musical influences of her family, Wainwright notes Bob Dylan as a great songwriter, "In terms of female artists I grew up listening to Cindi Lauper and Annie Lennox so that had a really big effect on me. I don't know if you can really hear in my music but especially on the second record you can hear little tinges of the 80s, being a child of the 80s," she adds. 

Stopping over after having toured in Europe at Festivals like Glastonbury, the Big Chill and Latitude, Edmonton's low-key feel was a nice change. "It's nice because Its small and easy to get around. The sessions are quite intimate and you can see people several times so it provides for a very enriching experience," she says.

Wainwright also performs in smaller more intimate venues and the contrast from a large outdoor Festival can create a different atmosphere for performing that she is well aware of. "There are people out there that have never heard of you so you have to try and win them over," she says. "You are not preaching to the choir as much so sometimes you have to reach in a little bit more and pull out as much as you can," she adds.  

Given her following at the Festival, great performances and years of experience, Wainwright reached out to the crowd and won them over.

Martha Wainwright's current album recently released is I Know You're Married But I've Got Feelings Too