4) You have a great musical pedigree having studied at the renowned Berklee College of music in the States- how useful was this?

Berklee is a gathering place for contemporary musicians from all over the world. I discovered Jazz there. It's also very competitive and you have to struggle to stand from the rest. Also, the students and teachers there are completely consumed by music. If you don't really have a passion for playing, writing and performing seven days a week, you won't survive. It forces you to be disciplined.

5) Your new album Thousand Miles seems to focus on relationships which are in difficulty, how biographical is it?

One of the first rules of writing is to write what you know. But that doesn't mean the songs are autobiographical. I often find I can imagine myself in someone's place, and write from that perspective.

6) The stripped down arrangements really allows your voice to shine and the stories in the songs to come through, was this deliberate ?

It's true that we didn't have much time in the studio, so we couldn't really bring in a whole rhythm section. But we wanted the songs to be stripped bare so that they would stand out. Also, it's a good reflection of our live sound.

7) What about Schoolyard that seems particularly biographical ?

Schoolyard is about some experiences that I had teaching in a school in Massachusetts, where the student were plagued by social problems. They lived in an environment rife with drugs, crime,etc. The educational system was also letting them down, with overcrowded schools, inadequate programs for needy students. It's a common story especially in urban schools. The teacher in the story is so angry that these kids can't read, and imagines breaking all the windows. It's loosely based on a colleague who got so frustrated he threw a chair through the classroom window. it's also about demanding a decent chance for our children to get an education.

8) What three albums would you recommend to someone not too familiar with country music ?

To be honest, I don't really have much country music in my collection. I only ever listen to Tom Waits and Randy Newman! Sad, but true...

For information on Maureen visit http://www.maureenmunroe.com

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