Interview: M. WARD Is Gearing Up for His Café Carlyle Debut

Next week from Thursday November 21 through Saturday November 23, singer-songwriter M. Ward will make his Café Carlyle debut. He will bring his distinctive sound and compelling storytelling to the Café Carlyle stage.

The American singer-songwriter and guitarist is known for his unique blend of folk, indie rock, and Americana. With a career spanning over two decades, Ward has released several solo albums, collaborated with numerous artists, and achieved critical acclaim both as a solo artist and as part of the duo She & Him.

M. Ward’s residency at Café Carlyle will feature a series of performances that showcase his extensive catalog, and audiences can expect an intimate evening filled with Ward’s signature blend of folk, indie rock, and lo-fi charm.

We spoke to M. Ward about the upcoming show and what he loves about live performance.

What are you looking forward to about your debut at Cafe Carlyle?
This will be my first time stepping foot into the Carlyle. I've heard a lot of amazing things, and I know a bit of the history, but I want to learn more.

Central Park is one of my favorite places on the planet. So, I will be basically living in the Upper East Side for about a week, and I'm excited about that.

What was the process of putting the set list together for the show like, or are you still working on it?
Yeah, I do not have a set list [yet]. It will be changing a bit every night. At the moment, I'm about to go on tour with my Australian band to support a record that's coming out next month called For Beginners: The Best of M. Ward, and I'll be focused on that for the next month or so.

Do you usually like to keep things loose when you're doing a show?

Yeah, I think I like to keep things loose. I don't want to, restrain, anything too much. I find that when I'm traveling and when I'm performing every night that new ideas will present themselves and I don't see any real benefit to staying too close to a strict set list or a strict way of performing a song. I feel like the audience and the performer benefit the most if we're in the moment as much as possible.

Have you been working on new songs lately?
I have been. I'm producing a record for an artist that I'm not at liberty to announce yet, but that's been taking up most of my time for the last few months, and I'm always working on new music. I'm currently working on a collaboration with a guy in Ireland named Mark McKowski and a guy from Arizona named Howe Gelb, with some new songs that we're excited to release next year.

You've said in the past that performing and songwriting are very intertwined for you. How do you feel like the energy of doing a live show translates back into songwriting?
Yeah. There's a bit of creation while you're on stage, and if you are a performer who's only interested in performing the songs exactly as they were recorded then there's not much creation. That's more of a recreation. And I get more inspired by invention, whether it's in the studio or performing on stage and, that's the most exciting thing about performance is to see things being invented in front of your eyes and in front of your ears.

I stay fairly close to a setlist, but the setlist is made the day of the show, and then so much of it is how you're feeling. The way the songs are expressed that day is how you're feeling. And experimenting with ideas every night.

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Tickets to see M. Ward on November 21, 22 and 23 are available on the Café Carlyle’s website. The shows start at 8:45 pm each night. The run is currently almost completely sold out, so get those tickets now. A waitlist is also available for the sold out nights.

For Beginners: The Best of M. Ward is available here. Learn more about M. Ward on his website.

Header photo credit: Autumn de Wilde

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