sixpence none the richer - rosemary hill - flatiron

As the Rosemary Hill EP begins, Sixpence None the Richer’s first release since 2012, Leigh Nash sings, “In the eye of the storm, I’m gonna thread the needle.” Now three decades after Nash met her musical partner Matt Slocum in New Braunfels, Texas, Sixpence is threading the needle in the sweet spot they have often longed for throughout a stormy yet momentous career.

Slocum confesses that two of the six new songs are an attempt to immortalize their hometown: “New Braunfels was an amazing place to grow up… We could roam freely in the streets, from sunup to sundown.” Nash adds, “Meeting Matt is the most important thing that happened for me in New Braunfels.” That rings true for all of us; New Braunfels, Texas is the birthplace of Sixpence None the Richer, a great American rock ’n’ roll band.

While Sixpence has been Nashville-based for most of their career, Rosemary Hill reveals they are at heart a Texas band. The title track cites the street Slocum grew up on, as Nash sings Slocum’s words, “That was a long time ago - But the feelings, they don’t get old - Every time that I come home - I’ll be riding, I’ll be flying on Rosemary Hill - My Rosemary Hill.”

On another new Slocum composition “Homeland” Nash sings, “In my homeland - Once a child of the Texas hills - The way it pulls you back is giving me the chills.” Nash admits, “It's really gonna be difficult for me to sing ‘Homeland’ without getting choked up… Listening to it, I cry almost every time, just because there's so much…It's a beautiful song lyrically, but it's visceral. Like, I can smell, and, yeah, feel all those things from our homeland.”

While growing up in New Braunfels Nash dreamed of being a country singer (which has come to fruition in many ways, but most notably on her 2015 solo album The State I'm In), and Slocum feels Sixpence has been lyrically influenced by the brilliant Texas songwriter Guy Clark. But musically, Sixpence couldn’t be more different.

Sixpence None the Richer is a rock band. While primarily known for top-40 pop radio hits, Sixpence’s live show is full of guitar riffs, aggressive bass, and pounding drums. As Sixpence begins touring again for the first time since 2013, Nash says, “I want to come out swinging.” As their discography of six full-length albums and their new third EP Rosemary Hill reveals, Sixpence’s sound begins with Nash singing over Slocum’s guitar playing.

The driving force behind Slocum’s British-inspired, riff-based guitar rock is the creative rhythm section of bassist Justin Cary and drummer Dale Baker. After Sixpence had three bass players in five years in the mid-90’s, they were in need of another one in 1997 as their self-titled album neared release. Cary had recently moved to Nashville, and a friend told him about the opening in Sixpence. Cary grabbed a phone book and cold-called Slocum and has been an integral collaborator ever since. Despite playing with Sixpence for more than 25 years, Cary describes the present as the first time he has truly “owned it”. Cary says, “Just this year I really have taken the mantle and said, ‘I'm the bass player in this band.’”

2024 marks the return of Dale Baker, who last drummed for Sixpence in 2001. Baker was a core member of the band for eight years and played on the band’s most popular songs and albums. Like Nash and Slocum, Baker has roots in the Lone Star State, where he was a member of the One O’Clock Lab Band at the University of North Texas. In 2022, it became apparent to Slocum and Nash that not only did they want to write, record, and play shows as Sixpence again, but that it was important for Baker to be a part of it. Cary remarks, “Dale's a schooled musician. He understands the language. He understands the history…He's really approaching it as an orchestral musician where it's not just drums he's thinking about.” Baker says, “As soon as I sat down, we started playing the songs…it felt completely natural and authentic.” Baker confesses he is thrilled to be back, and that being the drummer in Sixpence is an important part of his musical identity.

A unique catalyst in Sixpence’s recent journey was the opportunity Slocum and Nash had to join the 10,000 Maniacs in 2023. Sixpence had opened for the 10,000 Maniacs in the early 90’s, but then Slocum and Nash were invited to become members of the band last year. Slocum says, “We got out there and started having fun…I was playing guitars, Leigh was singing, and it just kinda reminded us how much we enjoy it and that we're good at it… once we started feeling that kind of energy again, we wanted to continue it together.” Nash shares her thinking while on that tour: “Matt and I got to spend a lot of time together on the road, and it was fun! That was the best part for me, just getting to hang out with him and reconnect musically.” Playing with the 10,000 Maniacs reignited their passion for playing live, but they knew moving forward they wanted to do it as Sixpence None the Richer.

Four of the six songs on Rosemary Hill Slocum and Nash began working on during the pandemic. Nash was heavily impacted by the death of Fountains of Wayne’s Adam Schlessinger in 2020, and co-wrote “Julia” with Anna Vaus; both as a tribute to Schlessinger but also as a true story about a friend. Slocum, Baker, and Cary all expect “Julia” to be the highlight of future shows; Slocum says, “Everyone in the rehearsal room lights up when practicing it.” Baker adds, “I really love ‘Julia’, I love a good pop song.” Cary describes it as “A great song! Man, I'm inside the lyrics.”

Another stand-out is “We Are Love”, which Sixpence is using as the title of their 2024 fall tour, and just might be the band’s mantra. Cary says, “It features everybody in a way…there's definitely drum moments, bass moments, vocal moments…the wall of harmony.” “We Are Love” opens with acapella vocal harmonies, moving to the drumming of Baker, then to a distinct guitar riff from Slocum, as Nash sings “Honeybee cluster - The heat of the hive - We are love -We can make it,” referencing the long-time beekeeping hobby of Slocum’s. The bridge can be credited to Armand Petri, who guided Cary to add mandolin, following Slocum’s dramatic guitar solo. Sixpence reconnected with Petri in the studio for the first time in nearly 30 years (1995’s This Beautiful Mess), being assisted this time around by Dave Fridmann in his Tarbox Road Studios in Western New York. Baker was thrilled to get back in the studio with Petri, this time with more experience. He says the recording was more collaborative as he is now more willing to share his opinions and ideas.

Rosemary Hill is produced by long-time friend and collaborator Steve Hindalong of The Choir. Slocum and Hindalong co-wrote “We Are Love”, and both are also members of the band The Ascendants, along with Jimmy Abegg, Phil Madeira, and Ben Pearson, who released their debut album in 2023. Baker worked closely with Hindalong in sessions two decades ago, and he says it was powerful to be able to reconnect; “To get to work with him again, I just didn't think that was ever gonna happen.”

“We have only gotten better, hopefully, at all of our crafts, our specific things that we do,” says Nash. “And so why would we stop? And that's the encouragement…I like where I am right now just as a human being, a mother, into my forties now. I like where I'm at. It's weird. It's kinda crazy. It's a little off balance, but it's inspiring to me, the things that are going on around me.” Baker agrees, “Isn't it beautiful to be alive right now? …Every day is such a gift, and I'm so grateful that we get to make music and create joy. And then just realizing how much this band means to me.”

After having a global number one hit, Sixpence no longer aspires for fame or fortune, and is not a nostalgia act. “We're not interested in just cashing in on the past”, says Nash. Slocum adds, “We’re trying to find the balance of experimenting and pushing our limits, but still satisfying the people that have loved our music all these years. Basically we want to keep making better records and writing better songs.”

Cary and Baker describe Sixpence as a family, with the relationships between the four of them as paramount. Cary says, “We're all more comfortable with each other just because we've lived through so much.” Baker elaborates, “It feels personal, but in a way that’s a gift. Relationships matter so much to me…The money, the trappings, all of that, the ego, like, none of that matters. So what do we have? It's the relationships…There's something about the collaborative nature of Sixpence that I still believe in; that our best work remains to be seen. …But for that collaboration to come through you you gotta have that level of connection.”

In “Thread the Needle” Nash sings, “Today I started wondering - How’d I get this far? Low down, tip of an iceberg - Still looking for stars.” The Rosemary Hill EP is the tip of the iceberg, and as Slocum says, “This definitely feels like act two; it’s a second wind.” Sixpence None the Richer is relaunching their career, not resurrecting the past. And it is clear Slocum, Nash, Baker and Cary all feel there may be more Sixpence songs ahead of them than there are behind.