Sixpence None The Richer Interview - Rosemary Hill, Kiss Me

Over the past 30 years, the band Sixpence None the Richer has had a major impact in pop, rock and alternative music. Best known for their late ’90s pop hits “Kiss Me” and “There She Goes,” the group has created a large body or work, with six studio albums (including a Christmas album) and several EPs.

Currently the band—which consists of main songwriter & lead guitarist Matt Slocum, lead singer & co-writer Leigh Nash, drummer Dale Baker and bassist Justin Cary—have reunited and are enjoying a resurgence. They’ve just released a new EP called Rosemary Hill (on Flatiron Recordings), which is their first release in a decade. In addition, the band has launched a major concert tour of North America, playing 50 cities over a two-month period.

The EP Rosemary Hill shows the band to be in a fine form. Containing six songs, the EP features excellent tracks such as “Julia” (which recalls the hooky, melodic sound of their early hits), “Homeland” and “Rosemary Hill” (which thoughtfully looks back on their hometown and roots), and the positive, hopeful “We Are Love.”

Sixpence None the Richer has long been the musical vision of its co-founders, Matt Slocum and Leigh Nash. Slocum has written most of the songs, and Nash’s lead vocals have been the band’s most identifiable element. Nash has a very appealing, expressive voice, which gives every Sixpence song a distinctive quality.

We are pleased to do this new Q&A interview with Matt Slocum. He discusses the history of the band, their hit songs, and their new EP and tour. But before we get started, here’s a brief rundown of the group’s album and background.

Slocum grew up in the town of New Braunfels, Texas, where he met Nash when they were teenagers. They quickly struck up a music friendship and collaboration, and Slocum began writing songs that would feature Nash as lead vocalist.

The duo eventually formed Sixpence None the Richer, with drummer Dale Baker joining the band. Early on, they released two albums: The Fatherless & The Widow (in 1994) and This Beautiful Mess (1995).

Here’s the video of Sixpence None the Richer’s new song,
“Rosemary Hill.”

It was in 1998 that the group had a big breakthrough, when their song “Kiss Me” became a worldwide hit. This song was one of the most joyful, memorable singles of the time, with its hooky melody and chorus, and Nash’s captivating lead vocals and harmonies. Then Sixpence followed up this hit with their engaging cover version of “There She Goes: (written by Lee Mavers of the English band, The La’s).

Propelled by the success of “Kiss Me,” “There She Goes” and their popular third album, Sixpence None the Richer, the band toured extensively for the next four years. However, due to the heavy touring, the group became exhausted and started to feel burned out. This led to them announcing their initial breakup in 2004.

After taking a few years off, Sixpence did reunite in 2007 to release their EP, My Dear Machine, and followed it up with their Christmas album, The Dawn of Grace, which is a highlight for the band. Sixpence also released a full album, Lost in Transition, in 2012.

Here’s our interview with Matt Slocum of Sixpence None the Richer:

DK: Back in the early ’90s, how did you form Sixpence None the Richer? I read that you grew up in New Braunfels, Texas, and that’s where you met Leigh Nash.

Matt Slocum: Yes, we grew up together in the same town in Texas Hill Country, and there’s about a three-year age difference between us. We went to school together and church together, and she was already sitting in with bands that let her get up and sing a song. Leigh’s parents were really encouraging of her talent.

When I was around 15, I inherited my first guitar from my dad, and I was trying to figure out how to write songs on it. Then I gave Leigh a cheap cassette of a few songs that I was working on, and she really brought them to life and it went from there.

Here’s the lyric video of Sixpence None the Richer’s new
song, “Julia.”

DK: Early on, Sixpence released two albums before you hit it big with your third album. Can you talk about those first two albums?

Slocum: I would say the first record was definitely us trying to figure it out. We were so young. I was 19 and Lee was 16, and we traveled in the summer all the way up to an area outside of Chicago. So that first record was us exploring record-making while we were actually making a record, which is funny looking back on it now. Then that inspired us to create a live touring band, because when we went into the studio for that first record, we didn’t have that. And that’s when we met Dale Baker who came in as the drummer, and then we met a bass player and another guitarist, and started touring on that first record. Then we wrote songs based on having a louder, touring rock band, and that’s what led to our second record, This Beautiful Mess.

DK: In 1998, you had the big hit with “Kiss Me,” which you wrote. Can you tell the story behind writing “Kiss Me” and how it became a hit?

Slocum: After we completed This Beautiful Mess, we were still on a small indie level, but we started getting some international dates at some festivals in Europe. I think we were playing a festival in Holland and we had some downtime. I was sitting around in my hotel room and the song came quick; I probably wrote it in about 45 minutes. Then I went up to Leigh’s room and said, “Hey check this out,” and she loved it. So we ended up playing it in our set that night at a festival, and it allowed us to grow it on the road a bit. Then when we went into the studio, it was a song that had a marked difference in mood and style from the rest of the album, which was more dark and moody. So the ironic part is, we thought it stuck out like a sore thumb and we didn’t really want it on the album. But the producer was pretty adamant about it, and we owe a lot to him for that decision.

I think at heart it’s a pretty sugary, jangle pop, but it’s connected with people and it’s still finding new life [with other artists recording it]. It ended up being one of those songs that’s timeless and connects with people.

Here’s the lyric video of Sixpence None the Richer’s new song,
“We Are Love.”

DK: Then in 2004, you announced that the band was breaking up. What led to the band breaking up at that time?

Slocum: Well, we had been touring pretty heavily. We spent three or four years touring all over the world, and we were pretty burned out. And Leigh was pregnant with her first child. Looking back, we should have just called it a sabbatical. But we were burned out at the time.

DK: In 2007, the band reunited and released an EP (My Dear Machine), and then a year later you released a Christmas album called The Dawn of Grace. Then in 2012 you released a full album called Lost in Transition. So can you talk about that period, where you reunited and released those projects?

Slocum: We got back together around 2007 and we started exploring what the options were. The EP was like a time capsule, of us feeling our way back into making music together again. And we loved making our Christmas record…it was so much fun. We ended up loving that project.

That led us to another full-length record (Lost in Transition), and what was special for us was getting to work with one of our production & engineering heroes, Jim Scott, out in L.A. So we’ve just followed the path that led us.

DK: This year Sixpence has reunited for a new EP, Rosemary Hill, and you’ve launched a new tour. How did you, Leigh and the band decide that this was a good time to get back together?

Slocum: Everybody had stayed at it in their own way. We released some great solo records, and everyone kept getting better on their own. And when the pandemic hit, that’s when Leigh and I started coming together and writing together and doing some basic recordings.

Then Leigh and I got asked to do a brief stand with 10,000 Maniacs last year. They needed a singer and a guitar player, so we joined the band to do a fall tour and we did a recording with them. And in that process, we realized how much fun we have on the road together, and how our skills had gotten better.

Here’s the video of Sixpence None the Richer’s classic hit,
“Kiss Me.”

We loved being in the studio again and we came to this realization…let’s put this energy into our own thing. That was the tipping point which led to the Rosemary Hill EP and reuniting again.

DK: On your new EP, two of my favorite songs are “Homeland” and “Rosemary Hill.” Can you talk about writing those songs?

Slocum: Both “Homeland” and Rosemary Hill were written during the pandemic. I’m 51 now—I have two daughters who are 16 and 13. Leigh has a son in college, and I think there’s a natural inclination to have your hometown pull you back as you get older. And seeing your kids grow up, you’re processing all your old childhood memories. So those two songs, mainly “Rosemary Hill,” were an attempt to immortalize our childhood.

So with these songs, even though we’re talking about specific places, people can relate to their own places in their own lives. So both those songs have connected in that way, just the pride of home and all the childhood memories. I wrote both songs with a good friend of mine, Sam Ashworth, who’s a brilliant songwriter.

DK: Currently, Sixpence has launched a new tour. Can you talk about your new tour? I noticed that you’ve already sold out The Troubadour in Los Angeles.

Slocum: Yeah, we’re really working hard. We’re doing 50 cities in about two months, so it’s a lot. So far it’s been going really well—we’ve had some great shows, the band is sounding great, people are coming out. We’ve sold out about 10 shows so far including The Troubadour, which is our last show of the tour. And we’re proud that we’re getting a lot of love from cities like Nashville, L.A. and Austin.

DK: After you’re done with this tour, will you keep touring into next year? Or will you be taking some time off?

Slocum: The day after The Troubadour show, we’re going into the studio in L.A. to record a track for the Sweet Relief project, which is to raise money for the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund. And we’re really excited because the lineup is incredible. There’s Aimee Mann, Michael Penn, Fiona Apple, Watkins Family Hour and Peter Case. We’re honored be a part of that.

We’ll also be releasing a live album in the spring for Record Store Day, so that’s exciting. Then it looks like we’ll be doing some international touring next summer, and some other projects. So we have a lot of things coming up.