‘Because I am country’: Paisley Fields challenges country music norms with raw songs and a deeply personal journey

If you’re wondering how country singer named Paisley Fields ended up onstage at Lucinda’s in the East Village singing their original tunes like “Ride Me Cowboy” and “Jesus Loving American Guy (Limp Wrist)," well, it’s been a journey. 

From their early days in Iowa singing along with pop tunes on the boombox to playing organ at age 14 with the church choir, Fields just loved music.

“I started playing piano when I was 12, and that just really took off for me; it came sort of naturally. I  would play any chance I would get where I could sit down at the piano," they recount. “My family was very Catholic, but I was not really connected to the church. In some ways, I was spiritual though. I remember when I was in high school, I would sneak out of my bedroom and smoke cigarettes and look at the stars and feel like I could talk to God that way."

“It was hard in high school in the late 90s being closeted," they reflect. “In my senior year, I came out to a girl, and she outed me. So the whole town knew, but right around the time I was graduating, and then I just got out of there."

Fields studied classical piano in college and moved to NYC in 2004, supporting himself with a range of jobs from an executive assistant to working at the Pyramid Club before moving on to forming a musical partnership, making an album and touring for a year in Japan.  

“My partner said, ‘Would you want to move to Japan?’ And I was like, yeah! I was working an administrative job, and I just wanted to play music," Fields recalls. "So I ended up moving with him, and I formed a duo with a Japanese artist there named Kazunari Abe. We toured the whole country and recorded an album.  We were called Sora Ocean. It was sort of a combination of genres. He plays a instrument called the shinobue, which is a Japanese bamboo flute. We would do some instrumental pieces, some traditional Japanese music, and then we'd do more Western music, and we wrote some songs together. It was a really beautiful collaboration." [caption id="attachment_137846047" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Paisley Fields, waiting in the wingsPhoto by Bob Krasner[/caption] [caption id="attachment_137846046" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Country singer Paisley FieldsPhoto by Bob Krasner[/caption] [caption id="attachment_137846044" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Paisley takes the cake - on the set of "Party Girl"Photo by Bob Krasner[/caption] [caption id="attachment_137846043" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Livin' it up on the set of Paisley Fiields' "Party Girl" videoPhoto by Bob Krasner[/caption] [caption id="attachment_137846045" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Cast and crew at the "Party Girl" shoot, top, L-R: Jamilah, Guilherme Morais, Paisley Field, Stephanie Marie, Alex Hatsis, video director/camera person Madeline Northway . Bottom: camera person Brittany NoFomo, Michael Karson , Jessica Louise DyePhoto by Bob Krasner[/caption]

Fields remembers making up songs as a kid and starting to take songwriting seriously in college, where they made their first album under the name James Wilson, but they dismissed it as “really kind of bad."

Fields headed into the country genre honestly, although they admit that “part of it was to be subversive, but part of it is because I really do love country music and I've been influenced by all the songs growing up in Iowa, it's just, you're constantly around it, you know?” 

They add, “I think that for a while I rebelled against it, and that's why I was into the grunge music and punk and all that, and I really do love that music too." We should mention, the music of Prince as well, which is what the Paisley moniker references.

“But I never saw anybody like me in country music and I thought that was kind of bulls#!t. Because I am country. I worked on a farm. I grew up in the rural Midwest and I think country music is just about stories, and why shouldn't our stories be told, you know?” 

Fields may be a minority in the country pool, but they’re not alone. They mention queer artists like the well-known Orville Peck, the lesser-known local Wiley Gaby, and the groundbreaking combo Lavender Country, who brought Fields on as a touring member back in 2022.  [caption id="attachment_137846042" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Country singer Paisley FieldsPhoto by Bob Krasner[/caption] [caption id="attachment_137846040" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] L-R, the band at Lucinda's: Jamilah (bass), Jesse French (guitar) , Paisley Fields, Kelley Swindall (vocals), Jeff Lampert (pedal steel), Mikey Erg (drums)Photo by Bob Krasner[/caption] [caption id="attachment_137846039" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Guitarist Jesse French and bassist Jamilah back up Paisley Fields at Lucinda'sPhoto by Bob Krasner[/caption] [caption id="attachment_137846038" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Paisley Fields and Jamilah belting it out at Lucinda'sPhoto by Bob Krasner[/caption] [caption id="attachment_137846037" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Paisley Fields having a blast onstage at Lucinda's with singer Kelley SwindallPhoto by Bob Krasner[/caption]

Fields is just about to release their latest LP, “Are You Mad At Me?”, which was preceded by two singles, “Hands Off The Hat” and “Party Girl," which is accompanied by a video.

“So I've really been working on it, as far as the writing and the arrangements and everything, for the last 3 to 4 years. It’s been a really long process — I had probably 30 songs, and we ended up recording 10 with 2 spoken word pieces. So there are a lot of B sides!” they say.  “I feel really proud of it. This is the first time I've produced my own album. I've co-produced it with Brendan Monaghan, who also engineered it.  I just had a really clear vision of the sound I wanted to get, but I couldn't really put it into words. I just heard it in my head, and I knew that producing it myself was the way for me to get that. I think we really achieved something super special, and I'm really happy with all the people who are on it. We got a super talented band and I feel really proud of what we did together."

The album is a step forward, as they explain, “The music has definitely evolved, I would say. When I started performing as Paisley Fields, I definitely went full country in the beginning. With this album, it’s been quite a bit of a genre evolution where I'm bringing all of my previous influences into this album. There's hyper pop and there's punk and there's Americana and there's country, so it's really a variety of genres on this one. I wanted to explore that world a bit more and not really stay in the confines of country music."

Fields is gearing up for a tour, starting at Industry City in Brooklyn this Sunday, May 3, with Lizzie Edwards, who is also celebrating a new album. They will be playing mostly originals, heavy on material from the new album, with maybe a cover thrown in, and possibly some of their older favorites like “I Could be Drinkin’," which we wouldn’t be surprised to hear on a roadhouse jukebox with all the regulars singing along. 

As for what they want people to take away from the tunes, “I don't really have an opinion of how people should feel when they listen to the songs, but I want them to feel something. I think, you know, we all have different experiences in life, and however you're relating to that music should feel right. I think the songs are for everyone and you can have a completely different experience and still relate to the music”. 

The new LP (including vinyl !) is available on Friday from Bandcamp.com.  Everything else you need to know about merch and tour dates is at thepaisleyfields.com. Follow Paisley Fields on Instagram at @paisleyjamesfields.  Tickets for the album release show are available at industrycity.com/event/lizzie-and-the-makers-paisley-fields-album-release-party.