On Sept. 12, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Maia Sharp released her latest album “Tomboy.” She’ll be playing several songs from it during two upcoming Maine performances.
The first one is Friday in Yarmouth. Sharp will be coming back to Maine for a co-headlining concert with Saco-born singer-songwriter Catie Curtis in Brownfield on Oct. 25.
“Tomboy” includes nine original songs, and one U2 cover.
The title track was co-written with Emily Kopp. Sharp and Kopp shared photos from their tomboy childhoods, and conversations grew into a song. In an artist statement, Sharp said that she recently came to a place where she is able to celebrate being a tomboy her whole life.
For the video, Sharp put a call out on social media asking for fellow tomboys to send in photos from their youth. Many did, including yours truly, who you’ll see just past the two-minute mark.
The cover of the album features Sharp in a California photo booth at about age four. She still makes all four facial expressions.
Sharp said that making “Tomboy” was a unique process because it’s her first album that doesn’t feature a drum kit.
“I wanted it to cover all of the syncopations, and feel more percussive and more driving and more rhythmic than the previous records, but none of that could be on a traditional drum set,” she said.
Instead, she drew sounds from items like a sandbag on her desk. “I don’t even know what it was originally for, but it sounds really good and kind of weird.” She also enlisted the help of percussionist Eric Darken, who created tracks with names like “broom rattle” and “hubcap.” Sharp, who enjoys the editing process, said she loved fleshing out the songs with these sounds.
There are other aural features to keep an ear out for. The title track and “Only Lucky” feature beatboxing (vocal percussion) from Teddie Collinz. Sarah Holbrook plays violin on “Is That What Love Does” and a few other songs.
Sharp’s latest obsession, an OP-1 Field mini synth, also played a key role on “Tomboy.” “The living, breathing sound out of this thing that’s the length of your arm is ridiculous. There’s little glimmers, shimmers and fairies all over the record.”
“Tomboy’s” tracks exude self-awareness, personal growth and the complicated journeys of the human heart. Personal favorites include “Is That What Love Does,” “Edge of the Weatherline,” and “Any Other Way.”
The lack of traditional drums lends itself to a living room feeling throughout the album, and the intimacy is palpable. Sharp’s vocals, as with previous releases, exude a warmth and closeness in just the right amounts.
“Tomboy’s” closing track is Sharp’s cover of the U2 song “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,” featuring backing vocals from Garrison Starr.
Sharp said she recorded it toward the end of 2020. At that point, she had lived in Tennessee for less than two years after leaving a marriage and California, the state she thought would be her forever home.
“I was in a really perfect emotional place to do it. So I laid it out, posted it on Patreon (crowdfunding page), then forgot about it.”
Four years later, Sharp came across a folder that said “U2 cover” and had no memory of it. “I opened up the file so I could hear the whole thing as I had left it, and I started crying. How the hell did this almost get lost in the weeds of life?” she asked herself.
“So I said, this is going on a record and I can’t follow it, this is last.”
Sharp said that she’s often reminded that “Tomboy” is her tenth album. But her perspective is foused on the big picture, rather than this specific accomplishment. “I’m really proud of myself for just surviving this long and navigating the new acrobatics every year that are gonna get me to the next year. I’m often changing the recipe of how to survive in the music business, as the model is constantly changing.”
Sharp said that the way and amount that songwriters and artists are getting paid has changed over the years, and not for the better. “Survival takes resourcefulness and versatility that can be exhausting, but also pushes me into places where I maybe would have never gone if I didn’t have to, but I’m glad that I did.”
One such place is Sharp’s role as an adjunct professor of songwriting at New York University. She’s been at it for four years, and provides one-on-one instruction to songwriting majors each semester. Sharp said it’s much more than a paycheck. “I love it. It’s totally enriched my awareness of new artists and my creative process in general.”
When asked what fans can do to support independent artists like herself in a world of streaming, Sharp suggested that listeners pay for a download of a song, or better yet, the entire album. Show tickets and purchasing things like CDs, vinyl, T-shirts and other merchandise is also essential.
The grind is constant, but Sharp’s content.
“I have found professionally that I feel I’m very happy with the the strata that I am operating on. This is cool. I don’t need any more fame than this,” she said.
Sharp is a Los Angeles native who started playing instruments as a toddler. Her father, Randy Sharp, is a three-time Grammy winning singer-songwriter. His songs have been recorded by scores of big-name artists like Linda Ronstadt, Anne Murray, Emmylou Harris and Glen Campbell.
The apple didn’t fall far from the tree. Sharp’s have been recorded by Cher, The Chicks, Trisha Yearwood and on three occasions, Bonnie Raitt.
7 p.m. Friday. Founder’s Hall at 317 Main Community Music Center, 317 Main St., Yarmouth, $29. 317main.org.
8 p.m. Oct. 25 with Catie Curtis. Stone Mountain Arts Center, 695 Dugway Road, Brownfield, $25. stonemountainartscenter.com.