We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Mamie Lew. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Mamie below.

Mamie, appreciate you joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

It was the first dream that I put on paper, but it’s turns into so much more. In my Lisa Frank diary, when I was around 10 years old, at the very top of the first page, I scratched out in cursive “I want to grow up to be a country singer.” It all started with an innocent Christmas gift from my Gran Gran. A small red Walkman with a cassette player and a small dial radio built into the side. was moving and something I wanted to share. I wanted to be able to give that gift to other people like it had been handed to me.
I am neurospicy and dyslexic, so suddenly having the words for the very intense emotions I was experiencing through, was profound. I heard the song “Still” by Reba McEntire and called and begged the station to play it again. I had to sneak in my oldest sister’s room, who had both a phone and privacy. I didn’t know the title so I sang it for the disc jockey who took my call. He had me sing it several times. He played it on the radio. The song and a clip of me singing it to help him. I knew he knew. Maybe that made me think I could do it. I would learn later that my great grandmother, Bennie Cato, and her sisters, sang gospel on the radio in North Carolina. They were known as The Cato Sisters.
My husband, Jesse, grew farming with his family. I am fascinated with it and the fact that it is still done so meticulously by hand, save planting, is so special, but even setting involves several people hip to hip on the back of the setter, feeding the chute while someone walking behind with a metal spike resetting stray plants. Some spikes are passed down generation to generation, as precious as an heirloom. Jesse told me the history of it goes so far back in his family, he couldn’t even guess. My favorite part is the barns. There are several working tobacco barns on the property where dark-fired tobacco is hung in the 40ft structures scaffolding, sawdust is piled under, and fires are built and maintained in the barn under the leaves to cure the leaves.
My favorite barn is a beautiful large red one, built by Jesse’s dad in the 80s. I actually had to have him remind me of exactly how I ended up taking up a residency in the barn, as things escalated quickly. He said that I wanted to see the inside (sounds about right) so he opened it up for a tour and we walked in. Like a tar blackened church, with the ceilings tall and peaked. This county is famous for growing the finest dark-fired tobacco in the world. Kentucky and Tennessee are the only two places in the world where this art is still practices. Stepped onto the dirt floor of the barn, I felt like walking into a holy place. I started singing and heard the acoustics reverberating of the dark wood and tin, perfectly complimented by the soft deadening on the earth floor. I turned the cavernous farm structure into my temporary office with the generous offering of the space from my mother in law. It started with demos using a lap top, a two channel scarlet, condenser mic, and the Logic Pro program. What was coming out was magical. It wasn’t me, or my skills, it was the space I was working in and the freedom to do it. I have heard (and experienced, countless horror stories of being a woman in the studio. I have always wanted to start a studio but it just hadn’t worked out before. I thought I needed a partner but kept finding it’s easy to throw out ideas but follow through was hard to find. This time was different though, I’d left nursing for music and I had the time, the space, the passion and some really cool friends who thought writing and recording in that space was as awesome as I did.
I struggled to complete a full length album for the same old reasons, scams,
lascivious or deranged producers, my own bullshit, it just kept falling through and the feeling of being being treated like an object, second hand citizen. In one experience, it took a band member repeating my idea to the producer so he would actually consider it. It’s dehumanizing and crushing. I just wanted to record the songs I had written as they had come down to me. I was sick to death of studios and the misogynistic assholes who can barely press record on protools that came with them. Tired of the songs being torn apart my songs, and most of all, tired of unsolicited dick pics from a person who holds the fate of my record (and thousands of dollars, large amounts of my invested, in their hand like a baby bird. Songs often come to me in full stereo and I’m always down for an idea but to fundamentally change everything because of the fragile male ego needing to piss all over it. I hear the pedal steel, the fiddle, the bass lines. I played several shows in Connecticut with my friend Holley, who booked a southern songwriter series, and was reunited with my old buddy Ham Bagby, a legendary songwriter from Alabama who I have known since I first started playing music in Tuscaloosa circa 2008. He gently put his hands on my shoulders and asked me to repeat the words “absolutely not” back to him and say it with my full chest. He said “Mamie, you don’t need a f%*^# producer. Why do you think you do? You know what you are doing. Go do it.” And while those might simple words, they were crucial in my turning point. I decided I was going home to Tennessee to start bridging this gap.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I grew up on a small farm in a small town in South Carolina. From the time I was 8, I trained jumper and barrel horses and dreamed about singing and making music. I was homeschooled, fairly isolated for 8 years and was a very lonely child. I experienced a lot of abuse and didn’t have a place to escape so I went into my own mind, making up
Melodies and visualizing the videos that came with them in my head was just natural and became a comfort my mind. Just like they are now.

My dad encouraged me to have a backup plan, which turned out to be a double edged sword. I had a successful career as a nurse but it came at too high of a price. I am too sensitive to have lived that life for so long and was left with severe PTSD, nightmares, and worsening anxiety, and developed unhealthy coping to deal with it. I hit a point where I was genuinely afraid to go to sleep. It wasn’t all bad though because being able to help someone into the most difficult day of their life really meant something to me and it allowed me to travel the country.

I am a songwriter first and always. I am at the beginning of my life as a producer, and a sound engineer. Mostly the made I big move in 2010 when I was pregnant with my oldest child to Austin, TX. I had completed a year of nursing and was rearing to see the world. I felt like if I didn’t go then, I wouldn’t. It is actually pretty crazy to look back on now, but it was a part of the big dream. I idolized Townes Van Zandt, Susana and Guy Clark. It was a pilgrimage of sorts. I wanted to walk their path. I wanted to stand and sing on the stages they did from South Congress to Cheatham Street and I did. I came in with an incredible class of writers that year, many of which are still good friends today. It became my foundation as a songwriter. I got my start in SC and Alabama but something changed in Texas. It has a magic of its own. The free flow of creativity and exchange of ideas. The encouragement. The food. Everyone really wanted to see each other do well. This was a high pedestal to fall from landing in Nashville in 2012. Haha. It was not the same world. I needed to be closer to family and I wasn’t giving up on the dream so it was a compromise but it was not Austin. The spirit was different. The competition was downright ruthless at times, and everybody’s brother was “the next big thing.” You had to “co-write,” which I previously called betting drunk and writing songs with your friends. It was different here. I learned and adapted. The first comments I got at the bluebird were “too poetic,” which I wasn’t aware was a bad thing. But I wasn’t what they wanted. I persisted in searching for the people I knew I belonged with and I was able to find them. Through that experience I met the girls of Sweet Tea Trio and we penned “Rebel Romance” which was deemed “fasted chart climber” and took over #1 by request on The Iceman’s New Country artist chart, remaining there for 4 weeks. I also co-wrote Charlie Argo’s title track “In the Name of Love” an EP which spent two weeks as #1 on the iTunes blues chart. That was the dream coming true and I wasn’t sure what to do next. I struggled with stage fright and red light syndrome which I still work through and take propranolol for but this felt even better than my original dream. This was cake and everything else that would come was icing. I love music and creating so much it was just a huge dream come true and hard to believe any of it even happened.

But there was a twist yet to come and after a very traumatic experience at a Nashville venue after a friend’s show, I just walked away from music. I was left not wanting to be anywhere near live music or a bar. Soon after I would continue on a downward slkr after having my daughter, crippling anxiety and post partum depression. I felt so guilty for bringing a girl into this world, for all the terrible things she might experience. I went deeper and deeper into this hole I didn’t even know that I was in. My first husband was an alcoholic and I joined right in. A depressant on top of depression is a terrible combination. I knew better and still made it worse. I made very bad decisions. I wanted to sleep, I wanted not to hurt, I wanted to be everything I couldn’t be. The anti-depressants they put me on for all that made me stop caring about absolutely everything. I am a person who cares very much about everything and everyone one all the time. It’s been my nature as a child but this set a direction I didn’t think I would come back from. I would drink until I was able to sleep and not dream, stop feeling the way I was feeling and escape the miserable life I was making. I can give a lot of reasons for why I did what I did, but they aren’t an excuse. My father suffered from a drug addiction. I took my own turn with substance abuse. I had always been very careful not to expose myself to “friend” told me she was giving me an anti-inflammatory but it was Pandora’s box. I still don’t know how I didn’t die. I don’t know exactly how I came back. And I have the constant fear that I’m not really better. I almost died in 2015 of pneumonia, certainly related to or exacerbated by substance use , and I was too ashamed to ask for help. I have some of the best friends in the world. They are the reason I am alive today. Blair, Clif, Tori, and Steve got me to Dallas and started helping me. Blair gave me her own 24 hour sobriety chip and I carry it to this day. This was not a linear process and I would go so far as to try to take my own life because it felt insurmountable. The shame and guilt was overwhelming. My friends and family didn’t even know half of what I was dealing with because I was too afraid to tell anyone. The stigma that comes with that kind of label you feel like you can’t get out from under. My dad got that label and for many it’s all he ever was, “the addict.” Not the dad that pulled through, got clean, raised two girls by himself, and stated his own thriving hardwood flooring business. I have only told a few close people about this prior to this interview. It’s actually why it’s taken me so long to answer these questions. It’s a hard thing to tell. I read book after book, the same way my dad got sober, and finally read “Quit like a Woman.” It was life changing. I built my rat park with great care. Through the process of getting clean, I learned that I had to build a life I no longer wanted to run away from, face the childhood, the trauma, face the feelings, stop numbing the problem, stop trying to hurt myself when no one else was around to do it. I started writing again after being completely shut down. My old trusted coping mechanism started to come through, writing. I got home and after 3 days in Dallas and my husband at the time set the largest bottle of Jack Daniel’s you’ve ever seen on the kitchen counter. I still made it two more days on my first attempt. Each time got a little longer. When the pandemic hit, we were separated a lot. I realized I was getting better, naturally drinking less without the constant pressure to, or not at all. He almost died of alcohol withdrawals and wasn’t willing or able to make the effort of getting better, I took my three children and moved home to South Carolina in 2021.

I cannot begin to tell you how beautiful my life has gotten since. It did not happen overnight. 24 hours at a time. If you can do something for 24 hours, you can do it for a lifetime. I count all the good days and they don’t get slated for one bad one. I quit drinking for over a year with my best friend Haley Culp. She kept going and I casually dipped my toe back in. I was quickly reminded how it’s just not worth it. It’s all fun until it’s not. But nothing bad happened . I just realized how much I love my peaceful life and nothing is worth that. Sometimes you have to revisit your old life to remind yourself why you don’t live there anymore. I made a promise that day to never go back. Ever. I keep my promises. A world of life’s hurt followed and I have stayed on the path. If I made or through that, I can make it through anything. Grit and resilience are two of the greatest gifts I have ever received. As of today I am 115 days sober and it’s just the first few of many to come.

I made the decision to finally start writing about my life and taking my own regurgitated advice that I had gleaned from writers like Bonnie Baker and Mary Gauthier, and write what I know, be honest, be real, there are people out there that need to hear this story, no matter how hard it is to tell. And man is it hard to say out loud. I started writing the song “Rabbits” and delving into to the reality of how it starts and how slippery that slope really is. It has showed. People really connect with that song. The vulnerability brings greater connection and shows you the assholes you don’t need holding you down. “Rabbits” is a “if you know you know” situation. It’s a story told from many sides. A couple sides that I have experienced and witnessed. It is a deviated from my usual 3 minutes song about roses, but it was a coming out of sorts and clocked close to 6 minutes. It was a journey that took months to finish writing, and the helpf of a co-writer to home the melody. I want people to know they aren’t alone and you’re so much more than what you’ve done. It is the title track of my upcoming album that I am recording in the barn. It will be the first release under Dark Fired Records. A name I chose because of the barn’s history and my own. I am hoping to continue to provide this space as a safe place for woman, LGBTQ+, and anyone that needs it as a refuge.

“Rabbits” was one of the songs I submitted for the Songwriter Serenade competition in Texas. I was selected as of of the top 15 writers from the US and Canada and went to Schulenburg, TX in made to perform it and 3 other songs for the competition. I made it through to the final and came in 7th among some of the best writers I have had the honor of performing with and even one of my old friends from Austin Class of 2010, and several more as part of the program. The whole SS organization is incredible and run by Tom, who is one of the kindest and most generous people you will ever meet. He is a patron of the arts and in addition to the competition he offers writers retreats and even a fiddle camp. I got to meet one of my heroes through this, Susan Gibson, who wrote “Wide Opm Spaces” and served as a judge on the panel. It was a life renewing experience.

I am also so proud of a project I am wrappping up with my friend Alma Russ. She called me like some kind of guardian anngel and asked if she could record in the red barn just as I had reached my moment of realizing that the space I wanted, had to be made. She enjoys recording in unconventional spaces (the “memorial garden” for “big barn). Her first album was recorded in a church in Terlingua, TX, a magical desert town in west Texas that we bonded over after a show we played together. She also does not need a producer, she needed a space and someone to press record and to get the art in her head come to life. Maybe also a friend to keep her from throwing the pretty pretty baby out with the bath water. It’s very easy to get so close to a song, you can’t see it anymore. Working with her was a pure joy. I was able to help her in bringing 12 beautiful songs to life for her sophomore album which I wrap up and send for final touches, mixing, and mastering today. Her friends and family were affected by hurricane Helene and this album is part tribute to her home, her love of people around the country, and the ones she holds closest. It was an honor and joy to be a part of. I can’t wait for people to hear it.
I live on a farm in rural TN, just outside of Nashville. I have chickens, ducks, turkeys, and cats. My life is peaceful, slow, and lovely. I just got married last Thursday and it was one of the most beautiful days of my life. I have the sweetest, most loving husband in the world and 3 incredible kids. Evan (Evangeline, 10) is an artist and creates her own characters that she brings to life and even creates her Halloween costumes from, Jackson is a video game loving 13 year old who plays the trumpet and loves international snack boxes (we all do), and my 5 year old daughter Jo is the daughter a parent wishes on you, that is just like you. She is wild, fearless, relentless, loving. She has taught me how to love myself and shown me so much I couldn’t see. They are all truly a gift. I want to teach them by example that you can conquer hard things, keep getting back up, because you can make your dreams come true, and you can reach behind yourself and help the next person behind you that might need a little help because we all need a little help sometimes.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I care about writing a song with someone or recording an album that they are actually going to want to use. I pick my hills to die on and I make sure they are worth and are for the sake of the song and not my ego.

Okay – so how did you figure out the manufacturing part? Did you have prior experience?

This is a bit of a side story but I had a jam and jelly company that I still dabble in but I used it support my family through hard times, especially on maternity leave where I was receiving only a third of my usual income. I would make batch after batch of jam and sell them at the local markets in Nashville and Ashland City. People loved this jam and I sat back and tried to look at why. I wasn’t trying super hard or anything to market it but if I made a single FB post I was getting shipping orders from all over the country. There isn’t a word in English for someone who makes jam so I had made one up and named my business “The Marmaleers,” a not to the confections and the volunteer state. I didn’t have any secret or special recipes. I carefully followed the SureJell instructions in the package and maybe had a dash of weird here and there. I got contacted by a friend who was the bar manager of Husk (Sean Brock) to come up with a syrup for a margaritra that has watermelon, theirs kept coming out muddy tasting. I used my own jalepenos and a local watermelon, freshest I could find, each on the cusp of their season. And I realized the magic. I was using farm fresh local ingredients and simplicity. Ripe on the vine fruit and cane sugar. Like a Mexican Coke. And it was kind of an epiphanic moment. It’s just using the best ingredients. I apply that concept in everything. If you make good music, people are going to latch onto that. You can put all the fancy effects and use high dollar gear, but at the end of the day, it’s what you put in the pot. I’m still on my way in this journey. I saw this thought surface when I was in KC, Missouri, working on a project that just came out, “Dreamin in the Wind” by my little brother from another mother, Blake Camp. We wrote it over the phone together and recorded it together. It was a damn blast and a great studio experience with JB Moreland. He wouldn’t take production credit although he deserves a chuck of it, but he really guided Blake and me in the process and we got to spread our wings with an actual say in the production, how we wanted our song to come out and it is exactly what we wanted and I am very proud of it. The whole process was inspiring and empowering. I took a lot notes from JB because I noticed how he worked differently and intentionally with each person in the room.
What we made sounds so good! And I sat back and looked at it and thought… it’s the ingredients and the proper amount of heat applied. It’s been a beautiful ride. Oh and I also have another co-write with Austin legend, Julie Nolen who is an absolute boss in music and friendship. It will be released with a music video. It’s called “You Only
Love Me When I’m Leaving.”
Thank you so much for taking the time to listen to my very very long life story. I hope it helps someone.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mamielew.hearnow.com/those-are-my-roses
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mamielew/profilecard/?igsh=MTJyNXNsaGxncDd3Mw==
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=12612383&mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/watch?v=6B5jA1838Sg&si=Lpy2lnwMSMrSR6gY
• Soundcloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/7t31pjbD1wPX3EBa9
• Other: https://music.apple.com/us/album/dreamin-in-the-wind/1773144761?i=1773144762

Image Credits

Photographer in barn photos: Mandi Fountain

Photographer in the desert: William Wallace/Mamie Lew

Photo close up: Mamie Lew