MICHELLE
MALONE
IS
home
again,
preparing
for
two
upcoming
shows
in
Atlanta.
Just
back
from
four
months
on
the
road,
Malone
is
still
celebrating
the
success
of
her
latest
album,
“Stompin’
Ground,”
which
was
released
in
September
and
garnered
rave
reviews
from
Rolling
Stone
and
Playboy.
Besides
being
“more
well
received”
than
any
of
her
other
records,
“it’s
the
record
that
makes
me
happiest,”
Malone
says
of
“Stompin’
Ground,”
recorded
with
the
Low
Down
Georgia
Revue.
“It’s
really
about
getting
back
to
my
Southern
roots.”
Born
and
raised
in
Atlanta,
Malone’s
musical
roots
began
with
singing
in
church
as
a
child.
Though
she
says
she
now
understands
that
all
music
—
whether
gospel,
blues,
loud
or
acoustic
—
comes
from
the
same
place,
Malone
struggled
at
first
with
how
to
integrate
these
styles
into
her
own
upbringing.
“There
was
this
dichotomy
of
wanting
to
play
the
devil’s
music
and
reconciling
my
own
religious
beliefs,”
she
says.
Now
openly
lesbian,
involved
in
activism
and
determined
to
retain
all
control
of
her
own
music,
Malone’s
"Stompin
Ground"
is
a
testament
that
the
devil’s
music
never
sounded
so
good.
“STOMPIN’
GROUND”
OFFERS
a
mix
of
country,
blues,
folk
and
rock
that
allows
not
only
Malone’s
talent
as
a
musician
but
also
her
talent
as
a
writer
to
shine.
Based
in
her
personal
experiences,
Malone’s
lyrics
expand
to
explore
universal
themes
of
lost
love,
personal
struggle
and
rebirth.
The
first
track,
“Lafayette,”
sets
the
twangy,
raw
tone
that
continues
throughout
the
album.
“I’ll
be
your
guitar/
play
me,”
Malone
sings,
making
it
impossible
not
to
want
to
hear
more.
Her
inspiration?
“I
write
what
I
know
and
then
some,"
she
says.
"Part
of
it
applies
to
me
and
part
of
it
doesn’t.”
Malone’s
travels
played
a
role
in
selecting
the
12
tracks
that
make
up
the
new
album.
“I
went
into
the
studio
with
a
batch
of
songs,”
Malone
says,
“and
then
I
went
on
the
road,
wrote
five
or
six
more,
and
they
seemed
more
vital.
These
new
songs
were
all
written
in
a
week
or
two
while
I
was
traveling,
and
they
fit
very
nicely.”
Malone
also
always
keeps
“some
songs
on
the
back
burner,
because
you
don’t
want
to
give
it
all
away
on
one
record,”
she
says.
This
is
evident
in
the
new
album’s
closing
track,
“True,”
which
Malone
wrote
for
her
father
a
long
time
ago.
“Take
a
simple
day
and
live
it
your
own
way,”
Malone
sings.
“Don’t
let
no
one
tell
you
you
can’t
go
your
own
way.”
GOING
HER
OWN
WAY
defines
Malone’s
music
career.
After
going
the
route
of
major
labels
and
independent
releases,
she
put
out
“Stompin’
Ground”
on
local
label
Daemon
Records.
“For
the
term
of
the
contract,
they
distribute
and
promote
the
record,”
Malone
says.
“But
in
the
end
I
get
complete
creative
control
and
100
percent
ownership
back.”
Now
taking
a
break
to
write
and
regroup,
Malone
also
produces
music
for
other
artists,
including
making
CD
samplers
of
independent
music.
And
unlike
many
other
musicians,
she
allows
her
fans
to
record
her
music
at
shows.
“I
just
love
to
play,”
she
says.
“I
don’t
like
being
told
what
to
do,
and
it’s
a
really
cool
way
for
people
to
share
music.”
But
recording
live
shows
is
different
than
copying
studio
music,
which
Malone
says
“hurts
me
personally”
if
she
has
paid
money
to
record
an
album
and
people
get
it
for
free.
Once
seen
regularly
on
Atlanta
stages,
Malone
now
travels
enough
that
she
only
plays
locally
about
five
times
a
year.
But
she
returns
to
her
own
“stomping
ground”
on
Feb.
21
when
she
plays
Eddie’s
Attic
in
Decatur.
Malone
also
plays
the
Echo
Lounge
on
March
13.
Both
shows
include
drummer
Linda
Bolley.
Feb.
13,
9:30
p.m.
Eddie's
Attic
515-B
North
McDonough
St.,
Decatur
404-377-4976
www.eddiesattic.com
www.michellemalone.com
