Michigan singer-songwriter Rene Meave recently completed a new album, Coldwater, a collection filled with stories, humor and heartache drawn from the songwriter's own experiences and people he has met in his home community of Coldwater and beyond. In a conversation with Cara Lieurance, Meave discusses the record's four-year journey and the collaborators who helped shape it, including longtime writing partner Clayton Sawyer and newcomer Larry Shakur.
Songwriting, Meave says, has always been the driving passion, tracing it back to childhood in Weslaco, Texas, watching performer José Alfredo Jiménez. "That's what I wanna do," Meave recalls thinking at age six. That devotion led to a long performance career with Los Bandits de Michigan, and later to founding the Chili Pepper Songwriting Club, now in its 18th year, which has hosted future artists including Frankie Ballard and members of the Out of Favor Boys.
The album's title comes from the Michigan community where Meave has lived since recovering from a serious back operation, and many songs reflect the town's growing diversity and tight-knit music scene. The song "No Takebacks," co-written with Sawyer, grew out of a chance conversation with a stranger near a cemetery. "Love hard and true, because there ain't no takebacks," is the song's core line, spoken by a father who regretted not being a bigger part of his son's life.
Other tracks tackle heavier themes. "Hungry Belly Lullabies," co-written with Shakur, addresses childhood poverty. "I see poverty right up close, right to my face," Meave says. Meanwhile "Edge of Their World" reflects on losses during the COVID-19 pandemic, including the death of Meave's brother, layered with cello played by an intern from the recording studio. The album also features "Socks," rooted in childhood memories of Texas holidays.
Meave says for now, the best way to own the new album is to buy it directly from him at his shows, which are listed at renemeave.com. The Chilipeppers Songwriting Club will next meet at an open mic at the Lucky Wolf in Paw Paw, MI on Jul 19, 3 - 6 pm.
The interview was summarized by Claude AI and edited by the author.
