Vanessa Carlton on Her Daughter’s First Christmas — and Her Enduring Friendship With Stevie Nicks

Vanessa Carlton’s tour for her fifth studio album, Liberman, resumes after the holidays on Jan. 14. (Photo: Eddie Chacon)

Vanessa Carlton has the cutest little roadie.

The piano-playing songstress — best known for her megahit “A Thousand Miles"— is on tour for her fifth studio album, Liberman, when we catch up with her, and it’s the first tour since the birth of her 11-month-old daughter, Sidney. Her Instagram paints a picture of family bliss (including her Deer Tick frontman hubby John McCauley), but she admits she’s winging it.

"I have no idea what I’m doing,” she tells Yahoo Celebrity.

Carlton’s daughter, Sidney, is joining her on tour. This is just the baby’s luggage. (Photos: Instagram)

For the Pennsylvania native, 35, getting to this point in her personal life hasn’t been without its challenges, so we believe her when she tells us her “number one priority is my family.” She says she’s’ “figuring out” how to juggle it all — and she’s not merely talking about Sid’s luggage, though there’s a lot of that to juggle too.

Carlton’s daughter doesn’t just factor in behind the scenes, the girl is featured in the video for her new song “House of Seven Swords,” which has such an ethereal sound that you feel like you’re tap dancing in a bed of clouds. Here, the singer talks motherhood, music, and more — like spending the holidays with her pal/wedding officiant Stevie Nicks…

Mother and daughter share a moment in the video “House of Seven Swords.” (Vevo)

Yahoo Celebrity: This is an album inspired by family, but not the birth of your daughter.
Vanessa Carlton: Much of Liberman was written and done before I got pregnant. I recorded the majority of it in England, like seven songs, and then the last three I did in Nashville. I think I had gotten married by that point, but we hadn’t moved to Nashville yet and I certainly wasn’t pregnant. Then once I got pregnant, we put the whole project on hold in terms of the release.

The title is a nod to your grandfather.
The record was very much — in terms of the sonic world I was trying to create with Steve [Osborne ] and Adam [Landry] —inspired by these colors that my grandfather chose to paint with. He was a very traditional painter in that he could paint figures — a foot, a hand — very beautifully. His choice of color, his palate was very unusual and almost psychedelic. There’s this one painting of his that I love so much that my grandmother finally gave me. It’s huge. It hangs in [my home in] New York. When I was writing much of the music, much of the instrumentals, I was staring at that painting. So it was appropriate for me to name the record Liberman after him. I also did it because his real name was Liberman, but I didn’t know that until after he passed away. I didn’t realize my mom’s maiden name had been changed and all that. I wanted to bring to light that my family’s name had been changed because of anti-Semitism after the war. But I think the other aspect of the inspiration of this record was very much wanting to create this dreamscape and break from reality to a certain extent. I didn’t want the record to feel bold. I wanted it to feel slippery and magical and really easy to listen to.

Carlton in front of her grandfather’s painting. (Photo: Instagram)

Sid is your little roadie. I loved your Instagram post of her staring out the window on the bus.
It’s so cute. It’s her favorite thing to do. She’s still a little bit young and I have no idea what I’m doing. I’m learning on the fly. My husband and I have never toured with a baby. My number one priority is my family. Obviously, this record was so important to me creatively — it’s my work — so I wanted to figure out how to make it all work. Certainly we’re learning the balance. She lasts about a week or so on the road and then John — who’s off-tour now, which is the only reason this thing works — can take her back to Nashville and she can rest in her own bed. Then they’ll come back again. I’m figuring out that whole thing.

Sid made her music video debut in “House of Seven Swords.” Why did you pick that video to put her in?
Oh, Daniel Henry is such a good director. It was his idea. He literally just shot us around the house for about an hour then pieced that together. It was so sweet.

You now have the world’s best scrapbook, the one every mom wants.
Or she’ll hate me. Mom, why are you doing this to me?!

What’s your favorite song from the record to sing on tour?

The majority of the set is Liberman. We don’t break it up between eras. We are really able to recreate the sound of the record live because of all these loops and pedals that Skye Steele, I play with him, he’s able to record live on stage. We can overlap and kind of create the track on stage. I will say my absolute favorite part of the night is playing Liberman stuff. Depending on the night, I love to play “Take It Easy,” “River,” “Nothing Where Something Used to Be.” Any musician you talk to will say that they love playing their new stuff the most.

What artists do you and John play for Sid at home?
She loves the Pogues and the Grateful Dead. And I play a lot of classical music. I find that she really likes the type of classical where there’s one instrument playing. She likes to hear one tone. She doesn’t want to hear a full-blown, huge symphony. And she loves the piano. We have a little keyboard for her too. She kind of does this baby dance to the sound. It’s so funny.

I was reading the most incredible thing — that you go to Stevie Nick’s house for Christmas. So it got me imagining the scene: You ladies in matching pajamas, sitting around singing Christmas songs. Please tell me it’s exactly like that.
Well, this year I’ll be seeing Stevie the day after Christmas. This is our first Christmas where it’s just the Carlton-McCauley clan; it’s is just my husband, the baby, and [our dog] Victor. Actually, you know Hanna Andersson, the baby clothes company? They sent us all these matching onesies — the full family situation, including the dog. So we’re going to do a family portrait when I’m done with [this leg of the] tour and I go back to Nashville. I’m counting the seconds.

Carlton performing with her friend Stevie Nicks in 2007. (Photo: Getty Images)

What does someone buy Stevie Nicks for Christmas?
This year — oh, I can’t say because it’s a surprise and it’s very personal. You know, Stevie is just a great lady. Interesting artist, obviously, and amazing, amazing singer-songwriter. In most people’s minds, she is this legend, as she should be — though she’s still young. But she’s still just a normal woman. She’s just a friend. You can figure out what to give anybody if you really love them.

What did you get your daughter for her first Christmas?
We got her a bunch of wooden instruments that make clicking sounds and rattles. She has a little xylophone. We got her a teepee. Honestly, my husband and I are not religious at all. We would like to turn Christmas, that kind of tradition, into a every year Santa gives her something to do — some sort of charitable task that she has to complete — and then all the presents that she gets will be from mom, dad, and her family. We don’t want her to turn into this raging kid: Well, Santa gave my friend this amazing toy and I only get… It’s nice — when you have a kid you rethink things and try to make it better for them. Who knows if it will work but… [laughs]

It’s hard when so many other people are probably giving her things as well.
Yeah, there are so many kids in need. We give stuff to Goodwill all the time just to keep the clutter in our house down too. It’s kind of the American way — we have so much stuff. So much stuff. You really think about the essentials. You need less and then your house gets more organized and then everyone feels better. It feels so nice to clean it out. I love doing that.

Lastly, promise that you’ll post the the Hanna Andersson family photo on Instagram.
Oh, I’m all over it.

Carlton, her husband Deer Tick frontman John McCauley, Sid, and doggie Victor in their matching pjs. (Photo: Instagram)