Comox Valley, BC-Based Americana Duo HALF A CHANCE Tackles Fertility Challenges with Heartfelt ‘Little Problems’
For musical and married partners Joey Clarkson and Peter Dixon, known as the Americana duo Half A Chance, trying to bring a little bundle of joy into the world has been challenging. While sadly, the social discourse, general attitudes, and sensitivity towards the issue remain problematic, the group has addressed the issue head-on with the smart and engaging roots pop single “Little Problems,” a tune set to be released during Britain’s National Fertility Week in November. It’s also a stellar track that glides effortlessly while tackling a complex issue that resonates with so many couples.
Clarkson, who says both she and Dixon have been trying to have a child since 2019, says “Little Problems” was originally a cathartic means to address their own situation.
“It was a therapeutic exercise in the midst of a brutal year for my physical and mental health,” Clarkson says, adding appointments for In vitro fertilization (IVF) were rescheduled several times. “The song fell out quickly, and so did my tears. I somehow made it through cohesively enough for Peter to tell me that it can’t just be a song for us — the very reason that I didn’t want to share the song was the reason it was so important to do so — and that we needed to finish it and release it.”
“Moments in, I knew it was special; the context of the lyrics was out there, but I felt the honesty needed to be conveyed,” Dixon, who co-wrote the song with Clarkson, adds. “Singers always sing about heartbreak or gloss over negative feelings with a happy, ‘fluffy’ song, so I thought it was right to go ahead and be honest, even if it is a bit awkward putting it all out on the line.”
“Little Problems,” released in conjunction with National Fertility Week, also is being highlighted in the BBC program Escape to the Country as the first song the couple, who were featured guests on an episode, used under the moniker Half A Chance. Clarkson says the song is the perfect reply by those who are constantly asked questions about when or if a couple is having children from friends or family who don’t consider the ramifications of what they might consider thoughtful questions.
“In the heat of the moment, we’re faced with a really difficult question: answer the question and out ourselves, or make the person asking the question feel incredibly uncomfortable by telling them how inappropriate it is to ask,” she says. “The people making these comments rarely do so from a place of ill intent, but that doesn’t change the negative impact they can have when they are thrown around so carelessly.
“This isn’t just a song about infertility; it’s a song about taking back control and challenging the entitlement people feel to conversations surrounding infertility and family planning, through the lens of lived experience. This song is for anyone who’s ever felt like they were stripped of their own right to share information about their fertility or family planning on their own terms, and for the people in their lives who have taken that autonomy away from them.”
“Little Problems” was produced by Tyler Spicer at Namm Studios in Trowbridge, England, and mixed by Todd Peterson in Nashville while mastered by the Grammy-nominated Sam Moses at Nashville’s Moses Mastering. Clarkson provides strong lead vocals and backing vocals reminiscent of Chrissie Hynde and Stevie Nicks while Dixon adds backing vocals and plays bass and the saxophone. Bringing to mind groups like The Way On Drugs and their mid-tempo majesty in terms of arrangement, “Little Problems” is fleshed out by cornet Catriona Christie and trombonist David Huntriss.
The gem is the latest single from Half A Chance who consist of the Comox Valley, BC-born Clarkson and the British-born Dixon. Dixon was a saxophonist for the Band of the Scots Guard while also being a bassist in the group The Blue Highways. Clarkson, meanwhile, has been a singer/songwriter with 17 years under her belt releasing music that’s appeared on both CBC and BBC Radio and London Live TV.
Now with an anthem for couples enduring the issue of fertility and infertility, look for Half A Chance and “Little Problems” to make big inroads among fans of contemporary roots pop. To steal a line from the song, it’s a single that you’ll definitely want to talk about.
Your song “Little Problems” has such a powerful emotional core. Can you share what the creative process was like for crafting such a deeply personal song?
Joey: The skeleton of the song came together one afternoon while I was dealing with some very strong PMS symptoms and thinking about how much time we’ve lost, dreading attending an upcoming social function. I picked up my Ukulele and started strumming, and the first verse and chorus just kind of fell out, alongside many tears. I really didn’t have any intent of this song existing outside of our home when I showed Peter the start of it.
Peter: When Joey pitched the song to me, I really liked it straight away. I knew it was something special, because it’s quite rare to be able to write about something with such a deep meaningful context, and still have it be a banger of a tune. Joey was reluctant to release it because of the subject matter, but I thought it was important that we finish the song and release it – because no one seems to talk about this for that reason!
Joey: The song fell together through a series of voice notes, jams, and long drives. It was important to us that we kept the soul of the message alive. We didn’t want this song to just be sad, although it inherently is, we also wanted it to feel empowering. A song you could cry to, and scream out frustrations to.
Releasing it was utterly terrifying because doing so meant telling the world about our very personal problems. But, we are so glad we did. Having complete strangers message us to tell us that “nothing has ever felt so validating” than hearing it for the first time, has made it all worth it. The song doesn’t just belong to us anymore, and that feels right.
As musical and married partners, how do you balance your collaborative songwriting process while maintaining a strong personal relationship?
Peter: Don’t ever write hangry. Apart from that, it’s very straightforward. We work really well as a team.
Joey: I think it all comes down to the basics: communication, and trust. We are really lucky to have really strong communication and trust within our relationship, which naturally carries over into our songwriting. It’s quite nice to be able to throw an idea at your songwriting partner the moment it springs into your head!
Peter: I think we’re a bit of a special case because we don’t have 9-5’s, we’re self-employed. We live together and work together. It’s not like the first hurdle is to meet up to write, because we’re already in the same space. In traditional writing arrangements, you not only have to get to each other – you also have to be in the right headspace to do the writing. It’s so much easier when one of those things is already taken care of.
Joey: Our work-life balance is pretty non-existent. I won’t say that’s not a problem, because we know it probably is… we could do with some actual time off… but we both love what we do, and we love doing these things together.
Peter: There’s a fine line between hobby and job, for us.
Half A Chance is a relatively new project for you both. What inspired you to start making music under this moniker, and how does it differ from your previous work?
Joey: I’m going to jump in on the first part of this one! This was really important to me. Peter and I have been married for 7 years now, and about 6 years ago he started playing music with me full-time when I bought him his first bass guitar as a Christmas present. That’s not why I bought him the bass guitar, but it was a definite perk!
Shortly after this, and as a natural progression: we also started writing music together. Prior to this, Peter was a Saxophonist in the Band of the Scots Guards, and had composed and arranged pieces for different ensembles – he was definitely already a songwriter, although he’s probably the last person to call himself one. We’ve been releasing music together for years now, but it was under my unmarried name “Joey Clarkson” – and given that Peter is now such a big part of my life and the music we are releasing, it felt wrong.
The reason we launched this project was to create a fresh start for us musically, with a new, refined sound, under a name that unified us.
Sonically, I would say this differs from our previous work because we stopped trying to fit inside the country music box. It feels like our music has matured.
Peter: Yeah, I think our sound differs mainly through experience, and our inspiration, I guess. I’ve always liked ’70s rock, so we wanted to keep that element in there, but you do have to move with the times and the current trends to stay relevant. Our sound in this track was developed alongside our producer Tyler Spicer – it wouldn’t be the same without his influence, and really was a team effort.
Joey: I really like what Peter has said there. I think a lot of the modern production that was mentioned can be heard in the mix and master of the track. Although this isn’t a typical Radio single because of the context of what we’re singing about, Tyler, Todd Peterson (our mixing engineer), and Sam Moses (our mastering engineer) wanted to make sure it was ready to compete in the modern market. Sonically, I do think it holds its own and sounds like something that would naturally fit into the regular rotation if we were to be so lucky as to have that opportunity.
Your music has drawn comparisons to artists like The War on Drugs. Who would you say are some of your biggest musical influences as Half A Chance?
Joey: I’m at a loss of words for that compliment. That’s a really lovely thing to hear. I’m going to let Peter take the reins on this one while I digest that.
Peter: I would say, for us: Fleetwood Mac. We love them. My influence as a bassist also includes The Beatles and Half Moon Run… It’s hard to say. I would definitely say that as a Jazz musician, I have been influenced by artists like Jamie Cullum. I just wish I could write like him! We listen to a lot of music from a lot of genres, so it’s hard to pin it down to just a few.
Joey: I absolutely agree with Peter. I think we definitely need to mention Kacey Musgraves and Katy Pruitt as well, both vocally and lyrically.
We definitely have an eclectic background of experience and things we enjoy listening to. I think that everything we’ve done has shaped us into who we are and what we bring to the table when we’re working on this project.
Peter: There’s a great quote by Buddy Rich, which I think is quite fitting to close this interview: “I consider every drummer that played before me an influence in every way”.
Joey: Thanks so much for taking the time to speak with us Today!
Peter: We really appreciate your time, and support with this release.
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