WILKES-BARRE — According to Kacey Musgraves, her “cussin’” is at an all time low, which makes her grandma happy.
That’s because her current tour, A Very Kacey Christmas, celebrating her Christmas album of the same name, is festive in line with the holiday spirit, and, as she puts it, “kid friendly.”
Musgraves performs at 8 p.m. Dec. 9 at the F.M. Kirby Center, and she promises a Christmas-themed set with a sprinkling of songs from her two previous, critically-acclaimed albums.
“We found a way to include all sides of me on this tour,” Musgraves said. “There might be people in the audience who have never gotten to see a show before, so I wouldn’t want to let anyone down by not including the songs that may have helped sell the tickets.”
The 28-year-old Texas native emerged on the country music scene in 2013 with the critically acclaimed “Same Trailer Different Park,” and her 2015 follow-up “Pageant Material” was met with similarly warm reception.
Musgraves has earned a reputation among young artists who are bringing substance and authenticity back to country songwriting.
She cites pioneers like Hank Williams, Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson in setting the standard for writing about real life and relating to everyday people.
“That’s always been important for me … to not just sing from a small list of five topics,” Musgraves said. “I need to sing about things that have happened to me, things that have happened around me, things that have made impressions on me and shaped me.”
Musgraves said when it comes to songwriting, she can’t perform a song that doesn’t resonate with her.
“I started out making sure that I was completely, 100 percent, myself on my album, and if you start that way, you never have to be anything else,” she said.
Now, with her first Christmas album under her belt, the songwriter who is not afraid to discuss any subject matter and might just swear when she gets excited, is getting into the holiday spirit.
“This musical experience was so fun and enriching and creative and wacky and nostalgic for me,” Musgraves said. “I do actually enjoy Christmas music. It’s a huge part of pop culture and our childhood.”
The album is comprised of eight new arrangements of Christmas classics and four originals, one of which, “Present Without a Bow,” was recently performed on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”
“That’s been one of my favorite performances yet,” Musgraves said. “The band sounded incredible, and I really love performing that song. I wrote it with Leon Bridges. He’s featured on the album … and it just feels really good to sing.”
Musgraves’ touring band, which she describes as a bigger production than her normal show, includes her and her usual five-piece as well as a string section comprised of two fiddles and a cello, and renowned multi-instrumentalist Rory Hoffman.
He “plays everything you can think of: accordion, baritone sax, bass clarinet, piano; he sings,” Musgraves said of Hoffman. “He’s amazing.”
“These arrangements lend themselves to being really fun and very festive, and the decorum on stage is so beautiful,” she continued. “It’s like a festive twinkly forest. And, of course, the outfits too.”
