I hope I am safe in saying that both you and Tristan consider yourselves songwriters first and entertainers second, and how was it for you to be able to spend some time even on other tours, with such talented songwriters.
It was just a pleasure to have even more of an audience that appreciates songwriting because both of our audiences were mixed together and the audience was people who know how to listen to music in the sense that they are interested in the writing because I think if you write music as a writer, you attract good listeners. I play with all sorts of different musicians and sometimes the audience isn't always trained to listen in a way that appreciates the writing or even receptive. But Tristan's audience is really, really cool and I really enjoyed it. Aside from the fact of just talking shop with her about our albums and me complimenting her and she complimenting me and someone taking notice as a peer and who is doing something similar is a very cool thing to have happen. It's cool to be able to share that with someone.

And when you come to Cincinnati you are playing the Taft Theater, which is decent size but not huge. How big of a venue do you think you can play before some of that intimacy between performer and audience gets affected?
I really don't know how big I could go, but I can say that the biggest I played and kept that intimacy was 1,600. That was the Palladium Theatre in London, and if you are not familiar, that was where the Beatles and the Stones and all the BBC sessions were recorded there in the '60s.

And how often have you had to use the phrase, "I'm not drunk, officer?"
I have had to use it twice in real life situations, but obviously have sung that song several times. And it worked both times, but I really wasn't drunk either time, so it was all good.

Being a songwriter, many times you write acoustically. Was the sound of the record what you thought when you first entered the studio or were there some surprises?
Some of the songs, I knew exactly what I wanted and some of the songs I was more open to experimentation. Because as a newcomer I didn't really know what I wanted. So I really appreciated Tony Burke's patience to help see me through that process. For example, there are certain things I love, I love the sound of strings, but in the studio you need to be able to ask for a specific sound and to say, "How about we arrange a three-piece harmony being this part." And I wouldn't be able to describe that because I had no experience, but I was very fortunate to have a producer who would spend the time and teach me to better communicate about what I really wanted.

How conscious were you in the studio of what you could take out on a live tour versus what would maybe sound "best?"
Well, I just really went for it. I am really into layering as far as sound goes. With the album, I really wasn't too afraid to not be able to reproduce it live because a lot of people followed me before I made my album and really enjoyed my stuff stripped down, so I really wanted to present something really fancy and full and intricate because so many people are used to it simple. And I am able to bring it live sometimes, like when my friends, the band Incubus, came to help me play a show, and it sounded just like the record. But on this tour, I am either playing by myself or have players sit in, so I think I created more options for myself to not be forced to solely do one thing. I now have the ability to tour and perform in many ways because people now know me as doing things differently at different times and I really enjoy that aspect of my career.

You mentioned learning so much in the studio. Now, how differently do you think about not just your current songs, but songs you are writing? Do you think more in terms of studio versus acoustically?
I learned so much that by the time I finished the album I just wanted to start all over again because I have so much more knowledge and experience to draw from. But at the same time, I don't want to change anything because I had to go through that experience to have what I have. I love what I have done but it is a night and day difference between playing alone and having one or two instruments to sitting down with an orchestra or a really, really tight band. It is so, so incredible. So I actually think I would have written a different album if I had the knowledge that I do now. But that is how I am going to write my next one, so it works out.

You mentioned playing in front of 1,600 at the Palladium, you have played small, intimate show, you played with Incubus, do you have a preference as a performer of being up there by yourself controlling everything or the idea of having a full band to compliment what you are doing?
In a smaller setting I like being by myself and in a larger setting, I like the full band because there is more physical room so there is more space to put sound. If you put a drummer in a tiny room, it could be overwhelming to people, where as a drummer and the sound can really move freely in a large space, so that has something to do with it. But also, for a larger crowd, less of them may be familiar where as a smaller setting there are more of my fans, and I can feel it and I know everyone. But once it gets larger, I think I would really like to show off and play and tear down the house with a really tight band.

At what point did you know that you wanted to play music full time and that you could play music full time?
It wasn't until I physically received the check after I signed my record deal. And then I went, "Okay, this is my job. I am getting paid to do this." So, it wasn't until that point.

I mentioned before coming to Ohio. You said earlier that you have a solid fan base. But what is it like now, touring the country and the world for that matter, and playing in front of people who have never heard Kate Earl?
To be honest, it is a lot like being the new kid at school every day. People buy tickets and it is like they are there to see their friend and to hang out and have a good time with someone that they are familiar with and I am the new person. So, each city I really try to feel it out as far as the attitude and atmosphere and culture so I can seem somewhat familiar to people as far as the presence goes and find a way for my songs to appeal to them. Because different cities are different ways, so when I get in front of people I try and figure out how would they best receive what I am doing. Because as I said before, I can play stripped down or with a band, so I can piecemeal all that together each night and it's really exciting and keeps everything fresh and is a cool way to get to know the people that I am traveling with, because I can be like, "Hey, can I get your help on this song." Or I can do it solo and have that experience, but I am never bored, and that is a real blessing. Coming on the road for 45 nights playing the same songs I thought, "Gosh, I am going to get tired of this." But I definitely am not. I am learning something new every night and it's been really good and the crowds has been really receptive.

One of the things that happens when someone builds a fan base and then gets signed, a lot of those old fans say the artist is selling out or becoming commercial. Have you had any "backlash" since signing your deal and putting out a non-stripped down record?
Well, I have had a tiny bit of a different experience, because I was signed and developed so I only had a couple of songs and the people that have been my fans since the beginning have been on this journey with me. They would come up to me after the shows and ask, "Where are we at now?" And they have been there from the time that I began writing the songs that I would perform. I would only play three songs on stage, filling in during someone else's set, and then I would do five and then seven and now I have 12 and 14 and they watched it grow and felt they were on this journey with me. That's something that I feel very lucky about. It wasn't like I had everything ready and I went and won over all these people and then got signed. My situation is different that way. I feel like my fan base is a hometown of sorts, or a community that I can always come back to for support, so that has been really cool. Everyone around me has really wanted me to succeed and they know my desire is to do really well and be big, and they want that for me because they know that is my heart, so it hasn't been an issue in any way.

To kind of wrap this up, we mentioned Tristan and I saw Rachel Yamagata not too long ago ...
I know her, too. Did you know that?

No, I didn't. She is awesome.
She has got like a crazy-good voice.

Yea, and there seems to be a resurgence or great, and I don't want to call it underground, because its not, but a groundswell of great female singer-songwriters getting solid recognition. How do you feel being a part of this, what I would call resurgence, of solid female performers and your role in that, if you feel you have one?
Well, I would like to believe I do have a role in it because it is so extremely important to me. When I began writing and began perusing my career, Britney Spears was at the height of her success and I just felt like I had the biggest mountains to climb...

No pun intended I am sure.
Exactly! And it wasn't until I was already in pre-production that Nora Jones' started receiving her success and as soon as that happened I really felt like a doorway had opened for what I do. I was just so grateful to the powers-that-be for that timing because it has now made it possible for me to be doing this. It was already established that what I do was respectable, but when I was showing my exact same songs that are now cool with a lot of other people and a lot of girls are performing in this way and is accepted, when I was showing these exact same songs to record labels, they were telling me there was no audience for them. It was very discouraging but I didn't give up and I didn't change what I do. They were telling me I should be like Avril Lavine or be more like Michelle Branch, and I was like, "Uh, no." So I can only hope the trend continues and only grows stronger and greater and I hope all us girls can join together and continue to make great music.