#Ty Segall’s Freedom Band

[senorboombastic]

This One Song… Charles Moothart on Hold On

Tell you what – we love hearing from artists when things go right. We equally love hearing from artists when things go dreadfully wrong. A song that was a piece of piss, written in 20 minutes? Or years in the making and a bastard to write? Whether it’s a song that came together through great duress or one that was smashed out in a short amount of time, we’re getting the lowdown from some of our…

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#Birthday cake for breakfast #Black Holes Don&039;t Choke #CFM #Charles Moothart #Dichotomy Desaturated #Fuzz #In The Red Records #Little Egg #Soft Crime #Soundtrack to an Empty Room #The Fire I Call Home #Ty Segall #Ty Segall’s Freedom Band

[sinceileftyoublog]

Shannon Lay Interview: The Volume Meets the Medium

BY JORDAN MAINZER

Upon listening to “Angeles”, the Elliott Smith interpretation that opens Shannon Lay’s first covers album Covers Vol. 1 (Sub Pop), you’re struck by something familiar, yet different: her voice. Whether singing original songs, Karen Dalton on 2019′s August, or Syd Barrett on 2021′s Geist, Lay’s voice has always taken on an expressive whisper. You know--kind of like Elliott Smith. But on “Angeles”, she goes full force, unobscured by the haze of her past material. It’s the first song on the first album released since Lay’s taken voice lessons, taking advantage of a living situation and time in her career when she can sing out loud without bothering a roommate, with the confidence and good habits she’s developed over years of writing and performing.

Covers Vol. 1 is, in many ways, different than your traditional covers album. The artists included on it feel like an extension of Lay’s world, from the gentle caress of Nick Drake or Arthur Russell to the Bay Area scuzz of Ty Segall and OCS. (Lay’s spent a lot of time in Ty Segall’s Freedom Band.) Artists like Sibylle Baier and Jackson C. Frank are newfound loves, whereas Smith, Drake, Segall, and OCS are longtime influences. For an artist who wears her influences loudly and proudly while having still developed a unique artistic voice, a covers album is almost the perfect embodiment of Shannon Lay.

When I spoke again with Lay over the phone a couple months ago as she was about to embark on an opening tour for Whitney, she talked about why she likes not just recording covers, but playing them for an audience. “It’s such a great unifier, especially for an audience that doesn’t know you,” she said. “‘You like this? I like this, too!’” Lay plays Friday at the South Pasadena Masonic Lodge, Saturday at the Sebastiani Theater in Sonoma, and in July at the Permanent Records Roadhouse in L.A. Whether it’s a celebration of the release of Covers Vol. 1, Geist, her whole discography, or music in general, you can be sure to hear her as the messenger of some songs she didn’t necessarily write, embedded in the folk tradition.

Read our conversation below, edited for length and clarity.

Since I Left You: Both times we’ve spoken, you’ve talked about how much you like doing covers. You’ve included covers on your otherwise-original albums. What made you want to do a full covers album?

Shannon Lay: I think I had just amassed enough. I had so many under my belt that I loved playing live over the years, and it felt good to release something indicative of how I’ve been playing live lately, which is solo with this nylon string guitar, stripped-down, campfire style. It seemed appropriate.

SILY: Are there a couple tying threads among the range of artists you cover on here?

SL: I really wanted to be transparent about my influences, considering the fact that people who like my music would probably love these other artists, too. It felt like a nice way to let people in to the way I make music and open them up to the things I like, too. If you like me, you’ll definitely like Nick Drake and Elliott Smith.

SILY: It’s certainly a mix of eras. I was excited to see a couple modern day Bay Area luminaries in Ty Segall and OCS. How did those bands influence you as much as, say, Nick Drake and Sybille Baier?

SL: To have real-world experience with people I revere so much has been amazing. Ty and [OCS’] John [Dwyer] have been so supportive ever since I started playing music. It’s been super cool having them as a source of inspiration and support. I love them as people, but I absolutely love their music, so I had to pay tribute to those two guys. They’ve been so impactful on my life, musically and personally.

SILY: On your past couple records, your singing style seems more whispered and subdued, layered and affected. On here, especially on the Elliott Smith and Jackson C. Frank covers, you’re not obscuring your voice at all, which I found especially interesting on the Elliott Smith track, because that’s his singing style. Can you talk about how you adapted your vocal performance for these covers?

SL: I’ve been learning a lot about my voice. I’ve always loved to sing, but I think I grew up singing in these environments where I was living with someone, or roommates, and I didn’t want to bother anyone. I was always quite shy with my singing. Recently, I’ve had the ability to have my own space and explore what it’s like to go full-voice. Also, the way I’ve been tuning my guitar, which I got from Sybille Baier, is tuned down to C-standard. My voice fits so cozily in that zone. I started taking vocal lessons last year. It just blew the doors open, and I was able to find a much more powerful place to sing from. This record is the first place I’ve recorded that progress. Feeling it, and hearing how it hits the tape, particularly on the “Angeles” cover, was so delicious. I get why people love it: It’s this stunning compression that happens when you get that volume that meets that medium.

It’s been so cool. A lot of times, when you play an instrument or sing, you feel like you max out what you’re able to learn about it. I don’t think that’s true for anything. I feel like you can always learn more about what you love doing. With singing, it’s been really cool to expand the possibilities of it. I also want to sing for the rest of my life, so [it’s about] finding healthy habits and a new love for it. It’s stunning. I love it!

SILY: It’ll be cool to hear how you take this new approach into your original songs.

SL: Totally, especially if you see me live lately. It’s the new ingredient in the mix, which has been really fun in a simplified setting. It really maximizes the potential of how dynamic the vocals can be. It’s a really cool instrument, and it’s built into all of us.

SILY: Can you pinpoint your exact relationships to all of these songs, like when you first heard them or fell in love with them? Are there any that are newer to you?

SL: Sybille Baier is pretty new. I only discovered her in the last 4-5 years. Jackson C. Frank was also a pretty new love. The two of them have a lot in common. There’s a beautiful poetic melancholy to the way they make music, and two people I’d love to create a platform to lift them up on. They’re lesser known within this list of people.

The Jackson C. Frank song, I had never heard a cover done by a woman. I wanted to sing it from a female perspective. I thought it was interesting the way it took shape and became a little bit more wistful. I intentionally cut a verse that talked about giving up and not trying anymore. [laughs] I don’t agree with that. There’s something about heartbreak that propels you forward. It’s not about giving up, it’s about overcoming that moment. I liked bringing a more hopeful perspective to a very sad song.

SILY: The last time we talked, you said you always have a Sybille Baier track in your back pocket to cover at any moment. Why’d you choose this specific song?

SL: I wanted to pick songs that hadn’t been covered very much. [“I Lost Something In The Hills”] has some of my favorite lines I’ve ever heard in music. The whole arc of it feels like a coming-of-age story. Understanding yourself in an accepting light and that you’re kind of a weirdo, and these “strong and strange moods,” as she says. I can highly relate.

SILY: It’s a microcosm for the whole record, a curation of songs as a sort of mixtape, but you just happen to be the one singing.

SL: Yes! I love that.

SILY: “I’m Set Free” is a fun one because everyone says Lou Reed’s voice is deadpan, but your cover sort of reveals the song’s melody.

SL: [laughs] Totally. It’s a trip, man. I love transforming that song. The original has a washy thing about it, and I wanted to bring it down to Earth. The lyrics are so beautiful, and the message is, “I’m leaving the story behind,” having a clear perspective of a situation and it being up to you how to feel about things.

SILY: The Ty Segall cover is from Sleeper, his first “folk” record, but OCS have never gone through that folk phase to the extent Ty has. They’ve always maintained a certain level of noise, and "I Am Slow” specifically has a lot of weird instrumentation. How did you find adopting it to a folk song?

SL: That one was funny. With all the covers I’ve done, it falls into place so naturally, and that one just spilled out one day. I had to check with John on the lyrics because I wasn’t exactly sure what he was saying. [laughs] I got to play a few songs with OCS when they released their last record, which is one of the most stunning pieces of music, and I got to sing that song with Brigid Dawson. Every time I listen to OCS and play that song, I feel like I’m paying tribute to San Francisco. It just boils down the vibe of the [city], like a love note to the Bay Area.

SILY: What’s the story behind the cover art of this record?

SL: I do love a pun, so I wanted me under covers on the cover of the covers record. [laughs] It was a really fun shoot. My partner Kai MacKnight shot it on 16mm and grabbed stills, so it had this stunning texture about it. I was actually laying underneath a picnic table, and he was on top of the picnic table to get the shot. I love how it came out. It’s ethereal and ambiguous.

SILY: The title of this album has “Vol. 1″ in it. Do you have other covers set to record and release?

SL: I don’t, but I wanted to establish this never-ending journey. I really appreciate music and sharing music. I love bringing my perspective to songs. I want Vol. 2 to be all duets. I’m going to amass a bunch of duets for that one and see where it goes from there, and eventually release a sick-ass box set. [laughs]

SILY: Are you working on any original material?

SL: I’ve been sporadically writing ever since I released Geist. I want to figure out what that wants to be. I’ve also been writing with other people. I have a few things on the stove simmering, and I want to see what they turn into. I feel it on the horizon.

SILY: Anything else next for you?

SL: Just enjoying the ride. I’ve been doing ceramics!

SILY: Anything you’ve been listening to, watching, or reading you’ve dug?

SL: I just finished Poker Face, which I absolutely loved. It gives me X-Files vibes, which is such a nice thing to have in modern television.

I’ve just been listening to Elliott Smith for like the last year. I can’t stop. [laughs] And Pavement. A modern artist I’d like to hype is Allegra Krieger. She’s fantastic, an East Coast gal who makes the most incredible folk music you’ve ever heard. Her last album Precious Thing has been on repeat. It brought me to tears the first time I’ve heard it.

SILY: Did you see a Pavement reunion show?

SL: I did. It was in-credible. They gave the people what they wanted.

#interviews #live picks #shannon lay #sub pop #sid the cat #sebastiani theatre #permanent records roadhouse #covers vol. 1 #elliott smith #karen dalton #august #syd barrett #geist #nick drake #arthur russell #ty segall #ocs #freedom band #sibylle baier #jackson c. frank #whitney #south pasadena masonic lodge #john dwyer #lou reed #sleeper #poker face #x-files #pavement #allegra krieger #kai macknight

[musicaemdx]

Vodafone Paredes de Coura’22 - dia 19, O poder do Rei Ty Segall

Vodafone Paredes de Coura’22 – dia 19, O poder do Rei Ty Segall

O fim estava a aproximar-se mas a ânsia por música não desvanecia nem um pouco. Esperava-nos um dia cheio de boas surpresas, daquelas que aquecem o ouvido, o coração e alma! © Hugo Lima | fb.me/hugolimaphotography | hugolima.com Começo com a primeira delas, Sylvie Kreusch ou um furacão tal PJ Harvey deixou as poucas pessoas que estavam diante dela de queixo caído e prendeu-nos até ao último…

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#Arlo Parks #Baleia Baleia Baleia #Boy Harsher #Eliana Berto #Ritmos Lda. #Sylvie Kreusch #Ty Segall and The Freedom Band #Vodafone Paredes de Coura

[idroveatank]

ty segall & freedom band fucking *brings* it whoa nelly. with shannon lay at royale boston 6-27-2022

#ty segall #shannon lay #boston

[dustedmagazine]

Ty Segall — “Hello, Hi” (Drag City)

Photo by Denée Segall

"Hello, Hi" by Ty Segall

Ty Segall’s lockdown album plays out in an uncharacteristically quiet way, in baroque, psych-1960s guitar picking, airy melodies and la-la-la-ing counterpoints. The cover photo shows him clutching an acoustic guitar while crouched on the thick branch of a tree, no plugs or amps in sight, and that is pretty much how the record rolls. “Hello, Hi” sounds more like Segall’s Syd Barrett-leaning collaborations with White Fence than anything he’s done lately, though his guitar does erupt, once or twice, in a satisfying arena rock scream.

These tunes spin out spidery delicacies, with Segall’s falsetto drifting over tangles of folk-leaning picking. “Blue” is one of the best of these bucolic concoctions, its longing muted, lackadaisical, but still palpable. “You can’t erase the pain…it lives inside you,” he croons, an existential angst couched in the most soothing layers of vocal harmonies. The drifting, nameless discomfort of 2022 — where we’re fine in all measurable ways but still deeply out of sorts — comes to life in this song. 

“Cement” twines a serpentine, 1960s-psychedelic melody around the softest curves. The guitar is a little more defined and sharper than on “Blue,” but the vocals proliferate in fantastic multi-variety. Segall muses in “la-la-las” in one thread, while countering in a staccato recital of the letters that spell “Goodnight.” It’s all him, coming from several different directions, and it is listless but rather lovely. 

A few rocking tracks intercede to remind you of the full-blast power of Segall’s amplified music. “Over” adds drums to the mix, giving its rambling picking a bit of motorik charge, but it’s the title track that really hits. A brief, angelic burst of “las” begins the cut, but Segall immediately ruptures the serenity with a blast of corrosive guitar. The song ramps up in howling, fried psych-rock style, like “She” from Freedom’s Goblin, only maybe more so. It’s a reminder of why we may not want Ty Segall to retreat entirely into lockdown-style introspection—and of what he’s capable of when the world opens up again for rock bands. 

Jennifer Kelly

#dusted magazine #album review #jennifer kelly #ty segall #hello hi #drag city #psych rock #lockdown music

[vmonteiro23a]

UNDER THE RADAR: Ty Segall announces new album and shares "My Room"

UNDER THE RADAR: Ty Segall announces new album and shares “My Room” “After sharing a couple singles this summer, Ty Segall has announced a new album, Three Bells, which will be out January 26 via Drag City. The album was co-produced by Bitchin Bajas’ Cooper Crain; Ty’s wife, Denée Segall, co-wrote five of the songs; and it features contributions from members of The Freedom Band.” .brooklyn vegan

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[stealiesjam]

Ty Segall ‘23-‘24 tour announcement

Words by Santiago Beltran All you Ty-heads out there might be delighted to know the man himself has just rolled out a fresh batch of tour dates. After being a (little) less active than usual this past year, Ty Segall is hitting the road coast to coast in an effort to promote his impending album release. 

The tour will include some shows in Topanga Canyon, CA  featuring a partial acoustic+ Freedom band set ! 

This is all coinciding with the release of his tumultuous, 7 minute epic track ‘Void’, now available on streaming apps.

[amplifiedwires]

APRIL 2023 FREEDOM BAND SHOWS

We're huge fans of the Golden State Psychrawk scene since the late 90's. One of Amplified Wires fave guitar slingers is Ty Segall. His top-notch 5-piece Freedom Band went down under back in the Spring for a nice run of shows.

Their slate for 2023 stateside is considerably pared down in comparison to their usual touring commitments. Only two dates in April and a string of three dates in October in the Middle West have announced.

YT taper Daniel Kirby has a sweet archive of shows taped & he's got the recent Freedom Band gigs already up.

Here they are:

Ventura Music Hall, CA 4/29/2023

Glass House, Pomona, CA 4/30/2023

#ty segall #fredom band #psychrawk #golden state psych #Youtube

[loudieapp]

One of the leaders of the psych-influenced garage rock scene that erupted in California in the late 2000s, Ty Segall & Freedom Band comes to The Glass House on Sunday April 30!

[senorboombastic]

Live Review: FUZZ at Gorilla in Manchester 16 March 2023

Words: Andy Hughes Back in June 2018, Manchester received visiting Californian Ty Segall with much gusto. Along with his Freedom Band, Segall ripped it up at Gorilla just off Oxford Road and at the time, we suggested “It’s hard not to talk in hyperbole when recounting the events of the evening…“ March 2023 and we’re back to it, ready to exaggerate all over again with a caved-in-head session…

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#16 March 2023 #Birthday cake for breakfast #Chad Ubovich #Charles Moothart #Earthen Gate #Fuzz #Gorilla Manchester #Jack The Maggot #Live Review #Manchester #The 7th Terror #Time Collapse II #Ty Segall

[originalharmonysalad]

Silkscreened gigposter for Ty Segall & The Freedom Band | Night 1

Art by Cyrille Rousseau

La Cigale October the 9th 2019.

via French Paper Art Club Sérigraphies de concerts, affiches de films, art, jeux vidéo et comics

#ty segall #cyrille rousseau #gig poster #french paper art club

[lastchancevillagegreen]

Wednesday, 19 October 2022:

Pig Man Lives Volume 1 (Demos: 2007-2017) Ty Segall (Sea Note) (released in 2019)

Sometimes just learning about something is sufficient and fun, it doesn’t mean you necessarily need to own everything that you find interesting.  Case in point: this four LP box set (designed intentionally like a bootleg boxed set which means no annotation as to when the demos were recorded or what they ended up being or on what album their more refined relation ended up on).  I’ve been listening to Segall’s Gemini (from 2013) which contains demos that ended up in finished form on Twins (from 2012) and then somehow I discovered that Segall (an uber-prolific artist if ever there were one) had an entire box of demos that consumed four albums! 

I tend to love excessive and this box certainly fit that category.  I ended up listening to all of the first album on bandcamp and when Bandcamp Friday rolled around, I opted to buy this.  Now I only own about seven or eight Ty Segall albums and it isn’t like he generates a huge amount of play on my stereo.  It probably would have been enough for me just knowing this set existed as opposed to thinking it was a must own.  By the time it arrived in my mailbox I was well past Ty Segall Demos. 

Matter of fact, when Drag City (Segall’s label and the parent label of Sea Note) notified me that I had a package arriving I had actually forgotten all about Pig Man and believed this package was going to be the new Bill Callahan album, Reality (Callahan also records for Drag City).  I have heard one track from the new Callahan album and thought it was fantastic (which might not be hard considering how much I despised Callahan’s last album Gold Record; I still believe it is easily his worst album and I’m counting Smog releases in that as well).  I’ve been really excited for Reality so when Pig Man showed up I was taken aback! 

Turns out CD of the new Callahan album is out now, but the vinyl could take until February to be released!  That is according to amazon, Drag City merely says they’ll mail it out when it comes out!  Damn!  February?!  The connection of Callahan to Segall may seem tenuous at best, but Emmet Kelly plays bass on the new Callahan album and he is also in Freedom Band with Mikal Cronin who has made more than a few albums with Segall.  Furthermore, Freedom Band has made three albums with Ty Segall. 

So, until Reality comes around, I’ll be playing this four LP set of demos.  The photos above are a product of digital photography which for unknown reasons decided this box needed to be light purple when in reality it is pink.  You see the front and the back of the box.  That lovely cover was painted by Ty Segall himself. 

Below you can see the inside of the box in two different photographs of it.  As you can see, now the camera has decided this is pink after all.

This box may not include any notations but fortunately you do get a giant sized poster of the cover!  Did I mention Ty Segall painted this?

I can’t wait to adorn my walls with this lovely painting of Pig Man.  And if we are lucky Volume Two will include a new painting and a new pose!  Below you will find close ups of the labels for the first album only.  They all look alike outside of the song titles, so I’m only showing you the first album worth of labels.

[jungleindierock]

Ty Segall & Freedom Band - Full Performance (Live on KEXP)

Ty Segall & Freedom Band performing live in the KEXP studio. Recorded February 5, 2022. The band on this performance are Ty Segall on vocals & guitar Emmett Kelly on guitar Mikal Cronin on the bass Ben Boye on keyboard and Charles Moothart on the drums. The four songs performed were Whisper, Erased, Harmonizer and Waxman.

#Ty Segall & Freedom Band #Ty Segall #USA #singer-songwriter #indie rock #indie music #music #live music #live video #indie #alternative rock #rock #2022 #JIR #Jungle Indie Rock #Rebjukebox

[losangeleslovesyou]

TY SEGALL & FREEDOM BAND : LIVE ON KEXP Songs: Whisper Erased Harmonizer Waxman

#ty segall #freedom band #kexp #live

[chaunceyandchumleysdad]

I’m kicking off the weekend with Ty Segall, an artist I am looking forward to seeing at Pitchfork Music Festival. This is his cover of the Harry Nilsson song, Jump Into The Fire.

#ty segall #ty segall and the freedom band #harry nilsson #jump into the fire #pitchfork music festival #chicago #september 11 2021

[sinceileftyoublog]

Shannon Lay Interview: A Still Spirit

Photo by Kai MacKnight

BY JORDAN MAINZER

“Have you always been who you are?” asks Shannon Lay on “Rare to Wake”, the opening track to her incredible new album Geist, out tomorrow via Sub Pop. She presents these type of earth-shattering questions with remarkable calm, though they entered her mind with anything but. The songs on Geist--the German word for “spirit”--came out of an intense period of self-reflection for Lay. In 2019, she released and toured on the terrific August, on which she observed the headspace of others, from Nick Drake’s mother Molly to a spider on a stack of records. After that, she began an inward process that, ironically, wouldn’t have been able to happen without the forced break of a global pandemic. Realizing that she perceived many aspects of her creative life past and present (which included working at a vintage clothing store, playing in the punk band Feels, and playing in Ty Segall’s Freedom Band) as brought upon by external forces, she took the opportunity to craft herself anew.

For many artists, songs that are born out of the desire to leave their comfort zone tend to be their most abrasive-sounding. Geist is instead Lay’s most beautiful and gentle record, played with a nylon-string acoustic guitar, her vocals and guitar recorded before she sent the tunes out to other musicians to add their own layers. That it was recorded this way yields a record that’s warm and oscillates gently on songs like “Sure” and “Time’s Arrow”. None of the songs even reach what sounds like a full-band choogle--the closest it comes is the end of “Rare to Wake” and “Untitled”, which has the only audible percussion on the record--but the record is rich in its assured calm. At the center of it all is Lay’s smoky voice, layered a capella on “Awaken and Allow” and traveling with her guitar on the album’s title track.

I spoke with Lay over the phone from her home in Pasadena, CA last month about Geist, her creative process, and cover songs. Read our conversation below, edited for length and clarity.

Since I Left You: What about Geist is unique as compared to anything else you’ve ever released?

Shannon Lay: With this one, the biggest difference was being more comfortable with what I felt called to offer. From the background of music I did and the scene I grew up in, when I started presenting my solo music, it always felt like it had to be edgy, tough, cool, or punk. There had to be something rough about it. With this one, I just embraced the fact that one of my specialties is creating really beautiful music. I’m so happy that I did, because the result really is this beautiful experience. I think it’s because I became so much clearer with the goal of it. I wasn’t so confused and wrapped up in the identities I had accumulated beforehand. 

SILY: Did that goal influence your decision to release “Rare to Wake” before even announcing the album?

SL: Yeah, totally. We also knew [Geist] would be a very appropriate fall record, so we saw this long span of time between finishing and releasing it, so it felt appropriate to trickle out songs. It seems that’s how people are digesting music now anyways, in smaller increments. It felt nice to present the single and make a video for it that felt appropriate.

SILY: It’s jacket weather here, finally. We just turned the heat on. Listening to Geist earlier today, I could tell it will be a popular record throughout the season.

SL: Oh, I love that! Yay! I know, I had my first jacket day the other day here, too, and then it went back to 100 degrees. But I really enjoyed it. [laughs]

SILY: Is “Rare to Wake” inspired by Dune?

SL: Yeah. I had never seen David Lynch’s version. It blew my mind, the content and message behind it. It really got my wheels turning. [Protagonist] Paul in the movie really has to prove to himself that he is who he is, and I think we’re all on that journey, but the conclusion of it is we’ve always been who we are and everything we can be. We’re just on different steps of the journey to that. [laughs] The new [Dune] looks pretty good.

SILY: Are you gonna see it in theaters?

SL: Oh yeah. I love movies where that’s the way you have to see it, in a theater. This one for sure is gonna be like that. 

SILY: On the track “Awaken and Allow”, when you sing, “I have to get out of California / The days go by like smoke in the wind,” is that a reference to the wildfires?

SL: Oh man, it wasn’t, but that is an appropriate interpretation. I like that. California basically represents my comfort zone in my life. I grew up here, I’ve always lived here, and I think that line was a poetic way of saying, “I need to step out of what makes me comfortable in order to grow.” If you don’t, time can slip away, and you can excuse the things you’re called to do because you’re fine where you’re at. It’s about challenging yourself, and California is just really safe and easy for me.

SILY: The title of the album is the German word for “spirit.” What led you to that word and in that language?

SL: I was actually looking through a 1930s music vocabulary book, all these cool words used to reference different moments in music or levels of playing and types of instruments and singing. That word came up in there. I loved the conciseness of it. It felt very appropriate. This record, I wanted it to be this very dense content delivered in a very gentle way. Disguising the word “spirit” in this kind of mystical sound-- “geist” is almost a sound--felt like a nice way to tie everything together. The whole time I was writing this, I was reflecting on the human spirit, how adaptable it is and how persevering it could be, [as I was] watching everyone go through hard times and triumphs. People finding themselves and taking the opportunity to get to know themselves and new ways of being. It was cool to hear people’s stories trickle in as I reconnected with folks. It’s a definite nod to how strong we are. I feel like “spirit” can have a religious context to some people. The problem with self-improvement in general is it can be off-putting with the way it’s worded, so “geist” felt like a poetic way of lightening the load of what I was handing you.

SILY: Was wanting to touch on adaptability and strength in the face of challenges directly inspired by anything going on in your life during the writing process?

SL: Before the pandemic even started, I was feeling a lot of cracks forming in my foundation. Who I was and who I thought I identified with was slipping away, and I couldn’t hold on to it anymore. I felt this need to drop it. It was like holding something really slippery. I dropped it all and was trying to rebuild as the pandemic hit. It was really an amazing opportunity to me to surrender and explore within myself a fresh start. It occurred to me that everything I thought I was, was built up from other people and their beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors. We’re these sponges in the world, and I had picked up a lot of stuff that wasn’t mine. I began this process of sorting through. The first thing I did was recognizing what I wanted to keep and what I wanted to work on. It was an intense process, and I don’t think I could have done it continuing to exist in the world as I was, pretending like I was okay. It allowed me to fall apart in this really amazing way that gave me a vantage point to all the broken pieces I could put back together in a much more stable, nurturing way.

SILY: Is this identity reclamation process part of your embracing your Irish roots in “Awaken and Allow”? It sounds like a traditional Irish folk song.

SL: I felt very connected to that, for sure. I think it’s a big part of who I am and where my family came from. I’m hopefully gonna go there next year. I’m so excited; I’ve never been. It’s good to keep falling down that rabbit hole. It felt like the first glimpse of the river that runs through everyone’s culture you can go to and take home. It was a cool experience having that song happen kind of organically. I felt very connected to ancestral energy. 

SILY: "Awaken and Allow” and “Rare to Wake” share a quality with the album in general: It sounds like it’s precluding something else, in a good way. The first time I heard “Rare to Wake”, I expected it to go into a full band jam at the end, but it stops. The a capella in “Awaken and Allow”, and “Untitled”, which has the only audible percussion on the record, made me think that because you expect the songs to go somewhere else but they don’t, it almost serves to reemphasize the importance of the present moment.

SL: Oh, I love that so much. I absolutely had the intention of a lot of stillness surrounding this record. It kind of requires you to have a moment of calm. Music all serves such different purposes...with this one, when I was figuring out what I wanted to put out into the world, in this moment in time, it feels like we all need as many reminders as possible to just sit there and be. We’re brought up to do, which is cool, too, but something about sitting and breathing and feeling your life force, everyone should experience that at some point. For people who feel like the world is happening to them, that kind of victim mentality. If you just take a minute to appreciate the fact that you can hear your heartbeat if you listen long enough or take a deep breath into your lungs. I wanted to promote moments like that, and I love that you got that out of it. It’s perfect.

SILY: I think living in the present is something that a lot of people have learned to do, almost by necessity, during long periods of isolation.

SL: Yeah. It’s a tough time for sure. It’s easy to feel like it’s happening to you. It’s either an excuse or an opportunity, and to make it an excuse is all too appealing. My gosh, it’s so nice to have that to reach for, because then nothing’s your fault. It’s all happening to you! When you flip your perspective, it’s such divine timing, and you’re absolutely meant to be wherever you’re meant to be. Even if it’s a difficult spot, there’s knowledge in that moment you need to search for. It’s so important to remember. It all comes back to being present. [laughs]

SILY: On August, you covered Karen Dalton. On Geist, you cover Syd Barrett’s “Late Night”. When did you first hear “Late Night”, and why did you decide to include it? Do you think including a cover is going to become a tradition on all of your records?

SL: I love covers so much. I love taking artists that more people should know about and giving them a little shoutout. Karen Dalton, ever since August has come out--and I’m not saying it’s me who did this--but I’ve noticed buzz around her. This documentary [Karen Dalton: In My Own Time] is coming out. It’s cool that these people who were maybe not so appreciated in their moment can now leave this legacy. The ripple effect of music is so incredible. Syd Barrett was one of those people, too. That guy was a weirdo, man. The music he made kind of reminds me of Arthur Russell. The first time you hear it, you may not like it. You have to sit with it and be in the right mood. It’s so beautiful and so off-kilter and has this very child-like maturity about it. “Late Night” especially has this innocence, but so much wisdom. It’s a really wild combo, and I feel it every time I play or listen to that song. He had that magical mix of being 80 and 8 at the same time. [laughs] It’s so weird.

When I try a cover, I don’t like to push it too hard. If it doesn’t come out immediately, I just move on. With [“Late Night”], I tried it, and it felt so nice and natural. Working on the harmonies was fun, and it felt like it had a place within this record. There’s an embrace of change and a loving yourself vibe within this record but a lot of projecting love outward and loving people and appreciating the relationships that have come and gone in your life. That song sums that up so beautifully.

SILY: I agree with you about Arthur Russell. It’s not sounds you traditionally associate with being beautiful, but when you listen to them and take it for what it is, it very much is beautiful. I think I feel the same way about someone like Kate Bush.

SL: Yes! The true weridos. Just pure freaks in the best sense of the word.

SILY: I’m not trying to think of others like that. Daniel Johnston, too.

SL: Absolutely!

SILY: What’s the story behind the cover art for this record?

SL: I reconnected with an old friend during the pandemic, and we ended up falling madly in love. We knew each other in middle school and were actually each other’s first kiss in middle school. We drifted apart as we got older and came back together. He became this really crucial piece of the visual aspects of this record. He directed all three of the music videos I did for it and took both of the cover photos. He lives in the Lincoln Heights area of Los Angeles, and there’s all these amazing hills around there. You walk up these craggy little paths, and all of a sudden, you’re on top of the world. On his street, there was this house that used to be there but got torn down, and the wall behind me was the retaining wall very poorly keeping the dirt held up behind me. [laughs] I loved the idea of presenting the confidence I was feeling grow within me on this record. I wanted to include the instrument I used as well, since everything came out of that Nylon-string guitar. 

We did these photos on film, so when we got them back, I thought, “This is it. This is how I feel in a really cool visual representation.” It was this very baller confident chick standing in front of this huge crack that I felt happen within myself. My whole self was shattered at the beginning of this journey, and it was this process of picking up the pieces. This image was so good, and on the back is this photo of me cracking up in the same position, which is the perfect juxtaposition. Another thing we have to remember in this life is to not take ourselves too seriously. It’s so important to have fun and be light about even the heaviest of things. It’s just a way to carry around less weight. It felt classic--I felt very inspired by classic country records, really straightforward, “Here’s the photo, some colors, and a great font.” [It's] so serious on the front, and you turn it over, and you’re like, “Oh yeah, this is all in good fun.”

SILY: It’s got some Gram Parsons energy.

SL: Yeah, totally. I can’t wait to get the vinyl. The yellow, we put this cool texture on it. It’s gonna look really beautiful.

SILY: Have you played these songs live?

SL: Yes, it’s been really fun. I’ve actually been practicing here with a stand-up bass player and a keyboard player who also sings. It’s been really, really fun to bring them to life. It requires this delicate touch that if it lines up just right, it’s powerful in its simplicity. I’m just obsessed! I’m playing a solo show tonight where I play most of the record because I can’t get enough of playing these songs. They feel so good and fit in so well with the electric stuff I do during the set.

SILY: Do you have any other covers you’re doing on this tour?

SL: I’m doing a good amount of solo shows, and I really like including Sibylle Baier covers. She was a really big influence on this record, and I was going to include one of her covers, but I don’t want to just cover the song and play the song. I want to put my own spin on it, but her songs are perfect as is. I’ll definitely do “Late Night”. I’m always down for covers. I always have a couple Arthur Russell covers in my pocket. Those are the best. 

SILY: When I saw you at Lincoln Hall, you and your band did an a capella version of “Everybody Everybody”.

SL: Yes! That is to this day one of my proudest accomplishments. [laughs]

SILY: Are you the type of songwriter who is always writing songs? Are you working on anything?

SL: I’m not! I feel very called to rest at the moment. I’m trying to reenter things so I can honor the fact that I’m not built to tour all year and only say yes to the things that feel really genuinely good. I’m really excited to see what comes next, because part of what’s hard about being creative is learning to honor and trust your process. One ingredient that gets introduced that could be avoided a lot of the time is worry. I’m trying to notice the pattern of my creativity and in the moments I don’t feel called to write, know that one day I’m gonna wake up and it’s gonna feel so good to go in there and go nuts and lose track of time and forget to eat and get lost in the flow. I think Neil Young said it: “If it’s not comin’, just mow the lawn.” I moved into a house by myself in February and have just been nesting, so that’s been really nice.

SILY: Anything you’ve been listening to, watching, or reading lately that you’ve enjoyed?

SL: I just finished [Dr. Nicole LePera’s] How to Do the Work, which is a great book that came out recently if you feel called to work on yourself and work on your behavioral patterns. It’s a really helpful book of stories and experiences from this one doctor. She has this Instagram called The Holistic Psychologist. She’s great. I just started [Steven Pressfield’s] The War of Art, which talks a lot about how you can get in the way of your creativity. It’s a very triggering book, so I’m gonna keep reading it. [laughs] It talks a lot about resistance and the way that we self-sabotage. I see so much of the things I wouldn’t really think of as self-sabotage in there. I just rewatched The Matrix trilogy after I saw the new one was coming out, which was fantastic. I’m always down for some Keanu. I’ve been listening to a lot of 90′s dance, or Steven Halpern meditation music. I’m either sleeping or dancing.

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