Lissie

Part 1

0:03How are you? Where are you? What's up with you? I'm good. I'm in New York and I'm doing some writing for my album with this producer out here. Already though, but the record just came out last summer. Yeah, but I recorded it in the spring of 2009. Okay. And it won't come out. The new one won't come out until next year anyway, but you got to kind of stay ahead of your stay ahead of things. Are you always writing? Do you find it easy to write wherever you are? Because I know a lot of people, well not a lot of people, but a lot of songwriters that I've spoken to need to be alone in a room by themselves kind of thing. Yeah, I think I need, you know, for one, I'll probably need to take a bit of a break just to sort of like decompress and sort of process what I've been, you know,

0:48going through the last year and a half with like my constant traveling. And I think, you know, it is best to sort of have a little time to yourself to really reflect and write lyrics. But, you know, it's good to co-write. I've been finding. So I think for me to get back into writing and the midst of being on the road, you know, it's sort of helpful to write with other people because just them being in the room sort of makes you, you know, want to want to do something. Whereas sometimes if I'm by myself now, I'm a little bit lazy. I think I want to, I don't want to write. I want to sit on the couch and watch TV and eat cookies. So. Were you always like it or is it now that you've hit that pinnacle success? You're just like, oh, I've made it. Now I can kind of relax a little bit. No, I think now more than ever, I don't really.

1:34I feel like the more, the more what, like the better I do, I feel like the more I have, I need to do, you know, to kind of keep, keep like taking it up a notch and a notch, you know. It's, you know, so no, I'm not at a place where I feel like, you know, like I can sit back and relax. But, you know, I'm excited that things are going well. And luckily I have the energy that I can keep, you know, keep up a crazy schedule. Yeah, and you have been keeping up a crazy schedule the last little while from what I've been reading. Yeah, I have for sure. But that's a good thing. I got a question for you. Is it Lizzie or Lizzie? Because I get that phone call all the time every time we play the song. Well, it's, it's, um, it's Lizzie, L-I-S-S-I-E, you know, it's Lizzie and it's short for Alyssa

2:20and Beth. But, you know, my family even calls me like Lizzie. But when I kind of like came into my own, like as an adult, you know, I'd always spelled my name, you know, with Alysses and told people it was Lizzie and people would just call me Lizzie and I just wouldn't care. You know, I just say, okay, fine, you can call me Lizzie. You know, so you call me Lizzie or Lizzie, but it's Lizzie. No, I like, I like the double S. It's cool. It's different too. It stands you apart a little bit, which is nice. Yeah, I mean, it was always been spelled, spelled like that. But people, you know, from home, from where I grew up in Illinois, you know, will call me Lizzie and they just can't help it. Even though they know my name's Lizzie, it's like, I don't know what it is. It's just habit. Yeah, I guess it's where the brain goes because it's, it's common, I suppose.

3:09Yeah. Has it always been guitar for you? Have you always been a guitar player? Yeah, and since I was, you know, like little, I found a guitar around the house, which I couldn't really play. And then at high school, I sort of started learning chords for real, but piano, I just couldn't, I just couldn't quite get, wrap my head around piano, but guitar was something, you know, I felt motivated to play and practice and stuff. So, yeah, it's always been guitar. You know, I guess maybe when I was like in sixth grade, was when I really wanted to play guitar, like when I was about 12. And that's when grunge was like on MTV and they played a lot of music and music was pretty cool and had a lot of substance. And, you know, there was a lot of chicks that played guitar. And I think that was part of the reason why I wanted to. So, you know, I think for, for there to be, you know, women

3:58out there playing instruments and then writing songs is always a good thing. You know, if somebody can't play an instrument, that's okay too. But yeah, no, I think it's good that. I was wondering if I could get a couple like storytellers clips on a few of the songs we play on the station from you. Okay. Well, start with a new single. It's when I'm alone. When I'm alone is a song about, you know, when you're in a relationship with somebody. And when the two of you have this energy, obviously this connection and this vibe, when you're alone together, it's like, you know, you just feel so strongly, there's overwhelmed with love. And then it's sort of in the verses, it's basically like, but that person, you know, isn't there for you when you need them. And, you know, it's an unhealthy relationship and they drive you crazy. And I know a lot of people, you know, have gone through that

4:46where, you know, you've got some sort of energy with someone. But when it comes down to it, you know, they're really not very good for you. So it's sort of about that, I guess. In sleep. In sleep, you know, was written in a similar vein to what I'm alone, like same time, time period about this relationship I've gone through. And so after this guy and I'd broken up, you know, which was for the best, it was sort of like I'd still sort of dream that we were happy and I'd get to see him. And I have been a really vivid dreamer. And I'd wake up like kind of confused and then I'd remember like, oh yeah, like, I'm kind of going through this, you know, breakup right now and it's really weighing heavy on my heart and I'm sort of in the grieving process. And so in sleep was, you know, it

5:31was like in sleep feeling placed like I get to see him because I would wake up and I'd remember that I had to like kind of persevere and get through this breakup. And, you know, all I really wanted to do was to see him again and for things to be okay and for us to be back together and whatnot. And now I'm so glad that it all ended. But at the time it was sad. So, you know, that's why I wrote in sleep. Cool. What's next for you? When are you going to come up here to Canada? You got to do a little tour up here. I think there's talk of me coming up this summer to do like some festivals and do a couple shows for sure. So, you know, we definitely want to get there. We were, you know, we've been in Vancouver and Toronto are the only two places we've played and the crowds have just been amazing. People are really good to us. So, you know, it's not a matter of,

6:17you know, we definitely want to get there. It's just my scheduled night. So I'm thinking maybe July or August. Yeah, well, I know it's not up to you at the end of the day either. These are your people that that schedule, these things. Yeah, well, sort of like, you know, where will I be? I'll be in Australia. I'll be in Germany and exciting though. You're living the dream. So, yeah, I guess so, you know. No, it doesn't feel like it. No, it does. I mean, I don't want to like, keep my own horn or anything. I mean, I still feel like a very normal kind of person that, you know, has a crazy schedule, but is still sort of like, you know, I don't want to be like, you know, all recognizable and like a huge superstar or anything. So I'm like liking where it's at and I want to grow a little bit, but not like super,

7:05duper crazy. We do something on the show called five questions, five quick questions, one word answers. Okay. Roder Studio. Studio. Leonard McCartney. Leonard. Most important thing in a song, lyrics, melody or rhythm. Oh, melody. Song you've written you're most proud of. I don't know. Sorry. Oh, what song? I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, um, watch over me. Which isn't on the album. Is it going to see the lead day? It's sort of out and about. It's just not like made. There's not a big deal made about it. It's like, I think you can find it on iTunes, but it wasn't on the album. And in one word, Lissy. One word, Lissy. Um, Ernest.

7:50Oh, good word.

Part 2

0:00On zappo, yeah, you should talk to Lewis my bass player drummer. He's a dad fan. Yeah bass player drummer What he both does both at once yes what? Okay, let's say so this hands and jumps with the speed let's start there How does that work? Well, he plays bass and then he has a kick drum hi hat and snare that he you know or just all foot pedal operated So he can play the bass and it triggered the pedals to do the drums at the same time That's so how many people are in the band then there's three of us. We have a lead guitar player. I play rhythm guitar and sing Bass player does the bass and drums and they all say sing harmonies as well. That's fantastic Yeah, we have a drummer sometimes but he is in bass in England and like we can't always figure out visa things So yeah, sometimes we have a drummer and when we don't Lewis the bass player drummer does a great job

0:47That's crazy. Yeah, what what's coming out in the setlist tonight? You know we haven't talked about it yet Or any of these cover you have a lot of covers online I've noticed we do we'll probably pull out a cover People really like pursuit of happiness like we've been doing it so much We still love playing it But you know I would think it's probably time to retire that one But we get so many requests. I mean a lot of people only know of us through that cover so we'll probably pull that out and We don't do the Lady Gaga one really anymore We like there's a new one we've been doing a Maxine Nightingale who's I don't know her she was kind of one hit wonder which is It's all right and it's coming. Oh, yeah We do that one so maybe we'll do that But otherwise just songs off my album catching a tiger nice and my EP that I put out like two years ago called why you run in

1:35so little mishmash of Material that I put out in the last year too well last time we talked a few months ago like I was saying before you were writing So how are we I was you know that was sort of a rare little interlude because mostly we've been touring So the writing sort of got on the back burner because I was just saying in another interview like when you're on the road At least for me. I don't have time to think I'm just focusing on the most primitive kind of actions like sleeping and eating and then singing But so I don't have a lot of time to think about my life or how I feel or what I think or what you know So I did do some writing which went while I wrote this great song about my baby niece who was about to be born and We haven't worked it out as a band yet, but after this like next month the touring's over I'm just gonna kind of lock myself up my house and write for like three months so So the writing is sort of like not the focus of attention right now, but there's a lot of stuff brewing

2:25I think it's gonna be good. Can you write with people or is it always you know? I write with people you know I was resistant to that a couple years ago when I started writing for catching a tiger I kind of thought oh, you know, we all artists write by themselves But I realized quickly that I was a fool to think that because there's a people like for example these two guys I write with in England, you know one kind of comes up with music ideas and he knows a lot about Music and theory whereas I you know kind of have a limited amount of chords I play So he could kind of throw this really great progression at me and I would come up with the melody and the lyrics But then the other guy sort of is a writer and so whereas the lyrics are mine He'll sort of call me out on a line and say you know you sort of are being lazy with that line I think you can say it better and I think it's good to have that sort of like encouragement when you're writing a song because

3:11Songwriting for me was always sort of I need to just get this feeling out and once the feeling was out It was like almost laziness like oh this song's done. I feel better It's off my chest whereas, you know to be writing for a record You can't just I mean you can but you also sort of need to try a little bit harder. I think It's done is good enough. It doesn't even have a chorus, but I feel better so it's over It's nice having someone there who's like you need to come up with another part, you know sort of like writing coach I like having a writing coach. You said writing for a record. Do you need a record? Do you need a full album anymore? I do I don't know I don't think I'm really in that category of people who are just not singles that are downloaded and done iTunes Like of course, I'd love to have a single that was downloaded on iTunes but you know I've been to making entire records because I think you know

4:00I like the idea of an album being sort of you know a Summer a summary of what you've been going through because for me writing in making music is primarily a means of release of emotion So it's not even as much sometimes about like the actual music or the production as it is about the sentence sentiment and like the melody And how it makes me feel emotionally so I need to make a full album, you know Just individual songs isn't where I really want to come from how long did it take to make that? That was you know your first record, you know It's sort of like your whole life leads up to it I'd had a Billion songs and then I was able to sort of whittle it down to the ones that I'd written in the time period before I recorded it So I guess maybe I was writing for like six months to a year before I recorded it And it was kind of through like this breakup

4:45So they were all sort of within that that emotional landscape I guess Yeah, so The new songs gonna be a little happier Well, I don't think that's gonna be breaking I think break-ups songs can be happy because they acknowledge what everyone goes through But then they put a hopeful spin on it So I'm really am into that you know the hope of of people all sort of going through crappy stuff and and Figuring out a way through it and learning about themselves and seeing oh that was the best thing that ever happened to me at the time It hurt but now I can see you know why it happened or you know having a bit of perspective Um, I don't know if they're like happy songs as much, you know, I don't know what they're gonna be about You know I find myself wanting to write about um You know sometimes I want to write about like mountaintop removal That's the song I've gotten

5:31That's a mountaintop removal It's like a practice in mining where they literally remove the tops of mountains for the minerals And then they like try to approximate what the mountain looked like and try to put it back on But sometimes they don't and then they put all the sediment and the debris into like water supplies and like Taint water supplies. It's just like, you know, it's environmentally Whack. Wow. Not that I'm some expert on environmental issues But you know there's that that idea of like going to the mountain and it not being there. That's crazy What took you know Billions of years to form by nature Just within one go someone being able to take off the top of a mountain and just like rape it of it's like, you know, essence and then And then really poor people who live in these areas who are willing to let these mining companies do that because it gives them, you know Something to live off of and so that's really a sad subject

6:21Because you're playing a lot of festivals this summer. Let's go to live music Yeah, no, so anyway long story short though I find myself writing the right about that and sometimes I want to write, you know happy songs about love and you know love isn't always sad It's a wonderful thing sure on or you know about pursuing someone or about how much you love your family or you know I have all these sort of different parts to my personality. So long story short I'm writing a lot about a lot of different things cool But there's always hope in there, you know, there's nothing no complete bummers No, that's true and the songs are very good on the last record too So you're all a blues in like two days So festival tomorrow we play Sunday. Yeah, we do two things here tonight Go to Chicago in the morning do some like promo and then play a show tomorrow night at House of Blues in Chicago And then do Lala on Sunday And then where do we go and then we go to Colorado? No, I was city anyway, and then so on and so forth nice

7:10Well, how is that how is the summer going must be fun to do all the festivals? Um, it's been good, you know last summer We played probably like 30 festivals, you know, so last summer was really when we were in the mix mostly overseas Um, but this summer, you know, it's been good because we had like a good Run in Europe where we did a lot of cool festivals But we're a bit more selective because we didn't want to like get burnout because we are prepping to like go and make a new record and write So, um, it's been kind of like an easier summer than last summer like the things we've done have been really impactful and great But um it hasn't been as hectic So we're just you know doing this festival, which is gonna be awesome doing Lala, please You know kind of being Do it, you know doing enough stuff, but not cramming in every single thing We were just talking to the guys from no one in the whale and it's like they were in Tokyo and Australia and then they flew here and

7:59We've done that stuff not Tokyo, but you know, we've done Where you're just flying flying flying go go this festival hitting up every single thing this summer for us hasn't been that it's been a little More relaxed so be like more relaxed. I do but you know, I'm sure I'll be ready for more Um craziness again, you know, you go through cycles I feel like I'm completing a cycle and getting ready to start a new one Right well, yeah, if you're ready for new record, that's for sure Yeah, and then like midway through the cycle is when you're really hitting it And then I think then you wind down and then you start again and you know life's all about cycles We got a bunch of bands dropping by the booth today And I kind of want to ask them all the same kind of questions about live music and what a festival means to you What what makes a good festival even so many you're talking about 30 last summer? Yeah, I think well um The people that come out, you know who are probably work throughout the week and

8:46um Already to just sort of like let loose kick off their shoes and they're in a good mood and they're you know Not really worrying about their problems. They're sort of escaping for the weekend So I like that part the element of being at a festival because people are ready to have a good time They're in pretty high spirits and you really as a as a performer pick up on that energy and it sort of pushes you I think to to give more Um So and you know live shows and venues are great too But this is a different energy being outdoors is always great Um, so if a good festival, I think it's just you know a group of happy people who are leaving their cares at the door and and ready to get down What is uh the size stage that you're playing today? You're playing stage six six o'clock What do you what with a whole bunch of people? Yeah, we're doing a thing called talking about my generation

9:31I don't really know what it entails But it's us and no one the whale and angele koojo and tajmahal And we're doing like a songwriter in the round thing at six so you with an acoustic or no, it'll be my full band setup And then um, it's funny because like last night we were like, what are we doing? Like what is this like oh gosh? I'm nervous like tajmahal like I don't know if we're supposed to sing together or collaborate Um, there's no plan in what I like how it's there's no plan the left that makes it interesting Yeah, exactly. So um and then at nine we play the main stage. So we've we're playing a lot of music tonight. Nice Yeah, is there anything else I wanted to ask you? You're on the new snow patrol CD. I am what yeah, which is funny because I actually didn't know those guys I wrote with a guy named Ian Archer who's an Irish guy and a couple years ago And somehow and he plays the snow patrol so he had told Gary about

10:21Me or turned him on to my music and I got an email asking if I'd come and sing on their new record Um, so I went to Malibu and they just played me the tracks and I made up harmonies I mean I'd never heard the songs. I just started singing harmonies and Whatever just sort of going making shit up and sorry can I say? You can say yeah, sorry And uh and then they edited it and used some of it so there's like four songs that I'm on I mean, I'm not like featured on the main the lead lines, but you know you can hear my voice in the background It sounds incredible. So but that's probably about all I can say that's fine. Yeah, just curious. I saw him with a peter That's crazy. Oh, is it already on Wikipedia? Oh my goodness. Yeah. I just recently tweeted that I had done it and people were like what? Right there, right? Yeah, somebody's on there There's like stuff on Wikipedia like it says I'm an avid like science fiction reader or fantasy novel

11:12Person of so much. Oh sort of but I don't like avid I read Harry Potter. I mean, it's seven seven books That's a it's quite a few but you're sort of like oh someone read that somewhere and like quoted it Oh gosh, and now it's out there for the world to see that's how it works now. Yeah, I'm not ashamed of that I just think like oh when if you can't if you ask me about sci-fi I wouldn't be able to tell you the first thing about it So what about back to the future? Don't know I've seen it when I was young. Okay, I don't remember. That's all I got for sure Marty McFly. I don't know. Good enough. I'll take it. Thank you. Thank you. I appreciate it. I should talk to you