“Forever Always” by Lindsay Holler’s Western Polaroids’ is a dark and jazzy murder ballad that simmers with a vibraphone shaded chorus alongside Lindsay’s vocal—“and one night I hope you’ll see / the woman you left for me”. “Forever Always” is punctured with atonal jabs from guitar as it is driven by the pressing clack of hat and upright bass. The song is dynamically rich and while it is loaded with textures the song never boils but keeps the arrangement restrained. Lindsay joined me for a brief chat about details, songwriting mysticism, and her best compliment to pay a songwriter. Buy Helltembre by Lindsay Holler’s Western Polaroids here. SC: I love the tension between your highly detailed lyrics against the restrained simmer of the band. How do you see the two tensions working in the song? LH: "Forever Always" is an older song—maybe 10/11 years old. If I remember correctly, the arrangement came out from a Dirty Kids (my early band) rehearsal. As a band, we'd always made dynamics a big priority. But for some reason we all really were into the straight-line approach for that song. With this simmering dynamic just under the surface—no solos, no bridge - kind of cold blooded. The lyrics present a tense and dire picture, but with each character resolute in their fate. We wanted the music to emulate that, as well. SC: What I love about “Forever Always” is that it’s a classic murder ballad without pandering or being cliché. Can you tell me a little about writing the song and what you did to avoid that pitfall?
SC: Tell me about your normal writing practice. Do you write every day? Do you write on a schedule?
LH: I do not write ever day. I probably should. And I don't have a writing schedule, unfortunately. I'm still trying to figure out my writing style. My schedule has been pretty hectic in the last year, which unfortunately doesn't lend itself to productive songwriting, for me. Personally, I think I need more of a settled state, to give the songs the focus they need. I've heard some people describe songwriting, and performing music, as some sort of experience where the songwriter or the performer is mainly just a conduit, trying to collect and harness the music around them. Maybe there's a little something to that. I've written some songs in 15 minutes, start to finish, and I still don't really know how they happened. But that's not in any way to discount putting the work and time into your songs. If I ever had the schedule to allow it, I'd be interested to see what would come out of repetitive scheduled songwriting sessions, for me. SC: How does your songwriting peers influence your work? LH: I'm so grateful to know, and have known, some really interesting and thoughtful songwriters. I absolutely relish when I hear a phrase that resonates, or an unexpected point of view, or a fresh take on something. The best compliment I could ever pay to another songwriter is to hear their song, and then be inspired to immediately hole up somewhere and work on something, right away.edit.
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Cuntry's debut EP Country Music (The EP) is a foot stomping, knee scraping, hell-bent, guar-an-teed good time. Their song “Why Do You Stand In The Doorway” is a three-part punk opera about faith, purpose and the meaning of life. The song swells with cataracts of a bowed upright bass amidst the funerary pulse of a floor tom. The music halts as lead singer Gabbie Watts pleads “please don’t tell me why you stand in the door way” alongside a fragile guitar line before the song charges ahead into oblique madness as it resonates with her shattered cry “how did I get this way / this is more than heartbreak”. Gabbie joined me for a discussion about art, writing, and the chaos of sarcasm. Buy a copy of Country Music (The EP) here. SC: Can you tell me about how you view the relationship between art and personal exploration? GW: Well, my opinion on this vacillates all the time, but today, I think art is a completely personal exploration. Like, I don’t really think fiction exists. Everything comes from a personal viewpoint or experience. That’s even if an artist is creating something about climate change or a random historical event or one of the -isms—they’re still interested in that subject because of their personal view on and investment in the world. In terms of my own songwriting, it is totally unadulterated feelings. Or, it’s totally unadulterated feelings passing through the chasm of sarcasm. SC: This song has three movements and each seems to speak to a different issue with the speaker’s doubt. How do you see the themes in the songs flowing together between sections?
The middle quieter part with the harmonics in background is a moment of self-awareness, like, why are you so damn sad?
SC: What was your writing process like for “Why Do You Stand In The Doorway”? GW: I started writing this song after I graduated college, was hardly employed, recently dumped and living with my mom (who is very nice but you know). Referencing the sadness in the previous question, I was VERY SAD. And to channel the VERY SAD, I started writing songs. For the music part, I had only recently started playing guitar again after a 15 year or so hiatus, so I stole a simple chord progression from a VERY SAD song by Waxahatchee, capo’d it down, and combined all these random phrases I had jotted down on a large sketch pad. (I don’t draw, but I stole it from my sister.) I thought the song was dumb so forgot about it for about a year, jammed on it with one of my friends for a hot minute, forgot it again, changed the first two lines, introduced it to my friend and Cuntry violinist Noelle Albano who liked it, and now it is what it is. The arrangement we do now is much different than the recording. Noelle makes it even spookier and heartbreaking. SC: Tell me about your normal writing practice. Do you write every day? Do you write on a schedule? GW: I’m very words first and usually struggle with the music side of things. So I’m a two-, three-, or sometimes even FOUR-chord songwriter. I even have a song that’s one chord, a D, because that’s the best key in my mind. I don’t intentionally write every day but end up scribbling things down on random sheets of paper, in my notes app on my phone, or I email ideas to myself. The main time I write is while I’m driving. My Voice Memos app is filled to the brim with my ramblings and tunes, edits of old songs, whole songs or just like two lines of lyrics. With all these different places to store song ideas, I’ve lost track of a lot of things. And I wonder what would happen if I didn’t have a car. Maybe no more songs! SC: How does your community of songwriters influence your work? GW: I don’t know if I’m a part of a community of songwriters. Certainly, you’re influenced by everything you listen to, and I keep up with a fair amount of local bands, so maybe in that way I’ve been inspired and influenced. For now, I just write alone and am pretty bad at taking criticism or changing my songs based on other people’s input. So sensitive! Moses Andrews III’s debut EP Exodus is a collection of poignant and unique arrangements that blend genre in interesting and wild compositions. From the opening neo-soul of “Chill” to the Pat Metheny prog-jazz of “Journey Through My Mind”, the EP has a little bit of something for anyone interested in the last 70 years of American music. And it’s no small wonder: Moses is a multi-instrumentalist and has been/is in bands like Passing Worth, Autocorrect, Miles to Go, Skeleton, Cassy Renee, and Nepotism. Whoa! At the center of Exodus, “What’s Next” is a Blues stomp about the flawed American dream. Moses implores “they’re still mowing down the people / stealing lives for petty dollars / when this land was stolen wrongfully/ when will we stand and break this cycle?” above the steady boom-rattle call to arms. Moses joined me for an insightful discussion about what it means to be a writer in 2017, Black Lives Matter, and community. Pick up a copy of Exodus here. SC: Unlike other tracks on this album—like “Don’t Forget” or “Journey Through My Mind”—“What’s Next” is stripped down to foot stomps, handclaps and your vocal line. Can you tell me a little about why you chose that approach for this song? MA: "What's Next" is stripped down to vocals, foot stomps, and chains for many reasons. I'm greatly inspired by old "Negro Spirituals" and slave songs, so the chains and foot stomps are what I went with. When you look at everything going on right now, especially our current political climate, we feel like we're falling back into the dark moments and stories of yesteryear. Minorities feel like they have no reason to live because of so many unarmed people dying for no good reason. We're working while feeling like we're going nowhere. We have the poor getting poorer and the rich getting richer. With so many things going on, there are so many things holding us back. Things like media and social media are the chains binding us. I've never noticed that the chains sound like handclaps, but that is a message in itself: Finding joy in all of the negative experiences, much like slaves did when they still had church and rejoiced, while being bound. They somehow knew a change was coming even when nothing around them seemed to be getting better. This song is stripped down because sometimes when we make music, we want to add so many levels of depth to it. I wanted the message to be heard over everything else.
the Government, War, and everything else leaving the world in ruin. Think of The Wailers and Bob Marley with "Get Up Stand Up". Think about the Isley Brothers with "Fight The Power" or "What's Going On" by Marvin Gaye. Check out Nepotism's latest album called "The Free Lunch Program" and you'll hear it packed with songs about the government and the media. Now we're seeing the POLICE FORCE being brought into politics. It was happening years ago, but I think people are starting to speak up about it. Now, in response to "BLACK LIVES MATTER", Republicans and their supporters respond with "BLUE LIVES MATTER!" Really? Sure, a life is a life, but now you're putting a job above a whole race of PEOPLE! Yes, there is, without a doubt, a relationship between music and politics.
SC: What was your writing process like for “What’s Next”? MA: My writing process was simple: Sit on couch, Look at news, Think, Cry, Think, Set up Pro Tools to record from my computer mic, Set click track, and Just sing whatever comes out. "What's Next" was my version of freestyling, so I had to hurry and write it down just to know exactly what I wanted to change in certain phrases. Then, everything else came after. The very first take of it sounded like it was on one of those old radios, so it was tempting to keep it that way, but I chose not to. Instead, I tried to replicate the same effect, so hopefully that came through. SC: How often do you write? Do you keep a schedule? Or do you wait to be inspired? MA: I write pretty much once or twice a week. I'm always coming up with new ideas for songs, but I don't actually lay anything down until maybe a month later. By then, I've been sitting on a particular piece for a while and it's really starting to bloom. So, do I wait to be inspired? Yes, but I also keep a bit of a not-so-strict schedule. SC: How does your community influence you as a songwriter? MA: How does my community influence me as a songwriter? Hmm. I've never really thought about that. Well, my community absolutely influences me as a songwriter. I'm a believer of the thought of your environment and surroundings influencing how you grow or how you act. I surround myself with people who are very confident and competent in what they do, so I always hope that rubs off on me! The song "Don't Forget" was written when I was sharing a house with a fellow songwriter Alex Davis. If you know him and you listen to the song, you'll definitely hear it. The love of my life inspired me to write the song "You Are My Heart". If you have friends who put you onto a certain artist or genre of music, soon, you're going to want to write something similar. The people and things close to me always play a part in my songwriting and I wouldn't have it any other way. blue,girl is a duo fronted by Columbia singer songwriter Ahomari with music from collaborator Sean Jones. Blue, Girl’s debut EP is a moving and powerful release. The single “Hush” is a two-minute stark gem of dreamy bedroom pop about relationships, drug abuse, and loss. In the song Ahomari’s powerful voice wilts with just the right amount of hurt—“when you’re drinking daily / and doing things that make me / hold you like a baby I’ll hush you please”. Ahomari joined me to chat about collaboration, writing, and the importance of online and in-town community. Pick up a copy of their self-titled EP here. (OUT TODAY) SC: I love the restrained feel sonic palette in “Hush”. How do you feel the music relates to the deeply personal tone of the lyrics? A: When Sean sent me the guitar idea for the song I was inspired almost instantly. I riffed the lyrics to some extent and recorded a demo. Took 15 minutes then I sent it to him. It was a beautiful song that I was incredibly proud of. If it wasn't for the guitar track we wouldn't have this song because we were certainly done with writing the EP by that point I think. I didn't really hear the other instruments he arranged and recorded until we got to mastering and mixing with Chris Wenner. It was so beautiful. The arrangement Sean came up with was just so right.
SC: What was your writing process like for “Hush”?
A: I don't really know if there is a process. When lyrics come they come. I'm always thinking about music and new songs so it's very easy. Really excited about the new music we're working on. It's so good. This music we're releasing now combination of our styles respectively and collectively. The new music is too but we get to flex more melody wise. SC: What’s your process of collaboration like? A: Sometimes we're in the same room. Sometimes we aren't. For “Not Around” & “Home Tonight” we were in the same room. He'd bring his guitar over and we'd try to find appropriate lyrics and melodies to fit the parts he came up with. Sometimes we'd change on the spot. For “Hush” and “All We Have” he'd send a guitar idea and I'd sing lyrics around it. SC: How often do you write? Do you keep a songwriting schedule or wait to be inspired? A: Everyday. I don't know a life outside of writing. Kind of a servant to it. Since I was 8 I been writing songs and such everyday. Some are trash. Some are good. SC: How does your community of songwriters influence your writing? A: I don't really listen to a lot of music locally that would influence me. There's great acts like Hissy Fit, Nepotism, Alarm Drum, My Brother My Sister, Mario McClean, The Ugly Chords, Pedro LDV, Debbie & The Skanks, Melon In, Muscle Memory and etc., but I've found more of a community and influence with musicians online than with any local scene. That's kind of how scenes go for me personally. All my musical friends locally do completely different music than me so it's easier to pull from things online because you aren't so close to it. Even Loamers is different than this project. That's our main band. Cold Heart Canyon is a band out of Atlanta Georgia that combines whiskey-smooth vocal lines with pop sensibilities. The song “Frankly, My Dear” off their EP Wolves, Demons, and Drunks is toe tapping kiss-off that is complemented with a nuzzling harmonica and banjo arpeggios. In “Frankly, My Dear” Cold Heart Canyon spin vivid narrative about moving on, personal growth, and our great capacity to change. Rachael Petit joined me for a brief chat about songwriting, memory, and her community. You can get a copy of Wolves, Demons, and Drunks here. SC: What I love about this song is how restrained and laid back the music feels while the lyrics are an acidic kiss-off. How do you see this tension working in the lyrics? RP: First off all, that’s a really cool way to describe this song! I think it works well because the song is almost sweet sounding but when you get down to the actual grit of the lyrics it has a lot of pain and exhaustion behind them. It’s a nice way to really send a shockwave of how much a situation can be seen from two different angles. It’s a song people can relate to, whether it be a break up, or removing yourself from a toxic situation. Kind of a power anthem for realizing what a badass you truly are and to never let anyone take that away from you.
fell into place amazingly with the other instrumentation and harmonies! I wrote it about a situation from a very deep part of a heart break for me. It was a way of making amends with myself for allowing that situation to not take a hold of me anymore. Now it’s just a far away memory, like looking at the city from atop a mountain. Admiring it for what it is, but happy to be away from it.
SC: How often do you write? Do you keep a songwriting schedule or wait to be inspired? RP: I write off of inspiration for sure. It just happens! Whether it spurs from an actual fucked up situation or just a story that seems to write itself. Sometimes months will go by with nothing and I’ll be at work and all of a sudden it just starts stewing and I have to immediately write it down on receipt paper! Or I’ll be in the car on even a short drive and just bust out my voice memo recorder to capture it to sit down with my guitar or with the band later. I definitely am NOT on a schedule. I just don’t work like that. SC: How does your community of songwriters influence your writing? RP: They definitely keep me on my toes! Miguel Olascuaga and I will pass songs back and forth to each other. At times where I’m feeling less than inspired I’ll have a conversation with him or a song that he'll share and it pulls me out of a block. Sharing new songs with each other seems to be a compass that points us back to where we need to be. Also members in my band will take the lead in producing a guitar part and the lyrics will just flow right out. It’s incredible how someone else’s energy and spirit can really recharge me and help me reach my full potential. |
The Sound Connector is an online magazine for songwriters. We feature songwriting challenges, monthly interviews, and the opportunity to discover new songwriters. We are interested in all things related to the craft of songwriting. Do you want to be featured on The Sound Connector? Send us your songs!
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