|
|
 |
Interview
|
| Click Here to go back. |
1340mag.com, Interview >>
Leah Callahan's debut solo album is a collection of songs that show an introspective side of the singer who has been in punk, noise and art bands. Her lyrics make subtle references to a wide variety of subjects from film, literature, art and other music. The music is an artfully crafted, but not overshadowing, framework for Callahan's fascinating vocal melodies. Callahan performs her music in a venue in Boston with a group of other artists and is hoping to begin touring, perhaps in Europe.
By Keith Quillen
 Keith: How would you describe your work, especially on this new CD "Even Sleepers" to someone who isn't familiar with it?
Leah: The first thing I would say is Edith Piaf. It's not that she's been a huge influence on me. I've actually only recently gotten into her. It's really cabaret like. But it's not really retro. I don't really think it sounds like the 30's or 40's, but it's very melodic. Its basis is not really rock; it's more a pre-rock style. So, I guess that's how I would describe it to anyone who didn't know it, who didn't know the music.
I have a friend at work who is into hip-hop. A man she works with, a poet, from Germany, she had given him a copy of my CD, and he said "Edith Piaf" and she hadn't heard of her. But, if you ask anyone from Europe, they know Edith Piaf, Jacques Brell, people like that. Edit Piaf, she's like the songbird of France. Europeans have a tradition of these singers. They are really big. They have these anniversaries where people go crazy. I don't think we have anyone like that. We have, like Frank Sinatra, or something, but he doesn't really represent a country like Edith Piaf. When I heard that this man described me as Edith Piaf, that was when I thought that was a good way to describe my music.
Keith: Do you see a European influence more than American?
Leah: Well, I think everything obviously has been influenced in America by the Old World. The earliest pop music in the US, or even Europe, was definitely influenced by older music. So, I guess, yeah, very European. But, I think American music has been very influenced by European music. I started looking this stuff up because I try to describe my own music. Jazz had a huge influence in New York as well a huge Klezmer influence on jazz. And that came from Europe. So I think there is Klezmer, although I don't listen to Klezmer, I think there is some of that. Yeah, there is some European influence.
Keith: Do you have other influences on your work that you would consider significant?
Leah: I like to open my mind to a lot of different kinds of music, but I'm always looking for new world music. I love world music. I've been involved in the underground punk and indie rock scene for 10 years. I've been influenced by a lot of the bands that influenced, say Sonic Youth. The late 70's...the mid-70's new wave people more. A lot of that stuff I just love. I'm kind of all over the place. I love jazz, I love old blues. I think the only thing I'm not influenced by is what your average singer/songwriter is influenced by. I'm not really big on the 70's singer/songwriters. A whole lot of people seem to have that influence and you have this same sort of jangly guitar style. There's definitely a lot of work in those artists, a lot of talent. I'm just not influenced by that. A lot of rock bands will say they were influenced by the Beatles, and a lot of songwriters will say they are influenced by other songwriters. Even though I am a singer/songwriter I'm not really influenced by the typical singer/songwriter.
Keith: There are a couple quotes on your press release that I wanted to ask you about. I'd like you to expand on them. You said, "the soul of a people is in its music and listening can be a very mystical experience."
Leah: Oh, definitely. Being an artist, I'm what some people call "out there." I'm very much into spirituality. I wouldn't say all states of consciousness, 'cause I'm not a drug user. I'm not against it, but I don't personally take them. But when I listen to music, and I focus, I can become moved by music. I'm very turned off by heavily produced music. I can't say I don't enjoy cheesy top 40 and going dancing once in a while. But for the most part, the moment I hear something heavily produced I get very turned off. For example, Native American music where someone throws in an electric guitar. That really turns me off. I really like very pure music. I find it very moving.
I think it's getting more and more difficult for any artist to get their music out there. It seems like the music industry is getting more and more tightly controlled, like any industry, by a very few people. For example, indie rock. In the 70's, if I was in a band I could send my 45 and singles to a couple college radio stations and do pretty well. But the minute the major labels realized that college radio was something they could use to sell their own product they kind of took it over. And now there are college radio stations that are even selling time to major corporations so I think it's becoming more and more soulless. I think the whole current product that is on the market is offensive. I don't particularly like it. You don't have a classic singer today like you did 30, 40 or 50 years ago. Even the rock bands of the 70's had more integrity than the crap that's out now. That's my say on that.
I'm lucky to have Dmitri (Vietze) at Rock Paper Scissors (www.rockpaperscissors.biz) working for me. I think he has a lot of integrity. I sent my CD to some other publicists and they only wanted to push the next big thing. I even sent it to a woman-run publicist that I thought would have some sensitivity even though I'm not an established artist. You know, I have the same green money that other people have and I'm willing to use it for the label. I've been turned down by several publicists because they were more interested in someone who had a bigger name that could get them a bigger name. Dmitri at Rock Paper Scissors had a lot of integrity and that was one of the reasons I wanted to use him to get the music out there to people who may not open a package from someone they don't know about. At this point it is really difficult to get someone from, say, the Village Voice to listen. And those are the people who you want to hear it because some of them have a really good reference point for music because they can hear some of those influences.
Keith: Another quote is, "...propensity to listen to anything that would clear a room."
Leah: Well, there's the indigenous music there. When I was in college we were kind of bratty. We were really into underground music. When you're young it's kind of your identity. We were into this one band, The Residents. If people got on our nerves, my roommate and I would just stick on The Residents and clear the room. Getting into that kind of music turned me on actually to world music. I had a couple friends who were college radio DJs. They had freeform radio shows and they would play anything from Coltrane to Sun Ra. They'd throw in jazz, Japanese noise, hard-core punk. I started listening to world music, too. And I had taken some classes in world music. I would prefer to listen to music, because I get into indigenous, that wouldn't necessarily mean melodic, in a Western tuning. So, I might be more interested in listening to records that might have chanting, or music with strange tonality, than I would be in a more typical Westernized, highly produced record. So I like to listen to music like that.
Keith: An aspect I like about some world music is repetitiveness. That's not meant as negative. It sets a rhythm or pattern that lets you rise above it to a different level.
Leah: Yeah, I see repetitiveness. It depends on what kind of music, or what it's used for. A lot of it is used for religion or tribal. And I think American or the western tradition is, in a way, tribal, too. You hear the music they play at baseball games. I just think that world music, or even old blues or American folk, is controlled by the artist because the major industry isn't really interested in it. They haven't really changed it. I think anything that is controlled by the artist is a lot more pure, a lot more interesting.
Keith: There are a lot of literary, art, film and music references in your lyrics. Do you strive to put them in, or do they just come out in your creative process?
Leah: I don't strive to put anything in. My writing is very automatic. I just kind of write. I don't really try. There is some really interesting music out there. A writer might say, "Hey, I'm really interested in a Van Gogh painting, or I'm really interested in this writer, and I'm going to write a couple songs because I'm moved by it." I don't really set out to do it. I've been an avid reader, and I love film. I'm really not inflexible to something like crappy top 40. Some things do come out, but I don't really intend to do it, it just happens. When I was in my band Betwixt I had a reference to Anais Nin books. I put her in a song, which some people might think a little bit pretentious, but it just came out. I don't think I'm being anti-pretension, because I don't try. These things just come out.
Keith: What goes in comes out?
Leah: Yeah, exactly.
Keith: The title of this CD is "Even Sleepers," from a quote by Heraclitus that you have on the CD insert. It's not something you normally see on popular music. ("Even sleepers are workers and collaborators in what goes on in the Universe. - Heraclitus)
Leah: I'm not really familiar with Heraclitus' works, although I'm really interested in them. I need to read more about them. At one point that I was looking for song titles, something to do with love, I looked up quotes and found that quote on line. It really moved me. It's a very mystical quote. Some people would say nonsense. "What do you mean, 'people who are asleep are workers and collaborators?' " For me that quote means more than anything the affirmation of a spiritual life. That there is something that we don't understand or admit. I'm not like Madonna and say, "Hey, I'm going to read the Cabala and I'm going to write a song about it." I might read this or that. I'm very interested in world religions. I think a lot of poets or writers are more in touch with spirituality, because you're musing about it. The free time I spend I don't clutter it up with a lot of things that people do. Which is fine. I'm not into sports, or TV, although I do watch it. I spend a lot of time thinking, and what happens is you philosophize and you think of things like Heraclitus. You think about these very unusual things that don't really get you anywhere. Anyway, I hope that explains that somewhat.
Keith: Do you consider yourself a poet, a songwriter, or a singer/musician?
Leah: First and foremost I would say poet. But I'm not quite ready to quit singing. I think I can sing and I enjoy it. And I enjoy the audience response when I am singing. And I think singing is somewhat healing. It's like my community service. I think that people enjoy my singing. The words and music come out right around the same time. It could be a time in my life I decided to just do writing. I wouldn't consider myself a poet first, but singing is something I can't separate from it.
Keith: You've been involved in some bands, Turkish Delight, Betwixt, Butterfield 8. Now you have this solo CD, and you're still performing. Where do you see yourself going?
Leah: God knows. That's the thing. It's so weird. Turkish Delight was the first band I was ever in. I had some training in vocals when I was very young and then I gave it up. Then I got involved in this very punk, noise, art band. We would get on stage and do the most dissonant cacophonous music. It was Sonic Youth, but with a sense of humor. One of the guys in the band would end up with a chicken suit on. Another guy would paint himself silver. I would get up on stage and I didn't have any money. So I would throw on whatever I could find. I'd make these crazy outfits. It was very arty. We developed quite a following. The funny things was, the music was not very melodic. It was kind of crazy. It could clear a room at times, but people really liked it. What I'm doing now is really melodic, but I still have this energy that comes from rock and roll. What I'm putting on now in Boston, monthly, is something called Raw Bar. I do it at Jacques (Underground-downstairs, 79 Broadway, www.jacquescabaret.com/JacquesUnderground.htm) and I run the whole thing. It's kind of nerve wracking. I'll throw in some fun covers. It's highly politicized, highly erotic. It's just a really fun night. I'm kind of the ring leader and I get to do my own set. It would be hard to translate what I'm doing if I were to tour. I think that when I perform outside this sort of venue my sound is a lot more low key. It's been a problem for me my whole career. I have this thoughtful, sensitive side and I write this introverted music. If you look at the back cover of the record, I'm in a quite mood. In the front it's more flamboyant. I'm mixing up those two.
I have had an offer to tour with a very interesting artist. I've been in contact with David J, of Bauhaus, and Love and Rockets. I sent him my CD hoping to open for a gig in Boston several months ago. He said, "Would you like to tour with me?" I was blown away. On the basis of this CD he asked me tour with him! He's put out a solo record. He's doing a cabaret-like tour. He performs with an avant-garde cellist and uses a guitar and laptop. I could see that working really well. He has a Goth past and now he's bringing his interest in more of the arty cabaret thing. And I definitely have that. So that's what I see myself doing. If that tour works out I want to try to get some contacts in Europe. My next step, besides working on the next record, is to try to get something going in Europe. I think people would be a little more open to that. I think people in this country want to put it a category. They say it's lounge, or it's this or that. It's not really any of those things.
I'm just trying to get my record out there. I'm doing college radio right now. It's doing OK. If the tour doesn't work I'm going to try to do something alone. Ideally, I'd get a big bus and bring all my people in my Jacques show on the road because they are a lot of fun. Really some interesting people. I would love to work on sound tracks. I think my music is very cinematic and I'd love to work on sound tracks, or get my music on a sound track.
I'm really proud of my first work. That's the thing about bands. You get some really great energy, and you put up with stuff. It's like relationships. It's really hard to be a woman in a band with a bunch of guys. It was great energy, but since I've been solo it's been more difficult. But, I'm very proud of what I've done now. It's very different than what I've done in the past.
Keith: Is there anything else that you'd like our readers to know about you or your work. Anything we haven't already talked about.
Leah: You've asked some cool questions. I'm really excited about what you've asked. It's one thing I'm indulging right now. It's so fun. Unfortunately, in the past I've been unhappy with the coverage of this record. People haven't really gone in depth. It's been nice for people to go in depth with my lyrics. It's starting to get distribution. If someone needs a promo copy to help with the distribution they can email me at my website and I'll work with them. The music scene is very cliquey and it's difficult to find a way in 11/25/03 >> go there
|
| Click Here to go back. |
|
 |
|
|
|
