Are you guided by an understanding of music theory when writing your songs or do you just play around till something sounds nice?
I write, sing and play stream of conscious and have little understanding of theory.
Do you enjoy the recording process?
I am learning how to appreciate recording more. It is still new to me, but I enjoy working with one other person in a collaborative way.
What contemporary artists are you influenced by?
I’m influenced by everything, but these are my favorite artists: John Cale, PJ Harvey, Lower Dens, Iggy Pop.
Do you work on your lyrics extensively or do you sometimes just use what came out when you began writing?
It’s a little of both.
Are you sometimes surprised at what comes out?
Definitely. At my best, I’m uncensored.
What was the writing process like for Tramp? Have you changed the way you write each album? Does it always start with you and a guitar?
I wrote the same, except for I moved around a lot. The main difference in the studio was that I was open to collaborating with other people.
Does the constant moving and the places you see in the process have an influence on your songs?
It helped Tramp be more versatile, that’s for sure.
What are your expectations of playing in Australia?
I don’t know where to begin. It feels so exotic or alien to me.
Your lyrics are very personal. Loss and recovery of strength are common themes. Did you ever try to put distance between you and the subject or have you accepted that that is the way you write?
I am learning how to do that, but it’s difficult, as my songwriting was birthed out of therapy.
You have said that your first love shaped the way you feel about love and therefore you will always be writing about that person in some way. I read something similar in a Regina Spektor interview where she said she was surprised at people’s assumptions that she would always be writing about the present. Do you find it therapeutic to sing about hard times past?
I take emotions from that time, find parallels, find strengths, and sometimes growth. I am the sum of my successes as well as failures and I write about it all.
You seem to play and sing from a very natural place. Has this come from growing older? Was there a time when you attempted to manipulate your natural talents to adhere to a specific style?
That’s hard to say. I listen to a lot if different music and I don’t try to sound like anything specific. I have a love for writing melodies and harmonies and lyrics on love. I am still learning. I am still growing.
