Oh man, what I wouldn’t give to be able to sing like Neil Finn. His voice rasps with all the sincerity and integrity of a thousand heartfelt melodies. Heck, I’d probably trade my prized collection of Archie comics for just the chorus on this song. Driving Me Mad? You betcha(dupa). This man is a treasure. Bow low indeed.

The post Neil Finn’s Driving Me Mad appeared first on Lost At E Minor: For creative people.

Empty Bottles was the first track by Santa Cruz songwriter Reed KD where I really felt like I was getting a sense for him as a lyricist. The song is a synergy of so many beautiful elements: from the bittersweet words to the subtle sweep of the acoustic picking. I asked him if he remembered writing it and the reaction he got the first time he played it to someone: ‘At the time I wrote Empty Bottles, I was living in an old garden shed that had been turned into a studio. There was a gap between the roof and the walls so that you could see outside while in bed in the loft. The bed sat on top of the bathroom and the kitchen doubled as a living room — or my recording space. Besides the bugs that came in through the gaps, and the neighbor’s cat that would climb in through my screenless skylight, I was living alone. However, this place more than made up for its lack of integrity with charm. When I first played Empty Bottles for my closest friends, it seemed like they were a little surprised. I’m typically very shy, so being outspokenly intimate probably seemed uncharacteristic of me. Paraphrased, I’d say their typical response was, “Really?!. That’s so sad. But I really like it. Is that an accordion?!” Ha ha …’ Would you describe your songwriting as confessional, or do you more project into other people’s lives to form your lyrics? ‘Hmmm … I’d say that many of the songs on The Ashes Bloom are loosely, but sometimes rigidly, based around autobiographical happenings’. You Can Call Me is a big diversion from the rest of the material on the album — if only for the classic synth pop feel (long live The Cars!) A pointer for the next album perhaps? ‘Yikes … This is a deceptively complicated question for me. I’ve been working on a few electro-pop songs, some boot stompin’ hand clappers, some ambient songs. I hate to be vague, but I’m still a fan of the idea of covering myself in body paint and throwing myself on the canvas to see what feels good’.

Listen to the Reed KD song, Empty Bottles.

[audio:http://scrink.com/blog/music/reedkd-emptybottles.mp3]

The post Reed KD appeared first on Lost At E Minor: For creative people.

Laura Veirs is one of my favorite songwriters. I can’t think of a single song of her’s that I haven’t loved instantly, and continue to wear out on my inner-ear iPod. I interviewed her recently, a few nights after I saw her awesome set at New York’s Gramercy Theatre. Was there ever any other direction you thought your life might head down once you first picked up a guitar and became absorbed in it? ‘When I was a kid I wanted to be a trapeze artist. At other points I’ve thought of being a diplomat in china or a landscape gardener or a history teacher or a novelist’. Year of Meteors was a huge success. Certain songs on that album bring me directly back to specific points of my life. Do you often get that feedback from people about your music? ‘People do come up to me at shows and say things like “your record was the soundtrack to my life last year” or “I listen to your work while I’m painting, driving, running … ” and things like that. I think there are images in my music that people have seen before, and they see them again in their minds (maybe in a new way) when they hear the lyrics. I try to leave the lyrics open enough for people to insert their own meanings into them. I like to be personal in my writing, but not overly confessional’. Do you see [new album] Saltbreakers as a progression from Meteors or an accompaniment to it? ‘I see each album as a progression from the earlier one. We’re always trying to change and grow and push ourselves to be spontaneous and daring’. Ever just want to bust out some heavy metal chops? ‘Sure! It would be cool to be technically really proficient on the guitar like that. But I can’t see that happening anytime soon!’ [see also live review]

Listen to Laura Veirs’ song, Galaxies, off her Year of Meteors album.

The post Laura Veirs interview appeared first on Lost At E Minor: For creative people.