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sinceileftyoublog · 2 years ago

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Shannon Lay Interview: The Volume Meets the Medium

BY JORDAN MAINZER

Upon listening to “Angeles”, the Elliott Smith interpretation that opens Shannon Lay’s first covers album Covers Vol. 1 (Sub Pop), you’re struck by something familiar, yet different: her voice. Whether singing original songs, Karen Dalton on 2019′s August, or Syd Barrett on 2021′s Geist, Lay’s voice has always taken on an expressive whisper. You know--kind of like Elliott Smith. But on “Angeles”, she goes full force, unobscured by the haze of her past material. It’s the first song on the first album released since Lay’s taken voice lessons, taking advantage of a living situation and time in her career when she can sing out loud without bothering a roommate, with the confidence and good habits she’s developed over years of writing and performing.

Covers Vol. 1 is, in many ways, different than your traditional covers album. The artists included on it feel like an extension of Lay’s world, from the gentle caress of Nick Drake or Arthur Russell to the Bay Area scuzz of Ty Segall and OCS. (Lay’s spent a lot of time in Ty Segall’s Freedom Band.) Artists like Sibylle Baier and Jackson C. Frank are newfound loves, whereas Smith, Drake, Segall, and OCS are longtime influences. For an artist who wears her influences loudly and proudly while having still developed a unique artistic voice, a covers album is almost the perfect embodiment of Shannon Lay.

When I spoke again with Lay over the phone a couple months ago as she was about to embark on an opening tour for Whitney, she talked about why she likes not just recording covers, but playing them for an audience. “It’s such a great unifier, especially for an audience that doesn’t know you,” she said. “‘You like this? I like this, too!’” Lay plays Friday at the South Pasadena Masonic Lodge, Saturday at the Sebastiani Theater in Sonoma, and in July at the Permanent Records Roadhouse in L.A. Whether it’s a celebration of the release of Covers Vol. 1, Geist, her whole discography, or music in general, you can be sure to hear her as the messenger of some songs she didn’t necessarily write, embedded in the folk tradition.

Read our conversation below, edited for length and clarity.

Since I Left You: Both times we’ve spoken, you’ve talked about how much you like doing covers. You’ve included covers on your otherwise-original albums. What made you want to do a full covers album?

Shannon Lay: I think I had just amassed enough. I had so many under my belt that I loved playing live over the years, and it felt good to release something indicative of how I’ve been playing live lately, which is solo with this nylon string guitar, stripped-down, campfire style. It seemed appropriate.

SILY: Are there a couple tying threads among the range of artists you cover on here?

SL: I really wanted to be transparent about my influences, considering the fact that people who like my music would probably love these other artists, too. It felt like a nice way to let people in to the way I make music and open them up to the things I like, too. If you like me, you’ll definitely like Nick Drake and Elliott Smith.

SILY: It’s certainly a mix of eras. I was excited to see a couple modern day Bay Area luminaries in Ty Segall and OCS. How did those bands influence you as much as, say, Nick Drake and Sybille Baier?

SL: To have real-world experience with people I revere so much has been amazing. Ty and [OCS’] John [Dwyer] have been so supportive ever since I started playing music. It’s been super cool having them as a source of inspiration and support. I love them as people, but I absolutely love their music, so I had to pay tribute to those two guys. They’ve been so impactful on my life, musically and personally.

SILY: On your past couple records, your singing style seems more whispered and subdued, layered and affected. On here, especially on the Elliott Smith and Jackson C. Frank covers, you’re not obscuring your voice at all, which I found especially interesting on the Elliott Smith track, because that’s his singing style. Can you talk about how you adapted your vocal performance for these covers?

SL: I’ve been learning a lot about my voice. I’ve always loved to sing, but I think I grew up singing in these environments where I was living with someone, or roommates, and I didn’t want to bother anyone. I was always quite shy with my singing. Recently, I’ve had the ability to have my own space and explore what it’s like to go full-voice. Also, the way I’ve been tuning my guitar, which I got from Sybille Baier, is tuned down to C-standard. My voice fits so cozily in that zone. I started taking vocal lessons last year. It just blew the doors open, and I was able to find a much more powerful place to sing from. This record is the first place I’ve recorded that progress. Feeling it, and hearing how it hits the tape, particularly on the “Angeles” cover, was so delicious. I get why people love it: It’s this stunning compression that happens when you get that volume that meets that medium.

It’s been so cool. A lot of times, when you play an instrument or sing, you feel like you max out what you’re able to learn about it. I don’t think that’s true for anything. I feel like you can always learn more about what you love doing. With singing, it’s been really cool to expand the possibilities of it. I also want to sing for the rest of my life, so [it’s about] finding healthy habits and a new love for it. It’s stunning. I love it!

SILY: It’ll be cool to hear how you take this new approach into your original songs.

SL: Totally, especially if you see me live lately. It’s the new ingredient in the mix, which has been really fun in a simplified setting. It really maximizes the potential of how dynamic the vocals can be. It’s a really cool instrument, and it’s built into all of us.

SILY: Can you pinpoint your exact relationships to all of these songs, like when you first heard them or fell in love with them? Are there any that are newer to you?

SL: Sybille Baier is pretty new. I only discovered her in the last 4-5 years. Jackson C. Frank was also a pretty new love. The two of them have a lot in common. There’s a beautiful poetic melancholy to the way they make music, and two people I’d love to create a platform to lift them up on. They’re lesser known within this list of people.

The Jackson C. Frank song, I had never heard a cover done by a woman. I wanted to sing it from a female perspective. I thought it was interesting the way it took shape and became a little bit more wistful. I intentionally cut a verse that talked about giving up and not trying anymore. [laughs] I don’t agree with that. There’s something about heartbreak that propels you forward. It’s not about giving up, it’s about overcoming that moment. I liked bringing a more hopeful perspective to a very sad song.

SILY: The last time we talked, you said you always have a Sybille Baier track in your back pocket to cover at any moment. Why’d you choose this specific song?

SL: I wanted to pick songs that hadn’t been covered very much. [“I Lost Something In The Hills”] has some of my favorite lines I’ve ever heard in music. The whole arc of it feels like a coming-of-age story. Understanding yourself in an accepting light and that you’re kind of a weirdo, and these “strong and strange moods,” as she says. I can highly relate.

SILY: It’s a microcosm for the whole record, a curation of songs as a sort of mixtape, but you just happen to be the one singing.

SL: Yes! I love that.

SILY: “I’m Set Free” is a fun one because everyone says Lou Reed’s voice is deadpan, but your cover sort of reveals the song’s melody.

SL: [laughs] Totally. It’s a trip, man. I love transforming that song. The original has a washy thing about it, and I wanted to bring it down to Earth. The lyrics are so beautiful, and the message is, “I’m leaving the story behind,” having a clear perspective of a situation and it being up to you how to feel about things.

SILY: The Ty Segall cover is from Sleeper, his first “folk” record, but OCS have never gone through that folk phase to the extent Ty has. They’ve always maintained a certain level of noise, and "I Am Slow” specifically has a lot of weird instrumentation. How did you find adopting it to a folk song?

SL: That one was funny. With all the covers I’ve done, it falls into place so naturally, and that one just spilled out one day. I had to check with John on the lyrics because I wasn’t exactly sure what he was saying. [laughs] I got to play a few songs with OCS when they released their last record, which is one of the most stunning pieces of music, and I got to sing that song with Brigid Dawson. Every time I listen to OCS and play that song, I feel like I’m paying tribute to San Francisco. It just boils down the vibe of the [city], like a love note to the Bay Area.

SILY: What’s the story behind the cover art of this record?

SL: I do love a pun, so I wanted me under covers on the cover of the covers record. [laughs] It was a really fun shoot. My partner Kai MacKnight shot it on 16mm and grabbed stills, so it had this stunning texture about it. I was actually laying underneath a picnic table, and he was on top of the picnic table to get the shot. I love how it came out. It’s ethereal and ambiguous.

SILY: The title of this album has “Vol. 1″ in it. Do you have other covers set to record and release?

SL: I don’t, but I wanted to establish this never-ending journey. I really appreciate music and sharing music. I love bringing my perspective to songs. I want Vol. 2 to be all duets. I’m going to amass a bunch of duets for that one and see where it goes from there, and eventually release a sick-ass box set. [laughs]

SILY: Are you working on any original material?

SL: I’ve been sporadically writing ever since I released Geist. I want to figure out what that wants to be. I’ve also been writing with other people. I have a few things on the stove simmering, and I want to see what they turn into. I feel it on the horizon.

SILY: Anything else next for you?

SL: Just enjoying the ride. I’ve been doing ceramics!

SILY: Anything you’ve been listening to, watching, or reading you’ve dug?

SL: I just finished Poker Face, which I absolutely loved. It gives me X-Files vibes, which is such a nice thing to have in modern television.

I’ve just been listening to Elliott Smith for like the last year. I can’t stop. [laughs] And Pavement. A modern artist I’d like to hype is Allegra Krieger. She’s fantastic, an East Coast gal who makes the most incredible folk music you’ve ever heard. Her last album Precious Thing has been on repeat. It brought me to tears the first time I’ve heard it.

SILY: Did you see a Pavement reunion show?

SL: I did. It was in-credible. They gave the people what they wanted.

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