Hello Lori, how are you? You’re an artist from Nashville, how did it all begin for you?
Hey Platinum Mind – thanks for having me! Yes, I’m based out of Nashville, TN, but grew up in a small town in Ohio called St. Marys. Music was always a part of my life growing up, thanks to my dad. He’s a huge music lover and was always playing music in the house, on road trips, and short car rides, so my love of music definitely comes from him. My parents both took notice of my interest in piano when my oldest sister was playing and taking lessons, and they eventually started taking me to weekly lessons when I was 7. I only took lessons until I was 12 but kept playing and started writing my own songs around that time. Over the years, I kept writing songs and poetry then slowly started to share them with others. Eventually, I recorded released my debut album independently around 2004, and, about a year later, I decided to move to Nashville when I was around 21 or 22 to finish college and learn more about the industry.
What did you listen to growing up?
I listened to an eclectic list of artists growing up, much like I do today. I’d listen to some of my dad’s favorite songs and artists like Linda Ronstadt, Bread, The Beatles, Paul Williams, Elvis Presley, Peter, Paul and Mary, etc. But then I’d discovered my own artists I was into like The Cranberries, Billie Holiday, Garbage, Mariah Carey, Alanis Morissette, Sarah McLachlan, Tori Amos, Ginny Owens, and Nichole Nordeman, to name a few. I was really all over the map with who I listened to.
Congratulations on the release of “All I’m Letting Go Of” how does it feel?
Thanks, I appreciate that! Releasing new music always feels good – it’s a chance to connect with people, and I’m hoping the song finds some new listeners along the way who can relate to the song.
What’s the story behind the song?
I wrote it back in 2022 at home. I was thinking about how often we hear the phrase “let it go” or just the advice to let something go that has caused you pain. And that made me think about how letting go for me is usually a process of letting it go in pieces instead of all at once. Some of the things happening in my life at the time were coming to mind as I wrote, so I really just drew from those feelings and experiences while I was writing the song. But it’s really just a song about processing my emotions, trying to let go and move on, and then questioning if it’s time, and if I actually am letting go when I think I am or if it’s all going to come back around again in my life. Maybe it’s a song about overthinking… ha ha. You’ll have to decide when you listen to it!
It’s from a larger body of work “When The Morning Comes”, due out in March. What was it like recording this project?
Yes, it was the second single from my new album, “When the Morning Comes,” out everywhere on March 1st. Recording this project was a long road but a really wonderful experience and process. It was my first time tracking with a live band, so it was a totally different recording experience than I had ever had in the past. I was hearing the songs for the first time with a band on the same day we were recording them for the album, so it was a lot to digest and a lot of pressure to make sure I was happy with the direction we were going and that my performances were up to par. But I’m so glad this album was created that way, because it really has that human element that a lot of music today is missing, in my opinion. We were bringing the songs alive together and it was organic and special. Everyone was feeding off of each other while we performed the song together. We recorded the first three songs in the summer of 2022 in two days (“Night Rider,“ “Hollow White Oak,“ and “Sanctuary“). Hearing those really helped me shape the rest of the album, and I decided the other seven songs I had written and was planning to record just weren’t my best songs and the right fit with the others. So I spent more time digging into my songwriting and working to pay for the album and came back the following March in 2023 to finish recording the rest of the album with the new songs I had written. I learned so much and had so much fun. I wish I could start another album tomorrow – it was a really special thing to get to create with some extremely talented and kind people, and I loved every moment of being in the studio with them.
You recorded it with Paul Moak, what’s your favourite memory of the sessions?
Yeah, Paul and his team there at his studio (The Smoakstack), along with the band he put together for the album, who were so amazing to be around and work with. I think my favorite memory was listening down to the whole record together when we were finished. It was such an emotional release – I still get choked up when I think about it. I kept trying to tell them how much I appreciated them and how much finishing the album meant to me and why, but I didn’t want to completely fall apart either. It just was a really special moment, I think, for all of us, but especially me.
What did you learn most from Paul?
I think I learned the most from Paul in the things he didn’t say more than what he said. Paul is just a gentle person – the way he speaks, the way he listens, and the way he leads. He’s enormously talented and definitely commands a room, but he does it in a way that shows his warmth and humility. He’s approachable, and you just trust him when you work with him, which is so important because making music, for me, is a really personal and vulnerable thing. There are so many people I’ve come across in the industry who are successful like Paul, but they don’t show half the humility that he does. So it was refreshing being around someone like him, and he challenged me without even really having to say anything.
For example, after we finished recording the first three songs on the album, I just knew from working with him and the band that the others I was planning on recording just weren’t the best I could do after all. So it inspired me to dig a little deeper into what I was wanting to say for this album. And that changed the course of the album. He’s the kind of person you hope people will be when they are successful, and I’m really grateful to have worked alongside him on this album and to know him.
What’s your favourite track from it?
That’s hard to say because they all hold such different meanings for me personally. I really love the way “Things You Said to Me“ and “The Wishing Star“ turned out, but it’s hard to say a favorite because I’m proud of all of them.
It takes people on a journey in different aspects of your life, how does it feel to be that vulnerable?
I think being vulnerable goes hand in hand with being an artist. I don’t really think you can create good, solid art without being willing to be vulnerable and deeply honest – both with yourself and with your audience. I love being able to share that vulnerability with my listeners, because I think it invites them to be vulnerable in their own life as well. It helps them know they aren’t alone in what they may be feeling and experiencing, and I think that ultimately leads to healing and growth both for me and for my listeners.
You’ve assembled quite a great collection of musicians to play on it, what was a real pinch me moment for you?
Yeah, Paul put together a killer band for the album: Charlie Lowell on keys, B3, and celeste; Julian Dorio on drums; Matt Pierson and Kevin Whitsett on bass; then Paul on guitars and BGVs and some other assorted instruments. I think the first day of tracking where I performed “Night Rider“ on the piano for the first time for everyone to chart it was pretty cool – that’s when it really felt real that I was finally starting to record the album. Then performing it later in the session for the actual record with the band for the first time just felt really good. Everyone was so wonderful to work with – we had a lot of fun together, and I really appreciated the different ways each of them added their own signature styles to the songs.
Living in Nashville and surrounded by its musical roots, what are your three favourite things about living there?
I don’t know if I can list three specific favorite things, but I’d say in general I love the opportunities that are here – to meet new people, to be inspired, and to be constantly challenged to keep going and continue working on your craft. It’s a real community, and knowing that there are so many other creatives out there making music or pursuing some other form of art alongside myself really is comforting and challenging at the same time.
What are you listening to at the moment?
I’m always all over the place with who I’m listening to. I’ve been listening to a lot of Stephen Wilson Jr., Angel Olsen, James Taylor, Angel Snow, Patty Griffin, Copeland, Ruston Kelly, and Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross compositions lately.
What’s next for you?
I’m working on putting some shows together for my new album – I haven’t been performing very much lately since I’ve been busy working and getting everything together for the album release. So I’m excited to get back out there and play some shows again and share the songs with everyone. I also have taken some time away from songwriting for a while, so I’m looking forward to digging back in and seeing what I may create next.
