The artist that I am with today is one that I am positive you have heard at one time or another. She has been hanging around the music industry for quite some time and with a recent move to the indie market she is back on her way to the top. Not looking a day older than she did when she first hit the scene years ago, her lyrics have gotten better, he voice has become more polished, and I am excited to see what it next for her career. This is a special treat for the Indyconcerts.com following. With her hit single Stay always ringing in my ears, I am pleased to introduce to you the lovely Lisa Loeb.
How long have you been performing?
Since I was like four or five years old. It was something I always did growing up. It was actually integrated in the school that I went to in Dallas. We had a lot of dance and singing classes.
When did you first realize that you wanted to be a full time musician?
It was just something that happened. But the time that I was in college it was something I was just following into. When I was in high school it was something that I was just really in to. My friends and I would interview bands and I had a radio show on the FM dial. I played in bands and collected records. It was something that I was always interested in while taking music lessons. I committed to it after college and when I was trying to figure out what I was doing. I just wanted to continue it and make it a real profession.
What is the biggest crowd that you have ever played for?
I have played so many festivals. I would say 50,000. I played at Fuji Rock in Japan. I have played Madison Square Garden and some outdoor festivals that were pretty huge. I do not play for hundreds of thousand o f people normally.
The smallest?
I would say at someone’s home. People have hired me to play in their homes and offices. But the smallest shows happen with things like that.
Do you write all of your own lyrics?
No; I did a lot of songwriting but I do a lot of my writing with other people.
Where do you get inspiration for a new song?
I don’t know. It just hits me in different times and places. It can be at the grocery store or while I am driving. It can happen while I am sleeping, or even when I am sitting down to write a song.
Tell me about Camp Lisa.
It is a record that I put together that I wrote with some friends of mine in LA. It is actual summer camp songs that I used to sing when I was growing up. I just love summer camps and I wanted to share it with other people. I wanted to share it with those that go to or have never been to summer camp as well. I started an organization so that the produces go to benefit summer camps.
Do you have any thoughts on a tour this year?
I am actually spending a lot of time in LA. I am in the process of working on a number of projects. We are in the process of recording more songs for some kids books that will be out next year. I am also working on a regular grown up album. I am developing a couple of kids TV shows. I have some live shows coming up but to do all those projects I have to stay in one place.
What are your thoughts on MySpace?
MySpace is great. It allows musicians to, and people, to connect with each other. It helps can help you share your music, develop an audience, find your audience, find other people and what they are doing. It is cheap. You can do things that used to take more time, energy and effort. I think it’s a great tool.
Are you on Twitter?
Yes, I am. I am lisaloeb4real. I guess it sounds like a fake name but it really is me.
So do you only have one pair of those glasses?
I usually wear one primary pair of glasses. I am designing a line so I have three prototypes of the glasses I am designing with me. I am also designing some sunglasses. If I find one pair that I like I wear them for a few years. But recently I have been working on the eyewear line so I am checking out colors, styles, etc. I look for the changes we need to make.
What is your first memory of the guitar?
I remember learning Stairway to Heaven at summer camp. It is a fun funny song to learn but it is a good song.
If you could tour with anyone on the market today whom would you choose?
That is a good question. I have not thought about that. Coldplay is a great band. They have a good audience too. That is a really good question. Chris Isaac and the Indigo Girls all have great crowds. They are really great artists. They like to listen to the bands that they didn’t come to see. It is a good community backstage.
Tell me about your television show on E!
I did a reality show called #1 Single. I wanted to share the process of what it is like being a career person in her 30s balancing relationships and a career. We were able to put together some pilots to see if I wanted to do it. As one of the producers we were able to create a show that represents what people actually go through. It was a good story to tell.
What is like being from Dallas?
It was a variety of things. On one hand growing up in Texas is great because people have a dry sense of humor and are straightforward. But on the other hand in the 80s it was a conservative time. There were very conservative people there. I felt like a fish out of water. I am not a super conservative person. And although you knew when you were with your artist friends. I don’t know if we merited needing to be on the outside. When I moved to New York City, and went to college at Brown University I felt normal. Everyone was interested in a lot of things. It made it easier to do and be who I was without it being strange.
Tell me about Furious Rose Productions.
It is my production company. It is named after a song that I wrote called Furious Rose. It is also the name of a painting that a friend did for me. She discussed a painting called Furious Rose around the same time I was making the song.
Do you ever forget the lyrics to your own songs?
Yeah, I do. It becomes like riding a bike. You sometimes can’t remember what you are doing. It can be hard if you think too hard about it. They disappear from your breaking. Luckily audience members remind me of them. And there is always the jacket of the CD. Most of those have the lyrics on them.
What is the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you on stage?
That exact thing. I was on stage with a string group that I have put together. They were reading the sheet music and I was playing a few songs at a Lilith Fair one off show, and I had only been in London one day, and I was on stage and I was in the middle of the song and I totally blanked out. It was like slow mot
ion. I was like, “Oh my gosh, where am I?” The string quartet kept playing but they were in a repetitive part of the song. It was very embarrassing. I am not sure anyone else even caught it. But for me it was bizarre.
Your huge hit, Stay, was in a major motion picture. Tell me what that was like.
It is cool. The first time that it happened was really exciting. It was the biggest thing that had happened in the commercial world. I had some on promotions, etc. It was the first big deal and they played the entire song. It was really exciting.
Who does all your graphic design work?
We choose different artists for different album covers. I work with Bill Merryfield who is the director. I sit down with him and talk to him about what I am looking for. I always have a specific vision of what I want for each album. I discuss which illustrators I want to work with. Each album cover had a different story. My second album cover was from a famous illustrator from the fifties and sixties. He changes one of his original paintings into me. We have taken photos and had people paint them. For the most recent one we had a 14 year old, who left summer camp, to help us out and do all the illustrations. We worked together on all of it is a collaborative process. We find it based on the kind of art work we are looking for.
So what did Bobby Flay make you for dinner?
I do know Bobby Flay. He has treated us at different restaurants in Vegas and New York. My favorite is his place in Manhattan. He does the beat seafood cocktails. They have three different ones and they are really delicious. He is really nice and always hooks my family up.
Are you a true Hello Kitty fan?
Yes I am. I actually just made rice in my Kitty Fan rice cooker.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
With kids and still making books. I think that I want to be very involved in nutrition and cooking and having kids.
What do you want to be remembered for when this is all said and done?
For being a good person. I want to be considered a good friend, a good wife, and a good family member.
I always let the artist get the last word. Go.
People should check out the music. People stop me all the time and ask if I am still making music. There are tons of video out there and you should check it out to see what is happeneing.
