The Goo 1
Interview Interview ALAN MONNELLY CLARA TRACEY Wh
at were the best things about living in Paris and how did this experience influence your music? I think the twenties is a formative decade for anyone and spending mine in France left an indelible imprint that subconsciously spills out in my songs. My favourite thing was probably all the long afternoons in cafes and dive bars with my notebook and too many sugary espressos. I was lucky enough to fall in with a group of sound and light engineers early on and we formed a CocoRosie-esque band named after a champagne. Peeper Hydeseek only ever played about three gigs but we had the keys to some very cool old venues and got to rehearse onstage with full sound and lights. None of that band had any formal musical training so we tended towards unconventional melodies, rhythms and structures and I think this "strangeness" crept into my songs too. Your album ‘Black Forest’ was recorded between lockdowns in Sonic Studios and produced by Daniel Fox. Did this timing make the recording process feel pressurized or was it just a relief to get into the studio? Recording between lockdowns actually helped the recording process as Daniel was due to go on tour with Gilla Band and had planned to have the album all finished up before then. But the news filtering in on the Sonic radio was that lockdowns might be coming in just as we were finishing the drums on day 1. I would say I was less than thrilled initially but then I started to realize the benefits of weeks and months of “perspective” between sessions. Your songwriting is at once intimate and worldly. How have you developed this passion since your early years in Paris when you discovered this gift? Working as a barmaid in a jazz cafe and listening to all kinds of jazz/bossa/chanson every night I think paved the way for jazz chords and old school melodies to enter my songwriting. Looking back I probably learned to write and perform in Paris but developed my tastes in production and arrangement PAGE 26 Her stunning vocal delivery and exceptional songwriting stemming from creative development whilst living in the French capital have garnered her recognition and acclaim. In the lead up to her muchanticipated Black Forest vinyl album launch show in the Workman's Cellar show I ask her about her musical journey thus far... 'Black Forest' released digitally last October on Pizza Pizza Records. after I moved to Dublin. I spent five years in a house full of musicians on Fontenoy Street with my piano Bentley. My housemates would be listening to anything from Stravinsky to Moondog. I discovered so much music in that kitchen that my songs naturally started to ferment. Gabby the resident cellist arranged and played strings on the album, Justin played bassoon…it was a great spot. When it comes to the more experimental sides of your songwriting, what have been your creative influences and how does language inform your compositions? It’s hard to pin down but I’m usually exploring some kind of "otherworld"… At the moment I’m fascinated by cave paintings and the earliest symbols, I’m also quite far down the wormhole of cosmology. In Black Forest the influences go from the long fingered 20s (Lotte Reiniger’s early animations, Harry Clarke’s stained glass windows) to erotic photography and colourful cinema (Nan Goldin, Almodovar), the nouvelle vague and Sergeant Pepper to Angela Carter’s novels and the present day. When it comes to language, I sometimes write lyrics in French that I might not dare sing in English. I'm hoping to explore other languages on future albums... What are the challenges you face as an artist in the current climate and how do you think artists like yourself could be better supported to do their work, progress and reach their full potentials? The fact that most of us are having to work another job in order to be able to afford to be a musician is obviously not ideal. Even people in bands that are doing well can’t afford to live off music alone which is mad. The likes of music videos (even low budget) cost a fortune to make - I would say in terms of investment releasing an album today probably feels a bit like raising a thankless teenager. I am fortunate to have a manager helping me now and am finding more time to play the piano again which I’m very grateful for, but it’s still a juggling act. We need the basic income to come in across the board ASAP. Clara Tracey + full band play at Workmans Club Cellar on Thursday June 8th.