Heart to Heart Talk with Lucy Isabel

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Lucy Isable will surprise you with her songwriting

Interview conducted on October 07, 2019

by Dan Locke

Equally inspired by the Americana community of her Nashville home and the boardwalk culture of her native New Jersey, Lucy Isabel introduces herself as a road-ready songwriter with her debut album, Rambling Stranger.

Like the title suggests, Rambling Stranger finds Isabel on the move, taking stock of her world as it unfolds outside of the car windshield at highway speed. She’s been a traveling musician for years, ever since she shelved an acting career in New York City and moved to Tennessee. Living in Nashville motivated her, but it was the road — where she built her audience one show at a time — that sharpened her songwriting. She wrote folk songs, heartland roots-rockers, and acoustic ballads. She wrote about her husband; about the changing landscape of her hometown back east; about the wanderlust that kept her moving night after night, traveling from the listening rooms of America to the pubs of Australia and back again.

Meanwhile, she also made time to visit the recording studio, releasing her first EP, 2016’s Along the Way, within two years of graduating from Yale. Another EP, KANE, followed in 2017, stocked with stories about her maternal grandmother’s family. With 2019’s Rambling Stranger, though, Lucy Isabel shows the full scope of her songwriting. These 10 songs are filled with images from an adulthood lived on the run: a shuttered army fort along the Jersey Shore; a mountain range outside of Seattle; a road leading to an unknown destination, promising nothing but the unexpected for anyone willing to take it. And Isabel, of course, can’t resist taking those paths.

Daniel Locke: What is a road-ready songwriter?

Lucy Isabel: I think there are heaps of different approaches to being a songwriter. You have writers who work with a core group of co-writers in the city where they live, writers who are really focused on sharing their music through digital means, writers who feel compelled to get out on the road to share their music, etc. Everyone thrives in different circumstances and, for me, the road is the best fit. I like getting out in front of new people and seeing how different songs get different reactions.

You started your career as an actress then change to music. I did a little search and found some movies you were in A Sliver of Light (2012), House of Shades (2012) and El ojo público del ciudadano (2007). How were those roles? Why didn’t you want to keep acting?

A Sliver of Light and House of Shades were both student films that I did while in college. I actually wasn’t in El ojo público del ciudadano. It’s been on my IMDb for a while and they haven’t removed it even though I’ve contacted the site about it. The student films were fun, but most of my acting experience has been in the theater, specifically musical theater. It wasn’t so much that I didn’t want to keep acting. I’m still interested in being on stage in that capacity, but at the moment my priority has shifted to songwriting and touring.

Since you speak also Spanish, have you ever thought of doing some songs in Spanish?

It’s funny because even though I wasn’t in that Spanish language film listed on my IMDb, I actually do speak Spanish, though I’m not fluent. The vast majority of my Spanish speaking is the result of studying the language in school and having friends who are native speakers. I have thought about writing music in Spanish. At this point, I’d be nervous about making silly mistakes that I normally get away within a conversational setting. If I find a co-writer who could help me catch things like that, I’d go full steam ahead.

How was your time in Australia?

Australia was amazing. It’s similar to the US, culturally, but it’s also more laid back. It was nice to be in such a relaxed setting and meet so many new people.

Is t Touring in Australia different from touring in the USA?

I was pretty much only on the east coast of Australia, so I can’t speak for places like Melbourne or Western Australia. But I would say that it is pretty different from touring in the US. There are a lot fewer people living in Australia than in the US, so things are a bit more spread out. There’s a really genuine interest in and support for music, though. As a whole, they’re very supportive of Australian musicians. It was cool to listen to the radio and hear Australian artists instead of just the American Top 40.

How was the food?

The food is good! I’m plant-based and there are a ton of options in Australia for a plant-based diet. Sometimes in the US, it feels like a hassle to find food when I’m eating out, but in Australia, there were several popular plant-based restaurants and chains. And pretty much every restaurant I ate in had five or more options for me on the menu.

What were your musical influences growing up?

Since I came up in the theater, I listened to heaps of show tunes. Aside from that, it was Bruce Springsteen, James Taylor, The Dixie Chicks, John Denver, Patty Griffin…the list goes on and on. When I got to college, a friend introduced me to Brandi Carlile’s music, which has had a massive impact on my approach to songwriting.

What was your first guitar (model and make)?

My first guitar was a Yamaha. I actually don’t even know the model, but it was one of their beginner guitars. It was something I picked up at the local Guitar Center the summer before college. I thought I’d learn to play it that summer, but I ended up barely touching it until I was a junior.

Do you have a favorite guitar now? What year make model is it and do you have a name for it?

My main guitar these days is a 2014 Martin CEO7. I call it Emmylou. It has a really warm and full sound and I love it. It was my first big purchase after I decided to really commit to music.

What was your first gig like?

My first gig was on my birthday, a couple of months after I moved to Nashville. It was in a coffee shop in one of the suburbs of Nashville and I was the opening act for a guy who was releasing an album. I had about 10 people show up to see me and I was so nervous that I kept messing up my own music. It was a little awkward, but it got the job done and I got more comfortable pretty quickly!

What was the first and last concert you went to?

The first concert I ever went to was a N*SYNC concert when I was 8 or 9 years old. It was so great. The last concert I went to (that I wasn’t also playing) was Americana Fest in Nashville. That’s more like 300 concerts over the course of several days, but it was great.

Why did you decide to go to Nashville for your musical career?

I almost went to college in Nashville, not because I wanted to go to the school that I got into, but because I loved the city so much. My plan had always been to move to New York after college. When I realized I didn’t really want that, Nashville felt like the obvious choice.

You grow up in Little Silver NJ. Just 48 miles from New York City. I am going to name some bands from NYC. I would like you to say something about each if you could.

The Strokes
Talking Heads
The Ramones
Simon and Garfunkel
Ella Fitzgerald
Lady Gaga
Carole King
Patti Smith
Norah Jones
Janis Ian
Growing up in Jersey, it was always a comfort to know that the city was so close and that there was so much going on there. I think each of the musicians listed contributed something unique and genuine to music as an art form. I’m glad to have known a lot of their music as I was growing up.

How hard is it for a female singer-songwriter to break it big in Nashville?

If I’m being honest, I’m not really sure how to answer this question. It is true that men in the music industry are more visible. Especially in country music. It would be easy to get bogged down in the unfairness of it, but instead, I try to do my part to change it. I’m grouped into a genre (Americana) that tends to be pretty equal when it comes to coverage and I’m grateful for that. And I work hard to make sure that I’m doing my part to maintain that equality. Whether it’s buying and sharing new music with friends and fans, or putting together a line-up when I’m headlining a show.

Have you looked into writing for other artists?

I haven’t necessarily looked into writing for other artists, but I’m definitely open to it! My favorite part of being a musician is collaborating with others. You can always learn something new.

How do you mix family life with touring?

Most of the time when I’m on the road, my husband stays at home. It can be hard, but we do our best to communicate every day. And, when he can, he comes out on part of my tour with me. The fact that I’m on the road so much makes it so that I really appreciate being home when I am. I try to be as present with my family as possible.

What is the biggest gig you have played so far in your career?

Lately, I’ve been playing some full band shows in Nashville at some of the venues that I’ve been going to see music since I moved there. That always feels big for me because it’s nice to play a hometown show and have a ton of people come out for it. Especially because there’s so much music in Nashville on any given night. It feels good to know that people made the choice to come to see you.

Would you like to do something like the New Orleans Jazz Fest?

I’d love to get into the festival circuit. Like I said, I have the most fun when I’m collaborating with other folks, and a festival seems like a really cool opportunity to do just that.

Tell me about the recording of “Rambling Stranger”?

The recording process for “Rambling Stranger” was great. We recorded it over two days, playing everything as a live band. It was really cool to hear music that I had written come to life with a band. The musicians that we had in the studio were amazing, and my producer, Jared Anderson, is so easy to work with. It was a really enjoyable process.

How do you see yourself in 5 years?

In 5 years, I expect I’ll still be doing a lot of touring. I’d like to start playing bigger venues and opening for more established acts. I’m excited about the possibility of meeting more musicians who love their job as much as I do. And, of course, I’ll still be writing. I’m in the process of figuring out what I want to do next in terms of recorded music. But I’m also really enjoying the process of sharing Rambling Stranger, so I don’t want to get too distracted from that.

Anything you like to say in closing to your fans?