Laura Carbone
Interview conducted on November 25, 2020
By Dan Locke
Today Berlin-based dark pop-rock songstress Laura Carbone releases her third album, Laura Carbone – Live at Rockpalast. The live recorded album was mixed by Scott von Ryper from The Jesus and Mary Chain and mastered by Phillip Wesling at Original Mastering in Hamburg, with no overdubs whatsoever, and reflects Carbone’s unique brand of ‘Noisy Dreamadelica’. While everyone is missing the experience of attending live performances there’s no better time to witness Laura Carbone’s spellbinding talent, her arresting voice, silver-tongued lyrics, and her penchant for channeling 80s-90s dark wave pop than on this recording
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How was your birthday?
Thank you for asking! My birthday was beautiful and I was blessed having the opportunity to celebrate with my closest Berlin friends under open air and with social distancing.
What is your upbringing?
One that finds its source in love, charity, freedom and the responsibility connected to this.
How did you discover music?
I don’t remember the exact moment but for sure it must have been my parents singing lullabies or me listening to choirs in church or listening to Sicilian folklore. A turning point for sure was discovering Nirvana’s “Nevermind” which blew my mind because it widened the spectrum, I thought music existed in.
How did you start to write music?
I remember it very vividly being a kid and singing in the morning, right after waking up – I was singing about my dreams and there was one about an eagle. My mom at some point came in to my room to interrupt cause I had to go to Kindergarten. But this for sure was one of my first creative eruptions and realizations in writing music.
Describe your music!
My music comes from the heart and holds emotions, tension and frequencies – I play with their release and am not afraid of space and noise.
How did you get your first guitar, and do you still have it?
It was a gift from my parents for Christmas – An Epiphone Les Paul in glossy black with humbuckers. No, I gave it to someone to help me put in new pickups and I never got it back.
What is the guitar of choice now? Make, model and year and does it have a name?
I love my Fender Jazzmaster because she’s been with me for so long. I got her brand new in New York years ago and somehow this one is my companions of travelling.
I also adore my custom Revstar that Yamaha gave me for the start of my North American tour. It was built and designed for me, and it was a pleasure meeting him – his name is Blacky.
What was your first performance like?
It was with my first band at their school party. I played guitar, I sang, I was bloody nervous but made it through and felt the bliss before, in-between and in the aftermath, too.
What makes a good songwriter?
Being honest.
What was the title of your first original song? Did you record it?
As I said before – It had something to do with a flying eagle but no – I didn’t record it.
Since I last talked to you in 2016, you have toured with The Jesus and Mary Chain. You headlined your own tour throughout Europe with dates stopping in the United States and Canada, and shared a bill with Laurie Anderson and Nick Cave. Now with the virus. How does it feel to finish your first live album?
I’m filled with gratitude for what I was allowed to do in the past – for the things I received after having worked off my ass for it.
The live album happened so unexpectedly, and was only realized because my drummer and consigliere Jeff Collier had the idea while watching the show during the lockdown at night. It’s a funny story and he should tell this himself. However, I am deeply grateful having a document of my tight, talented, soulful and cherished band that has travelled with me for years, got robbed on my tour, got celebrated and elevated all my music.
Without my band: Brodie Myles White, Mark Eric Lewis and Jeff Collier this document of “How do songs sound if 4 people rehearse, play and feel them on a stage after a 3 weeks North American tour?” would never exist. I give them the whole lot of credit for this record.
Tell me about your live album “Live at Rockpalast” which is schedule to be released in December?
I watched WDR Rockpalast late at night on the weekend when I was a teenager and dreamt about the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play a show there. I didn’t have a band at that time – I didn’t even really write music, I was just dreaming and apparently manifesting.
So, we played the show and it felt outstanding – knowing our friends, family and parents all over the world were watching live on television what we are doing.
I remember waking up in the morning in the hotel room and pinching myself again to see if this was real. But yeah – it was, and I was even able to smell the roses that were given to me by a dear soul after the show.
We have the gift of this recording and received the support of the TV broadcaster WDR to release it as a record. It was mixed by our dear friend Scott von Ryper who usually plays guitar in The Jesus and Mary Chain or The Black Ryder, who was now able to stick his head into a mix – thanks to not touring.
I’m happy he took this over as he saw my band and me many times and had the experience of being in a room with us while we’re doing our thing. He knows how a sonic sound bath of me and my band feels.
My other friend and loyal mastering engineer Philipp Welsing took care of mastering the record. He is also a fan and supporter of me and the band. Olya Dyer’s eyes put the final touches on the record – speaking of the artwork and the videos. It’s also “Glück im Unglück” (Luck in an unlucky situation) as the Germans would say – she usually tours the world with her band The Underground Youth, but now she’s forced to spend time here in Berlin. And I’m grateful my dear friend also put her time and energy into this very dear release of mine.
How did you pick the songs for the album?
I was pretty straight forward about this and wanted to have the original setlist.
Can you give me the backstory of the single “Who’s Gonna Save You?”?
I wrote the song in a moment of deep fear. It was my first night ever in LA in 2017 and I was on my own. Jet-lagged and warned a bigger storm would come over the city. I had no idea what a “bigger storm” would mean if a Californian said so. I learned about this, had multiple power blackouts (one in a supermarket) and two at my house. The storm was so intense I thought the palm trees would break and just fall on the electricity lines – which sometimes happens. However, I opened a bottle of wine, put on my headphones, and started recording.
At that time, I was digging myself out of a deep self-crisis and was not sure how I would ever get out of it. At some point I realized that there is a voice and power in everyone and a will to survive – I started listening to that voice and following her, to this spirit and her advice. In retrospect, I learned it was me reconnecting with my intuition. I wish people would do the same, listening to their heart, soul, and spirit to find guidance and support.
A fact on the side:
The vocals on the Empty Sea record by the way are the “originals”, the ones I recorded that night. I was not capable of copying / interpreting the emotions in the studio and decided to stick to the truth and give the listener the opportunity to listen to my fearful, cracking voice.
What is your favorite track on the album?
“Nightride”. I think the version is just haunting and is insanely beautiful, playing with space and noise and tension and soft sweetness.
How do you stay healthy while touring?
Yeah, that is actually one of my main priorities since I’m very sensitive in general. I’m grateful we all are foodies and really into homemade, fresh, organic nutrition. When we were touring the US, we had a huge box full of healthy snacks and drinks with us. I also try to get 8 hours of sleep in a bed – even though I know this is most likely not possible.
I also stick close to my tribe, my band and crew and am grateful for their support and shoulders.
Staying connected to water is also important to me – warm baths after shows or a swim in a pool help me getting the energy back, I share with everyone when I’m on stage.
What are you’re feeling about streaming music?
It’s a huge technical gift that everyone is able to find and listen to so much music. The organization behind it is exploitive and uses one of the diseases human kind brought into this planet. It is simply not fair and takes away so much value of music and the people dedicating their lives writing, recording and touring it.
How can people forget about the original hashtag # Sharp in a musical score?
I don’t know? Maybe they are just committed to major?
Digital vs. vinyl?
Vinyl
What are your feelings about the social uprising going on in the United States?
Change is gonna come. It has to.
So many societies were built on the exploitation of the most vulnerable people and are simply not fair but painful to watch. The US, like all of us, has to learn to acknowledge the terrible mistakes that have been done, process them and adapt into a healthier way of being in a community. I wish the US, but also us (with our very own uprisings), all the very best for a better tomorrow injustice.
With the virus about to have its second wave, do you think kids should go back to school?
I’m not in the position to have an opinion on this. Let’s ask virologists, parents, teachers and yeah, the kids!
What song from the past is in your mind right now? Moreover, what is the meaning that song means to you?
I just listened to “Compared To What” by Roberta Flack and I’m impressed by the way and the rhythm this woman used to give space to the issue of social injustice. I might have composed in minor, or actually – I wouldn’t have composed it, as Roberta Flack has her very own experiences of dealing with the situation, she is in. It gives me energy listening to this empowering hymn and a woman who is capable of shifting her painful experiences into such a groovy song.
How do you feel the Covid-19 virus going to affect the music business in the future?
I mean… since March my fellow artists and I are locked out from a huge part of our job that pays the bills –. This industry and society have forgotten about the creatives who provide the minutes and hours for them to dream away, to be spaced out, to time travel. I don’t feel valued for what I am doing since it has always been a struggle thriving through this very unique way, I choose to fill my days and my life with.
As an artist you learn at a very early stage not to complain, but instead to be grateful for the opportunity to stand on a stage. You get trained to be even more grateful if you receive a warm meal or a clean hotel room. Most of us don’t have a backup plan, so eventually we will be forced to find jobs that are more valued by society, that are paid – so we can pay our bills.
Once this is over and there is the opportunity again to ride out on the road – who do you think is capable of doing so? Who do you think will perhaps swap financial security for a life on the road where you, again, got trained that the applause of the audience is the most an artist could wish for?
What have you been doing with your self-quarantine?
I was in the very privileged situation of experiencing the first leg of quarantine with two dear friends in a huge flat in Berlin. We had all we needed and more. We had a whole lot of compassion, kindness and caring, which helped so much.
I focused on my physical and mental health while dealing with some sort of an existential crisis. I’m grateful I had the support and was blessed to have this as my experience of a first lockdown.
Have you discovered or rediscovered any new hobbies?
Yeah, I started painting and really love it.
95% of people say that they have changed the way they watch television. This includes people who don’t have television and use their computers to stream programs and movies. Which is your favorite streaming channel?
It’s a French television program that streams in 6 languages. I love their documentaries and recommend you to watch the one about Laurel Canyon in the late 60s and Jane Fonda.
Many artists are doing nightly concerts over either YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. In October that is going to change at least on Facebook. Facebook is cracking down on live-streamed shows that include recorded music with new terms of service, preventing artists from using the platform for “commercial or non-personal” purposes, unless they have obtained the relevant licenses.
The updated music guidelines state that users “may not use videos on our products [which include Instagram] to create a music listening experience […] This will include [Facebook] Live,” and stipulates that such content should be posted for the enjoyment of friends and family only.
How do you think this will change the landscape of Facebook?
Well, with the beginning of the pandemic I decided to start my own page on Patreon (http://www.patreon.com/Lauracarbone) to be able to show my works in progress, essays, and photography in a safe space with a community without a “middle man”. I experience a lot of freedom knowing all my people on Patreon see what I’m posting for them and have access to this. The art of interaction is just a different one and it makes me feel a whole lot of sincerity and value.
In addition, from October 24 onwards, you can no longer simply paste your links in WordPress to make your Facebook and Instagram content appear on your site. Will this affect how bands use Facebook?
Really, this is outside of what I want to worry about.
How can bands keep their fans if they cannot play live in front of them and sell merch to them at the show?
I invite everyone to my Patreon to stay connected and find content that is created and shared with a lot of honesty and sincerity.
Is pay to play still a thing?
Not in my world.
What about holographic concerts in our living room?
Perhaps a thing for the future, who knows!
If you can’t do music what would you like to be doing?
If I don’t do music, I’m using my creativity to create something else, like dedicating my time and energy to answer this extensive interview, for example 😉
I’m in the very lucky position of being creative 24/7 and I follow my call whether this is writing, taking photos, recording a podcast for my Patreon or just simply listening to the falling autumn leaves in the cemetery, like I’m doing right now.
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