An interview with Ivory Lake
An interview with Ivory Lake
What inspired the name of the band? What are your influences?
Ivory Lake is a beautiful lake in New Zealand of which I had never even heard of before, the name came to me whilst I was sitting at a friends house under the influence…when the pool had this white glow to it and the ripples started to look like elephants were stabbing it from underneath with their tusks, hence the name Ivory Lake. Weird origin story I know but you gotta capture those moments. I suppose I take a lot of my inspiration from the more morbid nihilistic side of things, although a lot of my songs have a positive meta narrative , I find a lot of beauty in sadness when it’s put into art in the right way there’s a deeper feeling you can evoke when your not just writing shiny happy things.
How do you approach songwriting? Are there any themes that you are keen to explore when you start off?
I have a very messy approach to songwriting, I’m quite dyslexic so when it comes to writing my organization is awful, I will often go in to the studio with a theme in mind but once you start putting the peices together and adding layers, there’s really no telling where the song will go. They have a mind of their own in a way, you have to let them be what they are. But then I think sometimes it’s good to push a song into unknown territory and let it have elements of an idea or genre that might be confusing at first, but then after getting acquainted with it, it brings a level of complexity that can’t be achieved by just going with the flow.
How do you approach songwriting? Are there any themes that you are keen to explore when you start off?
I have a very messy approach to songwriting, I’m quite dyslexic so when it comes to writing my organization is awful, I will often go in to the studio with a theme in mind but once you start putting the peices together and adding layers, there’s really no telling where the song will go. They have a mind of their own in a way, you have to let them be what they are. But then I think sometimes it’s good to push a song into unknown territory and let it have elements of an idea or genre that might be confusing at first, but then after getting acquainted with it, it brings a level of complexity that can’t be achieved by just going with the flow.
Why do you write the sort of music that you do?
It’s not really a conscious decision, it’s just whatever slipped it’s way out of me in the process of writing that song. I think your music should come from a authentic place whatever your feeling at the time instead of deciding ok today I’m gonna write a super duper pop song at 116 bpm. You have to let your music decide what kind of artist your going to be, rather than you choosing what your music is going to be.
How do you decide what songs to perform live and how do you transpose them into that live setting?
Live ? What is live ? I’ve almost forgotten what it feels like to play to a packed room with covid still raging on. Everyone has their favorites to play and it’s important you play songs that you love on stage to keep your self engaged and focused and overall just having fun; but its also important to give the fans that come out to see you the songs that they love, so create a happy medium and you can’t go wrong. I love transposing a song into a live setting because there is no limit to what you can do and if you have the right band the song can change a little every night for the better. I like to add a little more life to the songs sometimes by double timing at the end for a few bars or half timing in a solo but there is no right or wrong when it’s your own song.
How do you decide what songs to perform live and how do you transpose them into that live setting?
Live ? What is live ? I’ve almost forgotten what it feels like to play to a packed room with covid still raging on. Everyone has their favorites to play and it’s important you play songs that you love on stage to keep your self engaged and focused and overall just having fun; but its also important to give the fans that come out to see you the songs that they love, so create a happy medium and you can’t go wrong. I love transposing a song into a live setting because there is no limit to what you can do and if you have the right band the song can change a little every night for the better. I like to add a little more life to the songs sometimes by double timing at the end for a few bars or half timing in a solo but there is no right or wrong when it’s your own song.
What plans do you have for the future?
I plan to record another EP this spring then all being well an album towards the end of the year followed by a tour of the UK and USA, if covid allows me to- I miss touring so much these days, when I have the chance to get back on it I might never come off the road. You can get my new EP Pillows on all major streaming services now !!
https://open.spotify.com/