Halifax Urban Folk Festival, more commonly known as HUFF to those who like acronyms and one syllable festival names, is underway at bars in the downtown core of Halifax. In our third and final HUFF Q&A, Mixtape catches up with Gianna Lauren before her show tomorrow (Wednesday, August 28) at the Carleton along with Paper Beat Scissor and Noel Johnson.
Mixtape Magazine: Your songs have all the heart and lyricism of the singer-songwriter category, but the big sound of a larger band. How did that special balance come about for you?
Gianna Lauren: To be honest, I think the ‘singer-songwriter’ label is very limiting. It is often used as a catch-all for ‘whiny girl with an acoustic guitar’ and that’s not me. Yes I sing the songs that I write, but it’s all semantics. I also perform, create, and publish music with other musicians and producers, which makes me a bandmate, a writer, a performer, an artist. I put so much more into this than just writing and playing. I am enjoying the balance I’ve achieved between solo vs. band. I accomplish a level of work on my own and then invite others in at the right time. I like working with other people because playing in a bubble of one can be a trap for repetition, self-doubt, and an insular approach toward the music industry. Playing with a band gives the music width I can’t achieve on my own, and working with fellow musicians that closely is thrilling. The perfect balance is when none of it feels like work and everyone is getting something out of it.
MM: You’ve said that something about the songs for the most recent album, On Personhood said “Ontario” to you, where you recorded and where you used to live. How does a song give you a sense of place?
GL: Every music community has its own sound. I was very attracted to the Halifax scene from afar. I think my sophomore release that I recorded with Dan Ledwell was very Halifax. The songs chosen for On Personhood were thematic in the sense that they were very ‘outside-looking-in.’ When I was preparing for the record, I couldn’t hear Halifax in those songs. I couldn’t picture my Halifax musicians on those tunes. I wanted to have a recording experience that was completely separate from my day-to-day life. I didn’t want to work all day and then try and zone into recording mode for the night. A record is an experience, not a product. The songs have to suit the atmosphere.
MM: This festival is called an “urban folk festival.” What does “urban folk music” mean to you? How do you fit into that category?
GL: Great questions. Urban because it’s in bars? Urban because of the downtown city lights? Too modern for the Stanfest? ‘Folk’ is another label that gets thrown around in ways I don’t understand. But HUFF is a lovely addition to Halifax’s musical calendar because it showcases artists who are pushing the boundaries in the genre game. I think that’s where I might fit in.
MM: Who are you most excited to see at HUFF?
GL: My label mates Michael Feuerstack, the Olympic Symphonium and Paper Beat Scissors. They inspire me to great lengths. I am going to try and see Alejandro Escovedo, once and for all. I noticed there aren’t many females or women-identified on the lineup, so hopefully HUFF can grow to be more gender balanced in years to come.
MM: What’s next for you?
GL: Gah! I am very excited for the months to come. After HUFF my band and I are showcasing at POP Montreal. For months the Halifax Music Co-op Orchestra and I have been working on arrangements for 5 of my songs and we are performing them October 17+18 in Halifax with Hermitofthewoods in an event called Inventions. I am delighted to be a part of this. Then my band and I are going into the studio the first week of November, because I have so many new tunes, and then off to Nova Scotia Music Week in Sydney. I will spend the winter mixing and co-producing the record, and then poof! Europe here I come. For tour. Not to live. So stay tuned! Thanks Mixtape! You rule.
Photo: supplied