By: Lisa Steinberg
Photo By Judi Rosen
Q) To start off with, your music has been described in so many ways. How would you yourself describe your own sound and who do you consider to be your musical influences?
A) So many ways because it’s very hard to describe any music but especially my own. I’ve always thought my music to be based in soul music and into that mix, integrating a massive collection of influences. Bowie, Prince, The Wailers, Ann Peebles, Joni Mitchell, Elvis Costello, Sly and The Family Stone, Neil Young, Nina Simone, Siouxie and the Banshees and on and on and on.
Q) What is the story behind your song “Eternal Flame” and what do you think it is about the song that fans connect to so strongly?
A) It’s about a lover who is trying to make you their everything. I think everyone can relate to this problem – if not from a lover, then from a friend, from a family member or by being the person who’s doing the smothering. Being put into the position of being someone’s higher power is crushing for both parties and under most circumstances, pushes the other person away. I wrote it as an indie gospel song. The eternal flame is not something to capture but to nurture in oneself.
Q) You have a new album Real Life Evolution. What inspired you to reimagine the songs from your debut Real Life album, and how did you decide how each track would be recreated?
A) Many of them evolved naturally over time through touring. I’ve never had any interest in recreating a recorded song on stage. That’s not what live music is. Every time I play, whether it be solo or with a band, our entire lives get put into the performance.
The trio I’ve currently been touring with, Will and Jeremy, are extraordinarily sensitive — as musicians and as people. We built arrangements for a number of the songs together over the past couple of years onstage.
For others, like “Christobel,” it’s been a much longer evolution – ten years into the state it’s found itself in now. It was in 4/4. Over time, I wrote an ostinato in 5/8 that runs undernearth the lyrical line. it’s brought out a running mania that feels appropriate for the lyrics.
For a few I worked with my friend and collaborator, Parker Kindred and developed them from the ground up = with different drum patterns completely.
Q) What is your song writing process? Do you need music before you can create lyrics?
A) Historically, I’ve begun with the music. The lyrics have grown out of the feeling of the music. The past several years I’ve explored starting with the words, like I did for the song “Lemons, Limes and Orchids.” I love exploring what can happen when I change it up. There are so many songs buried in my subconscious just waiting to be found. Sometimes I need to find a new way to search.
Q) You handled the production for this album yourself. Why was it so important for you to be so hands on?
A) It’s my music! I also recorded it all over the world with different people in all sorts of studios and home set-ups. It’s not really a matter of me being hands on. I am the producer of my legacy. No one cares about it more than me. This is how it’s always been when creating and recording my own music.
Q) The album features amazing artists like Iggy Pop and Krystle Warren. How did you come to collaborate with them specifically?
A) I have played in Iggy’s band now for a few years. His sound engineer has been ringing out the rooms with “Save Me’ for over a decade – meaning before we soundcheck, the OG “Save Me” is played loud throughout the venue so that the engineer can balance the room. So, I figured – why not ask Iggy to sing it?? AND HE SAID YES!
Krystle Warren is one of the best things going right now. Her voice, her phrasing, her songs are unmatched. We’re fan of each other’s music and have become friends over the years. If there was anyone who could sing “I Defy” with me, it would be her. She can step into huge shoes and make it her own, which she did expertly and gloriously!
Q) “Flushed Chest” and “Anyone” are my personal favorite songs. Are there tracks on the album that hold a special place in your heart above others, and why?
A) Thank you! I love the delicacy of this version of “The Ride” but all are very special to me!
Q) What do you hope listeners take away from listening to this album as a whole – emotionally or otherwise?
A) I would never want to direct listeners! We have our personal experiences that are private and holy.
Q) You have several NYC shows coming up in June and an extensive tour later this year. What can fans expect from these live Joan As Police Woman performances?
A) I am playing with my trio – Jeremy Gustin on drums and voice and Will Graefe on guitar and voice. I play piano, Wurlitzer, guitar and bass. We’ve been touring for a couple of years now and the performances are super dynamic and honestly quite spiritual for me.
Q) Where are some of your favorite places to perform and what makes those locations so significant to you?
A) Oh Boy… Well, what’s fun is it’s all about the crowd and the venue and the night. I’ve been completely floored by towns and venues I’d never have expected to be so present, full of love, sharing such buoyant energy. It can happen anywhere! Obviously, I’m looking forward to playing my hometown shows in a few days. How could I not??
Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?
A) Georgia Anne Muldrow, Elizabeth Fraser, Urian Hackney, Fatoumata DIawara, Femi Koleoso – I love all these artists. I’ve collaborated with some of them in the past but want more!
Q) Which artists are you currently listening to and why do you dig them?
A) Miles Davis resurgence recently. He never stopped searching, which I can relate to!
Q) What message would you like to share with your fans and supporters of you and your work?
A) I appreciate anyone who cares about caring for music. It’s love for music that brings us together and there is nothing greater than that for me. The support I’ve received over the years has made me feel so much less lonely. In the words of Al Green, “Let’s stay together!”
‘Eternal Flame’ https://youtu.be/IcGcBpnkqLk
‘Flushed Chest’ https://youtu.be/25cW-mONIW4
‘The Ride’ https://youtu.be/nP_LwgjWSZE
‘Anyone’ https://youtu.be/h9AORzcT7qQ
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Joan As Police Woman – Real Life (Real Life Anniversary Sessions)
I wrote this song to romance a man. We met once for 3 minutes and I had decided he was The One. Bear in mind, this is ages ago. Conveniently, we lived 6000 miles apart. We were pen pals. It felt like high romance. He was brilliant actually – perhaps too smart. He was intractable and of course that drove me mad. The song describes the walk to the post office with the love letter – in this case, the cassette recording – and imagines the moment it lands in his hands. I brazenly put his name in the song. Unsurprisingly it didn’t work out between us. But the song did.