A Conversation with Laura Veirs (continued)

PM: And before we leave the subject of people, per se, I really enjoyed the opening act from Olympia that you took on the road, Lake.

LV: Aren't they cool? They're just kind of starting out. I mean, they're all experienced musicians in their own way, but they haven't done a lot of touring as that band, Lake.

PM: Right.

LV: I think that when we played in Chicago they said that that was their first club date ever, and that was the first date on this tour.

PM: Wow.

LV: They've just done house concerts basically, like house shows at punk houses around the country. They've already toured a couple times, but really underground. So it was fun for them to see how, as they said, "the other half tours."

PM: [laughs]

LV: But they're really amazing quality players and songwriters. And I think in a way they're a bit still finding their voices, or something like that. There's a tentativeness there that also is reminiscent of, in general, the Northwest--there's this aesthetic there that's more about not being polished?

PM: Wow.

LV: So I don't think that being polished is a part of maybe their aspirations, but if you listen to the songwriting--

PM: Oh, there's a lot of talent there.

LV: There is. It's just incredible. I'm very inspired to see them.

PM: That's very interesting how you describe it, that that's part of the Northwest aesthetic, to not be polished.

LV: Yeah, it definitely is.

PM: Yeah, because I don't think we have any bands in Nashville that resemble that band--not that I'm aware of, and I'm a bit of a club shark.

LV: Not in the Northwest, either. I think they're just real unique. I haven't heard a band like that before. So it's not just that they're from the Northwest and everyone is like that. I think they are really unique in their own right. But they do, in my opinion, follow the norm of being really laid back and not really about putting on a show. I mean, in a way they're putting on an incredible show, but they're not trying to put on a show.

PM: I was given a few cassettes by Andrew for his cassette label [laughs] called Brown Interiour Music. I didn't know there was such a thing as a cassette label.

LV: Yeah. That kind of fits with the Olympia thing. It's very DIY, do-it-yourself, it's very underground and community based, and not particularly, from what I can tell, ambitious.

PM: Right. I hadn't played a cassette in so long I had to dig through my storage locker on the other side of town this morning to find a cassette player so I could review it.

LV: That's good. Did you actually listen?

PM: I haven't yet. But I've got the cassette player now, and I'm going to listen in the afternoon and review it in the same issue that we cover this interview.

LV: Oh, good. Any press that Lake and their members can get is wonderful because they really have a lot of offer, and they're just totally unknown.

PM: I thought it was pretty cool how the members all switched instruments every song; a multi-faceted personality on the one hand, and kind of pleasantly schizophrenic on the other.

LV: Well, and the thing that I find interesting there is that they're all really good on their instruments, all the instruments. It's not like there's one person that's weak on this, or weak on that, they're all just really good on all the instruments. And I find that they're just really bold, actually, really brave, and obviously very adept. I mean, they're just great musicians.

PM: Usually the opener is nothing too inspiring, but that was not the case the other night. I thought that they were really just fantastic.

LV: Oh, good. I'm glad that you appreciated them. I think in some cases their greenness puts people off, like people don't take them seriously--I've noticed on these shows--but when people do give them a chance, they can reap the rewards of really listening.

PM: Absolutely. [Find out a bit more about Lake in our review in this issue. You'll also find 3 lo-fi videos there that I shot at the show.]

PM: I thought that was pretty ingenious that your band took the Nudie suit idea and had your own custom stage clothes made more in your style.

LV: Yeah, that was a really fun thing to do. It has kind of pulled us all together in a funny way that you wouldn't expect. It's become this fun ritual to put on the suits before the show. We just all feel really like we look good in them. And we normally just feel like these grubby wasted exhausted musicians climbing onto the stage.

[laughter]

LV: Because it's hard to tour all the time, it's very tiring. But when we put the suits on it kind of takes us into that other realm of, oh, yeah, this is a special thing. We're on this special tour, and there's people who have made it their priority to hear us tonight, so let's put on a good show. It kind of gets you more in that mind frame.

PM: Absolutely. And I know how many thousands of dollars those Manuel suits cost. So how did you guys make out in that department, when you took the idea and had it made by probably some of your friends in the northwest? Were they very pricey, or not so bad?

LV: No, not at all. I think each one, including labor, cost about $175.

PM: Really?

LV: Yeah.

PM: Oh, you can pay $5,000 for a Manuel suit. I mean, you can pay a lot of money.

LV: Basically, we got the suits for cheap at a vintage store, and then our friend did the work for pretty cheap, too. We probably should have paid her more, but she was just starting off, so we didn't even know what she could do. And she did a great job, because they're really holding up.

PM: So she didn't make the suits. You bought the suits cheap, and then you had her, what--is it all embroidery?

LV: Yeah. It's applique and embroidery, both.

PM: Should we plug the person that made your suits? Is it that kind of a thing?

LV: Yes. Clarity Miller, with Blackbirdfashion.com.

PM: Good. I love plugging talented people.

LV: She's great. And she's a self-employed designer and seamstress, and she lives in this village in Anacortes, Washington. We've been dropping her name a lot--hopefully that will bring her more business.

PM: That's great. I was just in Bangkok for a couple of weeks, and I had some great suits made there. I think I'm going to send my tailor a few pictures of these Nudie suits--

LV: Oh, yeah.

PM: --and see if we can get a little something going.

LV: You should send them to Clarity, send your new suits to Clarity.

PM: Oh, yeah, right, we should do that, too. Okay.

LV: Yeah.    continue

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