A Conversation with Kami Lyle (continued)

PM: My understanding is that trumpet and jazz was your avenue into the world of music, and songwriting came later. Is that right?

KL: Yes, very much so. Trumpet and piano when I was really little--nine, I think? I don't remember. I always loved creative writing and stuff in school, but no real songwriting until my last year in college.

PM: And so how did the writing in college come about? Was it a course, then? [Kami was at Berklee, I believe, the same time as Gillian Welch and David Rawlings.]

KL: Yeah. Everyone was raving about two teachers that taught there. And everyone was telling me, "Before you graduate you've got to take these classes, because this is so awesome, and it'll change your life." And I thought my life was pretty good, but so many people were so emphatic about it, I decided to. I took lyric writing with Pat Pattison and songwriting with Jimmy Kachulis. And it just rocked my world. I loved it so much.

And it turns out it was something that I didn't suck at [laughs] and so I dropped all my classes and all my majors, and set up a program. There was one major where you could choose all your own classes. I don't remember what it was called. It might have been "Professional Music Major," a generic one where you design your own curriculum. But I was really terrified of doing a senior recital, because I couldn't imagine performing in front of live people. And it also happened to get me out of that. [laughs]

PM: And then you went on to a life that involved quite a bit of playing in front of people, as it turned out.

KL: Who knew?

PM: Yeah, right. Yeah, careful what you...

KL: Get good at.

PM: Yeah, what you get good at. So, if the instruments and jazz first were the avenue in, and songwriting came later, how much of your musical time today does each of those activities account for, practicing, and then writing? I mean, when you've got musical time, does it tend to be, "I'm going to practice," or "I'm going to write"?

KL: It's more that I'm going to write, because I end up playing a lot, either doing our own gigs or playing with other people's bands. So the writing time to me is kind of a little more precious.

PM: Right.

KL: I've really been having a good time writing up here.

PM: And are you writing on piano, as ever?

KL: Piano, and I'm just starting to learn and write on guitar.

PM: I was just going to ask that. I'm not surprised that you're picking up the guitar now.

KL: My fingertips are completely numb, and so goofy on my left, but I'm trying really hard to get used to it.

PM: So what guitar are you playing? One of Joey's electrics, or an acoustic guitar?

KL: It's an acoustic. [to Joey: Hey, what guitar am I playing?] I'm playing a Taylor.

[laughter]

PM: Oh, really? You're playing an expensive guitar.

KL: Is that right?

PM: Yeah.

KL: [laughs] Good.

PM: Well, yeah, you should send them a record, and you should send them a picture and a letter, and tell them that you need a Baby Taylor at an artist's price, because you'll like them. And string them up light. They're little, and they sound great, and they'll give you one at a good price.

KL: Wow. That's a good idea.

PM: [laughs] So do you find time to read, are you reading anything special lately that turned you on?

KL: I am. I've been reading a bunch lately. Let me think. I've just finished--well, I'm reading a book, it's non-fiction, about a woman that goes over to India, called Holy Cow.

PM: Wow. What made you pick that up?

KL: My sister gave it to me when she was here visiting.

PM: Who's your sister? What she's doing? I've never met her.

KL: My sister is so cool. She's an English professor at the University of Minnesota, and she does editing, and has two awesome kids. And yeah, they came up here for a week, and we all boogie boarded a lot.

PM: Okay. So you read Holy Cow. Anything else come to mind?

KL: Let's see. I finished another one that my best friend gave me to the read called I Captured the Castle. And it was wonderful. You heard of it?

PM: Yeah, I saw the movie. It was interesting. It looked like it would be a better book.

KL: The book was wonderful. It was really great. They're like totally different books, and both ones you get really lost in, but the India one, her descriptions were so amazing about like smog and pollution in her lungs, and getting sick. Like on the third day, like I started coughing, and the fourth day I was totally sick. And I really think it was because this book was so--the descriptions are so good.

PM: [laughs]  continue

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