Another beautiful day in Byron Bay, and we had the opportunity to chat with iconic Boston-based singer/songwriter Patty Larkin – or as she prefers, “Patty Gaga”! She brings us up to date on her latest LP, “25”, celebrating her 25 years in the industry.
Welcome to Bluesfest Patty! Is this your first time performing here?
Second actually – but first to this site. They’ve moved twice since I played here in 2002!
How is your 2010 experience shaping up?
It’s fabulous. It’s another world. It’s like going into an IMAX feature film but it’s real! It takes a bit of getting used to. We come in cold, I think I got here an hour before my set – so that’s a little tight, but I was showered so that was a good thing! But it takes a minute to catch up to know where the cappacino is, and to just get into “festie” mode.
And you’ve been playing other shows around Australia?
Yeah I played the national Folk festival, just came from that. And a show in Melbourne and Adelaide as well. It’s a quick trip! It’s only an 8 or 9 day trip to say hello again – it’s been too long since I’ve been here.
Well hopefully it isn’t another 8 years before we see you again! Are you planning a more lengthy tour down here at some point?
Yeah definitely. Last time we were here we went scuba diving at the Great Barrier Reef. So the idea is just to just out the States a bit. I went to England in the fall, and I’m going to Italy next month – it’s my Lady Gaga tour basically, but I’m Patty Gaga. I just made it up, it’s good though! *laughs*
You’re here promoting your new album 25, can you tell us a little about it?
Well it’s been 25 years since my first recording came out, and I actually planning ahead for once – and I wanted to do some unplugged versions of things I’d recorded in the studio. And I came up with – let’s do love songs! Because that’s what the world needs now, is love. For many reasons. And I invited 5 or 6 guests on, and they all said yes, so I invited a few more and they said yes – and then we said, “Oh my God, do we dare!? We have 12 people on this record singing backup!” and we kept inviting people I’d worked with, toured with, knew throughout the years.
It was pretty incredible, pretty moving, to have that kind of support and love, because it takes a while to learn someone elses song. And then you have to get off your bum and go to the studio and record it. So I’m humbled by the fact that these people showed up on the CD.
And who are some of the names we hear on the album?
Martin Sexten starts it off, Jonatha Brooke, a good friend of mine – Greg Brown who was a big coo, he’d never done the music minus one thing before. And you know the thing is that I’m a fan of everyone on there: Rosanne Cash, Shawn Colvin, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Chris Smither who’s in Australia right now. Other people like Willy Porter and Peter Mulvey, Janis Ian… she was like “this is the song I want to sing, and I want to sing it like Lou Reed” – Well OK, you’re Janis Ian and you can, go ahead.
But really what I wanted was the fact that Suzanne Vega sounds like Suzanne Vega on the track she sings on – that’s so delightful to me. I wanted their personality to come across. I don’t think I could have wished for anything better – at least for another 25 years!
On the theme of the album, what was Patty Larkin doing AT 25?
I was learning as much music as I could, playing all different styles of music. Studying Jazz and singing in Portugese, badly I’m sure *laughs* Big fan of Brazillian music! You know, I’d gone to college for English, but just decided I wanted to do music, which is why I started studying and bought the guitar. I thought I could always teach guitar, which is what I was doing at that point. I was teaching pretty much full time, finger styled guitar.
It was great, because I was self taught up to that point, so I had to learn James Taylor songs in order to teach them. I think for me, the whole idea was the focus on the long haul and be the best musician I could be. I think it’s amazing to keep coming to these levels – so you hit a certain level, and I don’t know if you get lazy or tired, but you say “that’s good enough” – and I’m at this new place again where “nup, it’s not good enough!” I want to go to the next level.
It’s inspiring to listen to other people, and what they’re doing (such as the amazing guitarists we have guest on 25). So it never really stops. It’s the blessing and the curse of choosing to focus on some artform in your life.
What are the fundamental changes have you noticed in the music industry since then? Especially for women?
Probably everything! Well there’s Lady Gaga for one thing! She’s kind of like Cher though, but better. No – I love Cher! Strike that from the record.
In 2005, I produced a record called “La Guitara”, a compilation of female guitarists from around the world, all different styles, including Chinese pipa, which is like a lute. An amazing tapping, trash guitar player, Jennifer Batten, who played with Michael Jackson. She was the one with the Iroquois haircut. Kaki King, Jazz, everything!
What was amazing was talking to these women about what happened with them coming up – to listen to Kaki King, who can walk into a room, play, and it’s no big deal. Compared to 20, 25 years ago – there was one women, Muriel Anderson, who was showcasing at a guitar trade show at 2 o’clock in the afternoon, and there was also a Playmate of the Month or something who was on at 1 o’clock. And then people came by and they go “Oh look! It’s the Playmate of the Month! And she can play guitar!” – but “that’s not me! That was the previous woman!”
I mean people always say “ being a female guitarist” or “female singer” – it was just more in the pocket. It was more that you were in the backup band and playing guitar, or not even play guitar – but someone like Ani DiFranco blew all thaht quite out the door. So it’s quite exciting to see these new young girls learning all styles of music, and it all comes from support from home and support from the community. It’s changed!
You’ve even got your own day in Boston I understand!
Yeah, Patty Larkin Appreciation Day – it was just one day. The record company chose the day an album came out, and I got to sing the national anthem at Fenway Park for the Red Sox. We had a party and everyone had Patty Larkin hats, I was signing baseballs! Initially I didn’t want to do it, but it was really a thank you from the Mayor for the non-profit work that I do, so it was actually meaningful. And apparently I became obnoxious towards midnight, and they said stop! Not really *laughs* but short lived!
Do you still call Boston home?
I do! I was born in Wisconsin, but I live outside of Boston – sort of in the Byron Bay of the Boston area, Cape Cod.
Being such a “college” city, I imagine the music scene is quite unique?
Yeah it’s pretty strong. The thing that happened to Boston was great is that the acoustic scene never went away, as it did in many other cities. And they’re also really supportive of songwriters, which doesn’t happen everywhere. Support from the places we play, the media, and the radio. It’s a mecca for singer/songwriters, pretty crowded apparently if you’re just getting started.
And finally, what’s next for Patty Larkin?
I’m writing for a new record, and going to Italy, so getting some of that material together – I wanna speak in Italian! I can eat Italian. But I want to get something out in the next year, because this (25) is a retrospective, and I’d love to have some new material out. I’m looking forward to more and more guitar fun!
“25” is in stores now! Learn more about Patty: http://www.myspace.com/pattylarkinofficial
