Brandi Carlile: Looking for the answers

Brandi Carlile: Looking for the answers

Written by Matt Kanner
Wednesday, 27 January 2010

It took Brandi Carlile less than two weeks to record her second studio album, “The Story.” But her latest release, 2009’s “Give Up the Ghost,” took more than a year to complete. She said she treated each of the CD’s 11 songs like it was a whole record, perfecting every minute detail.


“‘The Story’ was more performed than it was recorded… We just set up like we were recording a show, basically,” Carlile said. “When we made ‘Give Up the Ghost,’ we decided to do that for each song.”


The painstaking recording process at Hollywood’s Sunset Sound resulted in Carlile’s most mature and impressive effort to date. “If it didn’t result in something special, it didn’t make the album,” she said.


Carlile is still touring behind “Give Up the Ghost,” and she’ll return to The Music Hall with a full band on Sunday, Jan. 31, as part of the Portsmouth theater’s Intimately Yours concert series. The show is already sold out.


A native of Ravensdale, Wash., Carlile is still under 30 years old. But she’s already garnered extensive attention from fans and fellow musicians. Her voice erupts with emotion during every song, highlighting a style that blends contemporary folk and country with modern indie rock. After touring with Carlile, Sheryl Crow remarked that “She has the most amazing voice I may have ever heard.”


Influenced by her parents’ taste for Patsy Cline, Carlile started performing at a young age and picked up guitar as a teenager. Her self-titled debut album, released in 2005, sold more than 120,000 copies, powered by the hit single “What Can I Say.” She nearly tripled that success with “The Story” in 2007, selling more than 313,000 copies.


The respect she’s earned among established stars is evidenced by the guest artists who appear on “Give Up the Ghost.” She shares a duet with Elton John on “Caroline,” splits vocals with The Indigo Girls’ Amy Ray on “Looking Out,” and works with Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith on several tracks.


She also works with twin brothers Tim and Phil Hanseroth on guitar and bass. The twins, as she calls them, have been performing with Carlile since she recorded her first album, and they often collaborate in the songwriting process. She said the three of them are building toward a deep musical understanding of one another.


“I do think we are achieving it, but we’re still learning. The way we write together is still a mystery,” she said.


Carlile is also still learning to understand herself. The first line of the new CD’s opening track, “Looking Out,” speaks of her ongoing search for self-discovery. “I went looking for the answers / And never left my town,” she sings.


“I went looking for the answers in a limited place, in a place that’s inside myself. I never left my own realm of reality to find the answers,” Carlile explained. “It’s kind of a dig on myself and my ego. I do that in my lyrics—I push myself.”


The CD features a variety of tempos and melodic tones. While many of the songs have high-volume energy with heavy instrumentation, others are pared down and minimal. “If There Was No You” features Carlile on vocals and guitar, accompanied only by Phil Hanseroth’s whistling.


The lyrics often have a forlorn feeling of nostalgia for lost loves or friendships. “I laid a suitcase on my chest / So I could feel somebody’s weight,” she sings in “Looking Out.” “That Year” consists of the artist’s reflections on a friend who committed suicide while they were teenagers. “Caroline,” on the other hand, is a playful ode to Carlile’s niece.


Working with Elton John, who Carlile described as her single biggest musical influence, was an experience she’ll never forget. “It was amazing. If I thought that it was gonna be a great experience, it was 100 times greater than what I thought,” she said.


Other inspirations for her style include Pasty Cline’s singing, Freddie Mercury’s vocals and showmanship, and The Indigo Girls’ music and social conscientiousness. Yet another hero for Carlile is Emmylou Harris, with whom she hopes to share the stage next month during the Cayamo Concert Cruise. The six-day cruise, which leaves Miami on Feb. 21 and heads to Belize and Mexico, features 27 musical acts, headlined by Carlile, Harris, Lyle Lovett, John Hiatt and Steve Earle.


“It’s literally one of the coolest musical collaboration scenarios I’ve ever seen,” Carlile said. “All the artists are running around to each other’s shows like musical chairs and sitting in and collaborating.”


Back in 2005, when Carlile was working on her first album, she never imagined that a few years later she would have come this far. When she started playing music in Ravensdale, having a gig at a local pub or a residency at a restaurant was enough to make her feel successful.


“Anything that happens above me just being able to make a living playing music is a bonus and a shock,” she said.


She’s taking advantage of her success to support worthy causes with her Looking Out Foundation. The nonprofit lends financial support to various campaigns and organizations. Looking Out recently donated to organizations providing relief in Haiti, and the group is also currently supporting the Fight the Fear Campaign, a violence prevention initiative that provides self defense training for women.


“Looking Out is basically a foundation that we have used as a platform to get behind certain organizations that we believe in,” Carlile said.


But playing music in front of crowds remains Carlile’s number one passion. While she often struggles to muster energy in the studio, she feeds off her interactions with the audience during live performances. And she has a special fondness for The Music Hall, where she has previously performed in 2005, 2007 and 2009.


“The Music Hall is in my top three favorite venues to play in the world,” she said. “It might even be number one.”

http://www.wirenh.com/Music/Music_-_general/Brandi_Carlile:_Looking_for_the_answers_201001273904.html