9+1 Q&A with Leafy Seadragon

What inspired you to first start making music? And how did you come to be in your current incarnation? Or if you prefer, a brief bio about you.

Allen: Well, if it must be told, it was Elton John’s “Rocket Man” that first captivated me as a kid. It was an epiphany for my 5-year-old self. The first time I heard it on the radio, I was captivated and needed to know more. But as much as it was about the song for me, I was already trying to work out the production elements — what instruments were making those sounds, and how were they combined? To this day, there’s stuff going on in that song that I’m still not sure about. It’s either guitars or synths or both, but it’s magic, and that’s what interests me more than anything. After that it was about learning how to play instruments and finally forming a first band. In the 90s, I formed a band with friends called The Orange Peels who still release records today. Alison and I met through mutual friends in the San Francisco music scene and quickly discovered we shared deep musical roots.

Alison: Allen and I have the same formative songwriting inspiration – Elton John. He was my first hero, my first glimpse into a singer/songwriter/musician that could do everything. I was a really obsessive music fan from an early age, digging into my dad’s record collection – The Who, The Beatles, Moody Blues… and then I discovered punk, new wave and David Bowie. My fate was sealed! I started playing piano at age 5 (the family lore goes that we went on a trip to Jamaica, and when we came home I started picking out the melodies the steel band had been playing by the pool at the hotel!), I did a ton of musical theater, and formed my first band in New York while I was in college. I’ve been writing songs, playing in bands, and making records for a lot of years. As Allen & I have worked together and gotten to know each other, we share so many influential touch points, it just made sense to write together.

Provide us with some info about your latest release…

Alison: I’ve been making music for children and families for the past several years, and Allen has been arranging and producing my albums. The more we worked together, the more we thought it would be fun to write together. We co-wrote one song on my last album, called “Rainbow Tunnel,” and we had a great time with it. Leafy Seadragon is a project where we write songs together from the ground up, together in a room, and just play around in the studio to get the most badass track we can possibly make! This single, “Disagree to Disagree”, is a song about conversations, grudges, compromises, and communication. Something that everyone can relate to, especially right now.

Allen: Yeah, I was totally surprised by how fast we came up with the arrangement for “Rainbow Tunnel”—that was the thing that made me aware of what we could do together as songwriters. “Disagree to Disagree” came out of our first writing session, and I still kind of can’t believe it.

Which ones would you consider your main influences both music-wise & non-music-wise?

Alison: We both really resonate with the music of the 60s and 70s – and for this project, we are reaching into the AM radio sounds of the 70s. For this first single, “Disagree to Disagree,” we were going for a Fleetwood Mac vibe, crossed with a modern Florence and the Machine edge. As we are writing more tunes, we’re finding that other influences are making their way in – our new tune is kind of an homage to the Cure and New Order hits from the 80s.

Allen: I think what we love about that era is that the songs were really built on melody first. You could strip away all the production and just sit with a guitar or piano and the song would still be great, still have a huge impact. That’s what inspires us, and that’s where we wanna go.

In what way does your sound differ from the rest genre-related artists/bands and why should we listen to your music? In other words, how would you describe your sound?

Alison: We are going for a very classic sound, something that will appeal to people our age who are still rabid, passionate music fans. We are not in our 20s anymore, and neither are our friends or fans, but people still want music that says something, that sounds well-made, and is thoughtful and catchy. That’s our sweet spot!

Allen: We’re approaching this thing as songs first. Whatever the song dictates, that’s how it’s going to be arranged and produced. I have a feeling it’s gonna be hard to pin us down on our sound, and that’s a good thing. “Disagree to Disagree” is really a piano-bass-drums arrangement – very solid foundation. But then there are embellishments like double-speed guitar hooks that kind of sound synthy and ghostly. It’s a modern take on the classic sound.

Please name your 3 desert islands albums, movies & books…

Alison: It’s funny, I definitely preferred performing live up until very recently. Now, after many years of doing it, I really prefer building a song from the ground up in the studio. The studio is my happy place – if I could spend every day there, I certainly would. It’s so much fun.

Allen: I don’t play live as much these days either. I still enjoy it, and always like the challenge of making a successful live arrangement. But I’m with Alison on this one, the studio is where the ideas happen for me, and once you get them down, you have something that has the potential to last forever.

Is there any funny-unique story you would like to share with us, always in relation to your music ‘career’?

Alison: I spent several years in a children’s band called The Sippy Cups. We were a nationally touring psychedelic rock band for kids, complete with costumed characters, confetti cannons, giant balloons and an aerialist. We were dubbed “The Flaming Lips for the toddler set.” We toured huge performing arts centers across the country and were very successful for awhile there, it was pretty crazy!

Allen: My band The Orange Peels sometimes gets asked to open for some larger bands — household names like the B-52s or Foreigner. When we opened for Foreigner, we were trying to do the math and find out which original members were left and I remember finally realizing during their set that there wasn’t even a single original member on stage. The place was sold out, everyone was just going nuts, and it was just kind of surreal. Nobody seemed to know or care though, and a grand time was had by all.

Which track of your own would you point out as the most unique and why?

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Would you like to share with our readers your future plans?

Alison: We’re looking at unique ways to release new music, in order to change up the usual channels. The new Leafy Seadragon material will be interconnected in interesting ways, and we’re excited about that.

Free question!!! (Ask yourself a question) you wish to answer and haven’t been given the opportunity…

Allen: Hmmm . . . I think you guys covered it! Thanks for the interview.

Curated by: Christos Doukakis

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