New England native, singer-songwriter Lisa Barca has taken her wares from New Haven, CT all the way across the country to Phoenix, AZ and has dabbled in a wide musical range, hitting on everything from singer/songwriter poetess to underground punk chick. She seems to do it all and what’s not to love about that?
This summer Barca will be releasing her debut solo album and the sampler we recently received from it suggests it’s headed largely in an alternative rock direction with a dash of power pop, perhaps. I got a bit of a Liz Phair vibe from it. Brutal Planet Magazine had a chance to email Lisa an interview to talk about a number of topics. Check it out below:
Brutal Planet Magazine:
Listening to the four song sampler I hear snippets of influence from the likes of Veruca Salt, L7, The Donnas and other similar artists, very power pop and light alt rock with a focus on strong songwriting as opposed to getting a message of some sort out. Who were your favorite bands growing up?
Lisa Barca:
My early favorites were all over the map, ranging from Van Halen to Billie Holliday, Pink Floyd to the Pixies. Some of the female singers that first sparked my interest in writing songs were Stevie Nicks and Chrissie Hynde. I was also very interested in blues and jazz-based singers like Bonnie Raitt, Janis Joplin, and Bessie Smith. Some of my favorite male artists were Elvis Costello and Bruce Springsteen, especially their early stuff, and I was obsessed with Jimi Hendrix. The explosion of female-fronted rock in the 90s was a huge inspiration and gave me the confidence that I could pick up an electric guitar, rock hard, and be taken seriously as a musician.
You went from busking on the streets of New Haven, CT and poetry slams to the Dead Kennedys and Sleater-Kinney. How do you get from one to the other? Poetry and busking brings to mind the likes of Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell and other 60’s folk stars but that influence isn’t found anywhere in your music. Were those 60’s folk acts an influence at all on your writing?
The first songs I wrote had both blues and punk influence to them. True to both of those genres, they were fairly simple and leant themselves just fine to being played solo acoustic. They were also very direct in lamenting about and talking back to the situations and people who were getting to me. In part, I was reacting against the male-dominated nature of the music scene (which still exists), so in that sense, it was always a kind of protest music. Once I started playing electric, it just came out punk. No matter what I tried to do, people would say that I sounded punk! And while my style, especially now, does not resemble that of the artists you mention (Mitchell and Dylan), I used to listen to both of them when I was a teenager, so I would guess that the influence is there on some indirect level. Believe it or not, at one point I tried to sing like Joni Mitchell and cover her songs. It didn’t work. I’m just not that kind of sweet, soprano singer. It took a little while for me to realize that I am a rock singer through and through, and then I stopped trying to be anything else.
Your album is tentatively scheduled for an early summer release. Do you have a title yet? And will the other songs follow the same pattern as the four we have here or will you branch out further musically? I see there’s a hint of technical prog mentioned in your bio. Any chance we’ll see anything going in that direction? Or is that a little too much musical stretching?
I am still tossing around album titles and I’m not quite ready to commit to one yet. The other songs on the album are diverse and many of them are different from any that have been released so far. “Forget-Me-Not” is an edgy and gritty tune that has already been compared to Nirvana by the guys at the studio; unlike the released singles, it is more bare-bones, without much in the way of harmonies or production. “Shadow in the Sky” probably comes closest to having some prog elements—although it could not be called a prog song, you can hear that influence in there, which comes from Kolby’s guitar playing and production and drummer JB Kocis’s style, as well as some of the polyrhythms discernable in the vocals. “Somebody Wants Me” is a sultry, blues-rock-influenced song but with complex polyrhythmic underpinnings—it has almost a Hendrix vibe in places. These are just some examples. There will be a lot of variety.
You’re working with the staff at Full Well Studio in Phoenix, who I know have done some work with the legendary Alice Cooper. How is working with them? Any chance of Alice making a surprise pop in??
I love working with Kolby Peoples and Mike Bolenbach. They really know their craft. I’ve learned so much from them about the recording process and musicianship in general. I work directly with Kolby and he has an incredibly astute ear and knows exactly how to get the sounds needed for each track. I haven’t seen Alice Cooper around there yet, but maybe I will or maybe they’ll send my album to him when it’s done.
Any plans to tour this record once you have it out?
Yes, I would love to tour. I’m putting a great band together and making plans for a regional tour to promote the record. After that, I would love to branch out and tour nationally.
Your day job is one of a Professor of English and Humanities. What drove you into that career? Was it something you’ve always wanted to do?
I love my job! But I was a musician and a songwriter before going to grad school and becoming a professor. Language has always been central to my life; during my earlier days of being a wandering artist and musician, I was always writing. I have piles and piles of notebooks from when I was in my 20s, full of writing—song lyrics, poetry, philosophical musings, all kinds of stuff. At a certain point, I decided to start teaching English as a second language, one thing led to another, and I went back to school and finished my bachelor’s degree. I was so into it, and, unlike when I was 18, I was actually ready to dig into studying. I decided to apply to PhD programs in Italian literature, got into the University of Chicago, and got immersed in Italian, French, and English-language poetry. I was still always playing music; I was just more focused on getting my degree during that time. Once I finished and got my current job, it opened up space for me to pursue music avidly again. The main class I teach is a Humanities seminar for first-year students. We read and discuss ancient and modern books—from the Tao Te Ching to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. I make the class very creative for them; they produce poetry, short stories, dramatic performances and rap battles based on the books. I usually bring my electric guitar and play for them on the last day of class. The whole thing is really fun—it’s a perfect job for me.
You’re also a cat rescuer, which is fantastic. Any chance of teaming up with a shelter for a concert or two?
Absolutely! In the past I have played benefit shows for animal sanctuaries. For instance, I’ve done benefits for sanctuaries here in Phoenix, like Goats with Horns Animal Sanctuary and Aimee’s Farm Animal Sanctuary that are home to dogs and cats as well as cows, chickens, and pigs rescued from horrific conditions in the food industry. Next I’d love to raise money for Pawsitiviely Cats Shelter in Tucson, AZ; I adopted three of my special-needs cats from them and they do amazing work taking in animals that otherwise would not find homes.
Is there anything else you’d like to address?
I’m just really happy that more and more people are resonating with the music. With each single that comes out, I’m able to reach new audiences, and people start developing favorite songs out of my repertoire that they let me know about. The most recent one, “Party Day,” is making a lot of waves and has been played on KWSS 93.9 FM several times as well as on some music podcasts, even before its release. I can’t wait to get more songs out and release the album so I can grow this community even more!
Thank you for the interview, Lisa!
You are very welcome! These were great questions and I really enjoyed it.
