lena elizabeth: artist update
lena elizabeth, one of our whose strings artists, recently released her debut EP, the line. I wanted to check in with her on the album, her new music video for "soldier," and what she has planned for the future.
with a new batch of baritone ukulele strings in from lena, new additions to the lena collection are now available in the shop. 10% of your purchase goes to music education charities.
“when people are listening to my songs while they’re stuck in traffic, that’s the most flattering compliment in my opinion.”
G: I'm so excited about your recent release of the line! how has everything been going with the EP?
L: really well! I'm just so happy to have it out there. it's been so fun to hear feedback on this project that I've been working on for so long. and hearing it on the radio has been awesome. my favorite is when people tell me it's their car CD. when people are listening to my songs while they're in stuck traffic, that's the most flattering compliment in my opinion.
G: what took you to nashville to record?
L: we recorded at a studio called, welcome to 1979, in nashville TN and I am so incredibly happy that we did. my guitarist, jeff krause, and drummer, daniel staddon, had recorded there before and had only great things to say about it. after talking to chris mara, the man responsible for recording and mixing "the line," I was confident that it was where we should record. couldn't be happier with that decision.
“if you wanted to redo a section you couldn’t be like, “you know what, I actually liked that last take better.” that take is gone. and I LOVED that.”
G: I love the sound of the line—it feels like I'm seeing the band live. what was the recording process like?
L: at welcome to 1979 they record straight to tape. so it's not like all the songs were live takes or anything but if you wanted to redo a section you couldn't be like, "you know what, I actually liked that last take better." that take is gone. and I LOVED that. we came in knowing exactly what we wanted to do and still had some time to add fun things like some B3 organ on "run after her." it was my first experience really recording in studio. I am so glad that it was there at welcome to 1979 with chris mara. also it was just so much fun really watching it come together with my bandmates, jeff krause, taylor donskey, and daniel staddon.
photo by leeja miller
G: the first time I saw you perform "soldier" I was blown away. the recorded track is somehow more intimate even with the addition of the full band. what transformations has this song been through as you transitioned from solo to the full band & recording the line?
L: yeah the one on the album is a little darker. usually when I have done this song in the past it's a little more pop-y. it still has that, but it's a sad subject matter! so I decided to be true to the lyrics in my delivery. it really did transform the whole feel. the band also accentuates the somber feel really well. this song is one of my favorites from recording and I'm really happy that we chose to make this one into a music video!
“when [andrew] told me about the milk bath idea I was “okay, sounds great!” totally neglecting to mention that “hey, by the way I’m lactose intolerant”... hahaha.”
G: the visuals in the video for "soldier" are beautiful. what were some of your inspirations for capturing the song in images?
L: honestly all the visual ideas were from the cinematographer, director and editor of the video, andrew hatling. we got together a few times to talk about the feel I wanted, what the song was about, and some things that inspired me and I just let him run with it! when he told me about the milk bath idea I was "okay, sounds great!" totally neglecting to mention that "hey, by the way I'm lactose intolerant"... hahaha. but it was all so beautifully shot and I'm so thankful for everyone who helped make that possible. andrew is great at what he does. and that was my first time doing anything like that so I'm excited with how it all turned out.
G: what's next for you & your band?
L: the plan is to keep playing! try to get out of minneapolis a bit and plan a tour. I would also love to start getting ready to put together the next project. I have enough material for our first full album. so I've got a lot of work to do but I'm excited for what's to come!