Greg Laswell 'Covers' album

Greg Laswell, the supremely talented Los Angeles based producer and songwriter, is preparing to release the Covers EP on October 6 via Vanguard Records. The five-song record features covers of Echo & The Bunnymen, Morphine, Mazzy Star, Kate Bush and Kristin Hersh’s “Your Ghost,” which was recently featured on KCRW’s “Today’s Top Tune”. Laswell also has a few tour dates coming up, several featuring the impeccable Fran Healy and Andy Dunlop of Travis.

Greg Laswell, the supremely talented Los Angeles based producer and songwriter, has been on the rise since his debut Vanguard release, Through Toledo, in 2006. Greg Laswell displays his knack for lush orchestral arrangements and captivating vocals on his new Covers EP which will be released October 6 on Vanguard Records. The five-song album features covers of Echo & The Bunnymen, Morphine, Mazzy Star, Kate Bush and Kristin Hersh’s “Your Ghost” which was recently featured on KCRW’s “Today’s Top Tune.”

In addition to playing most of the instruments on the album, Laswell produced the record himself in a cabin in Mountainaire, Arizona. After several emotionally driven full-length original albums, he is able to seamlessly portray the intended sorrowful images through his thoughtful interpretations. “This EP let me stop singing about my own loss and heartache. I got to channel some other emotions and was able to be objective about the material,” Laswell explains.

“He feeds depression and dejection into his tune-making mill and out come melodic marvels that lift the spirit...” -Los Angeles Times

Greg Laswell tour dates
09/22: New York, NY @ Joe's Pub
10/14: Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater with Fran Healy and Andy Dunlop of Travis
10/22: Detroit, MI @ Magic Bag Theater with Fran Healy and Andy Dunlop of Travis

Greg Laswell biography
L.A. based songwriter Greg Laswell’s star has been on the rise since the release of Through Toledo, his 2006 Vanguard debut. With bright, orchestral melodies, melancholy and soul-searching lyrics, he’s won legions of fans and has become a favorite of film and television music supervisors. Laswell's songs have been featured in a number of television shows including: Grey's Anatomy (he had four placements last season alone-- including an original song called "Off I Go" recorded specifically for the season finale), True Blood, The Hills, 90210 and Smallville. He's also had some success in the film arena with placements in Confessions of a Shopaholic, My Sister’s Keeper and the HBO Original Film, Taking Chance. In a little more than three years he¹s also delivered the hit EP, How the Day Sounds, and his second Vanguard album, Three Flights from Alto Nido. Laswell continues his winning ways with COVERS, a five song EP full of rich, cinematic arrangements and captivating vocals. Between dates on his hectic touring schedule, he found time to talk about the genesis of COVERS, his creative process, and his life as an artist.

Greg Laswell interview

Q: True to its title, COVERS is an album of songs by other writers. What was the inspiration for the record?

A: The song that launched the EP was Kate Bush’s “This Woman’s Work.” They’re all songs I wish I had written, so my hardest job was plugging into the emotions that were already there. Except for the Morphine song, “In Spite of Me,” they’re songs I’ve known for years. I wanted to preserve the original sentiment of each song while making it sound natural to me.

I always pay attention to what I’m singing. When it’s my own words, I know where I’m coming from. This time I had to channel what someone else was going through. It can be difficult to come up with your own twist on a favorite song. Sometimes after I’d finished a recording, I realized I had to start over. Some of the tracks I threw out were better technically, but I didn’t believe them, so I used takes that weren’t so perfect.

Q: The songs are about people haunted by the past, a feeling you capture with your arrangements. It’s also a bit quieter than your other albums.
A: I’m familiar with that [haunted] feeling. I wanted it to be part of the arrangements. Since they’re not my songs, I wanted to bring attention to the lyrics by giving them a smooth musical bed, so the dynamic range is more subdued than on my albums.

Q: Can you tell us why you chose each song and what you brought to your interpretation?
A: Sure. “This Woman’s Work” inspired the EP, but it was the last song I finished. When you hear [Bush] singing this, there’s an emotional power in the way she phrases it. She sings as if she’s in the moment, feeling it now. I wanted to try that, but I was prepared to leave it unreleased if it wasn’t good enough. She uses a lot of synthesizers and strings, so I started out with just piano and vocal, but it needed more so I kept adding tracks.

“Your Ghost” is on Kristin Hersh’s first solo album. The chorus is so beautiful and agonizing, that I couldn’t resist it. The chords turn around in a unique way and Michael Stipe sang harmonies on the original. I used his harmonies on my version, although I changed a few chords in the verse to fit the way I sing. I added the strings that close the song.

I love the way Hope Sandoval (Mazzy Star) sings. She always makes unique melodic choices and her singing is lazy and behind the beat, which I’ve always liked. I think I’ve subliminally picked up her phrasing in my own singing. “Take Everything” was a natural cover, it just came out. She has more rock in her version, with electric guitar and drum kicking in midway through the song. Texture wise, I wanted to draw it out and make it sadder than it already was. It started out with only acoustic guitar and voice, but I kept adding layers to it.

“In Spite of Me” is the only Morphine song with guitar on it. I use banjo on it and a four string Martin tenor guitar I found in the vintage section of a used guitar shop. It has an odd, brittle sound and it’s going to be all over my next record. This song was the most fun to do. The percussion is all finger snaps. I put a piece of paper on my knee, miked it up, and played brushes with my fingertips. It sounds strange by itself, but in the mix it’s really cool. Mark (Sandman, Morphine singer and songwriter) seems so passive and numb in his lyrics. A lot of his songs are agonizing, but on this song he seemed resigned to his feelings.

Echo & The Bunnymen are an old favorite. I and went back and forth about doing “The Killing Moon,” ‘cause I didn’t want to mess it up. It was hard to come up with something of my own. I made quite a few demos before settling on the one I used. I wanted it to be up-tempo, but sound melancholy and laid back. When John added his trumpet part, it opened up. His trumpet playing is my favorite part of the song. I was sick when I sang it, kind of hoarse, but when I played it back, it sounded cool, so I kept it.

Q: You didn’t include your cover of (Cyndi Lauper’s) “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.”

A: I thought about including it, but it’s a polarizing song. One day I was in my car and I listened intently to the lyrics and thought: “There’s a sad song in there somewhere, but it’s masked by the upbeat production.” I went to the studio and played a really, really slow version and put it in MySpace. Some people loved it and some people hated it, but if you don’t piss off a few people, than you haven’t done a successful cover. It became an iTunes best seller, but we never pressed up a hard copy.

Q: You produced the EP and played most of the instruments at Mountainaire Studios in Arizona. Is that a new studio you discovered?

A: It’s my home studio. I just had it shipped up to a cabin some friends of mine have in the mountains of Arizona. Then I did what I usually do. Start with guitar or piano to work out the arrangement with a click track and a reference vocal, then add the other elements as I see fit. Sometimes I record a lot more tracks than I use, just stacking and stacking, until I have every option I can think of. Then sculpt it, cutting away parts until I have the sound I want. I’m a perfectionist and a control freak and sometimes I don’t know when I’m done. The only thing I didn’t plan on was the 7,000-foot elevation. I opened my mouth to do a vocal take and was surprised by what came out, I had to wait to get used to the pressure. But when I came down from the mountain, I found I could sing a lot better than I used to.

Q: Before COVERS, all of your Vanguard albums have been about the emotional turmoil of your relationship. Was that an artistic as well as personal turning point?

A: It was traumatic and not something I want to live through again. When I used to hear people talk about their pain and say ‘I’m glad it happened’ I used to think it was ridiculous. Now that I’m out of the woods and can see why some of the things happened, I realize I’m glad I didn’t skip the part where it hurt like hell. [The break up] clicked into a part of me I never knew existed. Before it happened, I wrote good songs, but I wasn’t writing about anything important. That experience gave birth to a more personal voice. This EP let me stop singing about my own loss and heartache. I got to channel some other emotions and was able to be objective about the material.

Q: Your albums have made you the man TV music supervisors go to when they want something moving and melancholic. Are you getting typecast?

A: I am who I am, and I’m glad people respond to my songs. I love writing upbeat songs with sad lyrics. I’ve always liked scenes in movies where the music is complimented by a strong visual image, which may be why my songs tend to be cinematic. A lot of people who listen to my music don’t realize they’re sad until they look at the lyrics. I like sad songs that don’t sound sad. I like giving people an out, so they can enjoy the song on different levels. A sad song should ask a question of the listener. “I went through this and it felt like this, is that what you experienced as well?” My friends say I’m the happiest sad person they know, but I’ll let someone else write the happy songs.

COVERS will be released on October 6th.

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Greg Laswell - Covers