MM: There's like some weird mystical force out there that you don't want to mess with too much. You're just happy that it's there and that it comes and goes. At your shows a lot of times‚ you mention that song "The Good Guys" and you talk about growing up with your mom. How does she feel about what you're doing?
BL: She has come to accept it. [laughter] She has trouble with it a lot because I'm not making a lot of money. My mom and dad got divorced when I was one or so‚ and my dad was a professional musician for 35 years‚ so there was the whole aspect of‚ "Oh my God‚ you remind me of your father." Which is good‚ because he's a good man‚ and still in our lives‚ but that's kind of a funny thing‚ the family dynamic. But now that I've been doing it for six years and she's witnessed my life and that I'm not a poor starving artist‚ she doesn't have to worry about me. I think she is understanding. She likes the new album‚ which really makes me happy.
MM: I always connected with that song. I think that's a song a lot of people can relate to. What does your mom think of that song?
BL: She cried. She likes it. And I think my dad does too‚ because he understands everything. But it was really difficult for my mom‚ and all of it is really true. That's probably the truest song I've written so far‚ even more than "Wednesday." Wednesday was the visitation day that my dad had‚ and he was always late. I would always be sitting at the front window of the living room‚ looking out the window‚ and I think that's the thing that got my mom the most about that song. We would just wait there on Wednesdays. But it's OK‚ because we were a good team‚ me and my mom. We're good.
MM: I guess as I get older‚ I appreciate my parents' shortcomings and I understand. It's incredibly difficult‚ and we all have issues‚ and I'm not going to get hung up on it. We've gotta kind of live and grow‚ so that all sounds like that to me in a lot of ways. One more thing‚ because you mentioned Evan‚ what's the relationship? How did that come about? It's pretty cool that you have a producer.
BL: I can call him that now‚ because I really don't want to do records with anyone else. I heard some of his work that he did with Edie Carey and Holly Figueroa [Holly O'Reilly now] and Kym Tuvim. This is when I was looking to do my second record. We talked over the course of months‚ just to see. I was kind of feeling things out. I really needed to trust the person I was working with‚ because I don't know the first thing about turning any of the dials. I don't do the tech part. I wasn't sure of my vision‚ so I really needed someone's guidance. I talked to people who had worked with him before on their true opinion of‚ "Do you think it would be a good match?"
Over the course of a few months‚ we decided to work with each other and bounced songs off of each other and songwriting ideas. He made me rewrite a couple of songs‚ and that was good for me. And then I wanted to do my second record with him as well. I just couldn't think of anybody else I'd rather work with. And why work with somebody else when I trust Evan already‚ and I know his style and what to expect. He also has connections to a lot of great musicians. I was excited to work with him again. And through that process we became better friends‚ and we see each other more often during the year‚ which is really nice.
MM: You mentioned that he made you rewrite some songs.
BL: I think it was for the challenge of it and for the continuity of the album - and maybe to see what I would do with it‚ to make the songs more catchy. It was good for me. He tried to make me do it for this album‚ too‚ and I fought against him. But his wife is a really phenomenal songwriter‚ and he is as well. His wife loves to edit songs‚ and so I brought a song to his wife‚ "One Night Gone‚" and said‚ "I know this song needs help." She was like‚ "OK‚ here's what we do‚" and she took a red pen to it. And after that I was like‚ "Oh‚ I like this song again!"
MM: It's good to have editors. The nerdy writing stuff. "The key to good writing is having good editors." It's cool to have someone that you trust that you can bounce off your best ideas‚ and you know they're going to take them seriously.
BL: It is a lot about trust. I don't feel like you can take that stuff to anyone.
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