After some hella-confusing e mails we are FINALLY thrilled to bring you the (oh so Pet My Ballad-esque) work of the ever talented Meera Lee Patel. There seems to have been a Ballad Of Lola-Bacon email laying dormant for the last six months… bad girl… mix up behind us, we are IN LOVE with this lady’s work…
Oh god - in love with this! WANT!! Can never have too many note pads for making LISTS (Claire loves lists!)
not forgetting her Blog. It’s a treasure trove of goodies so head on over!
Ding! Ding! Ding! It’s the home straight until Christmas, and what better way to procrastinate than to listen to some nice new music. Aaaaaaaaah. Phoebe Killdeer and the Short Straws have been popping up on our radar on and off, and so finally star Balladette Tess went off and interviewed her. Hurrah!
What’s the story behind your involvement with the group Nouvelle Vague? What brought you to move on to your current solo project?
I had started writing songs before Nouvelle Vague. My manager sent my demo to Marc Collins, the producer of Nouvelle Vague, who was looking for new singers for the second album. He liked my voice and I felt like it was fantastic opportunity. I loved the idea behind the project. So I toured with them for 3 years. I sang at about 250 shows, which was an incredible experience because as a singer you can really experiment when it’s not your project. You can really go out there and have fun with the project without the pressure of it being your own songs. You can really find yourself on stage. It was a huge learning curve for me and when I got close to who I thought I could be as a performer I was ready to do my own songs. I felt like I’d given everything I could to the project as well. I think they probably needed something new for the album coming up anyway. So Marc Collins said, “Let’s produce your new album together!”
Weather’s Coming comes off as a more jazz-influenced record. What brought about Innerquake and its more electric, louder sound?
The first album was a real recap of everything I’d ever been listening to. It had all of my influences and all of the ideas and songs I’d had for quite awhile. It stretched over maybe ten years or so. You can hear all the different styles that influenced my music in that first album. Then I met the Short Straws who I toured the first album with for about two and a half years. On tour we didn’t have horns [or other instruments we’d used on Weather’s Coming] so we replaced them with guitars redid the songs and changed them for the live sound. The sound developed from there, through four individuals working together and creating a sound. It became quite infectious! People were really liking it and so were we. We really felt we were going towards something. We wanted to do an album to really capture that sound we’d created. A lot of people would see us on stage and then buy the album and think, “Well this is different!” We’re really happy about the album. I think it’s a really good representation of what we can actually do live. I think we’re most comfortable on stage. We’re very happy with the album but I think on stage is even better.
Weather’s Coming has a certain quality about it that seems to address the parts of ourselves that we don’t like. Is this concept prevalent on Innerquake? Is it a continuation?
I think you just described Innerquake as well. Those themes are more prevalent on this second album. That’s why in the artwork [for Innerquake] I have this cross going across my face. People usually do that when they don’t like a photo they cross it out and say, “You can’t use that.” That’s what I’d done in a way, I was trying to portray that through your life you find these parts of yourself that you’re not necessarily “into.” You have to confront them and deal with them and change, or not. It talks about that mainly. It’s true that I’m mostly inspired by the human condition, the way we are and the way we are towards each other. The beauty and harshness of humanity and people. These are the themes that are very recurrent with my writing. I think we’re pretty amazing people on this planet! There’s some crazy stuff going on. It also talks about the fears that we have, like death, the end of the world, all of the fears that we might experience and might be thinking of. There’s another song that deals with adolescence and the social pressures that you have around that time, like sexual intercourse and how to deal with that.
Phoebe Killdeer
How are the songs written in terms of lyrics and music composition?
I write all of the lyrics. My band, the Short Straws, composes the music. I don’t really play any instruments. I’ve got a guitar which I kind of hit occasionally and a keyboard and percussion instruments that I make demos or sketches and things like that for the songs. I did have a Hammond organ on stage on the last tour but I was just hitting it. [Laughs]
As the sole writer of lyrics, are you more interested in the literary aspect of lyrics or the way they sound and their resonance? Both?
They really work together. It’s interesting to take a word and depending on the way you place it and see how the way you use it is powerful. The dynamics of the word are so powerful. You just have to move the comma around and it means something completely different. I’ve always been a lover of words and I think that’s one of the reasons why a lot of my influences, like for example, Tom Waits and Nick Cave, are really incredible writers. They’re always playing with the meanings of the words and I just love all of that. I’m very passionate about it.
Are there any poets who inspire you?
I’m super interested in poetry. But there’s an author, Tom Spanbauer, who wrote The Man Who Fell In Love With The Moon. I don’t know if he’s written any poetry but I love that book so much. He’ll bend words. He’ll say, for example, “I’m staring at forever.” And everyone understands what he’s talking about. It’s very visual, it’s an image. Everyone should read this book, it’s fantastic. It’s very powerful the way he puts a picture in your head. Poetry is the same way, it’s very striking. I love it.<
What is your favorite or most influential Tom Waits album?
Ooh, that’s difficult. I love Swordfishtrombones, I love that period. But I love what he did on Real Gone as well. It’s so rich every time he puts out something. He really challenges himself in new areas. I love that and I love the Asylum [Records] years as well. Using the metallic sounds, the industrial sounds in his music. I think that’s what really caught me the first time I heard him when I was 8 years old. I heard his music and I was thinking, “Oh my god, what is that?” [Laughs] He was using sounds to make music, not necessarily instruments or things like that and I was really drawn to that aspect. Later I discovered the lyrics and the stories [in his lyrics] are incredible. But yes, the early period really drew me towards him. He’s just so different.
Any new bands or artists that you would recommend or are listening to right now?
I’m a real old timer, I listen to very few records over and over again and they’re very old. I did do a radio show a few weeks ago with Mina Tindle. She was very refreshing, and has a nice voice.
These images are something a bit different today on Ballad. But we wanted to share with you the beautiful work of Ignacio Irisarri. Spanish photographer now based in London, this image below is very Petra Doe!
Meet Hannah Mai, she is a 25 year old Netherlands lass and we knew you would want to get to know a bit more about her. We’ve gone and got a bit of a crush on her… and of course her photographs!! Here she shares her story Les Animaux and talks to Lindsey & Claire
L&C: Tell us a bit about the inspiration behind your medium. WE get it, because we’re total photo geeks, but why photography?
HM: I don’t consider myself a technical photographer. I care more about ambiance, emotion and feelings. I get inspired by many things. Nature, my models, antiques, darkness, sad music and of course, my own feelings. I often use my photos as a mirror to project my emotions. I combine all elements, until I find the image that represents what I was looking for. Postprocessing is a very important part of my photography. With adding or withdrawing colours, elements of other photos, structures or ink and paint, I reinforce the ambiance in the photos.
L&C: Tell us a bit about this shoot
HM: I shot this series in August, here in the Netherlands, with model Lotte. The concept and styling were in my hands, we used no other team members.
Bella. Head over to Hannah Mai’s website for more beautiful images. Don’t delve too deep though, because we’re going to raid her website for another feature very soon! SWOON
We’re having a right 90s morning. Sat here with East 17 blaring (it’s an East 17 kind of month to be honest) and snuggled up in our new Christmas jumpers…
Us Ballad girls weren’t feeling or looking our best on Thursday (mostly self - inflicted, but you can’t blame us for the down pour! But yes, that’s why we’re in black and white today!!) - so we headed to Rokit’s in store Christmas event, as we KNEW this would be the only thing to perk us up a bit…
and it worked A TREAT!! The lovely Imogen was on hand with … PERSONALISED CHRISTMAS STOCKINGS!!!!! OH GOD!! And they were full of goodies! Nuts, satsumas, gold coins, and of course vintage Rokit surprises…
… dead behind the eyes, but those smiles are REAL. We were thrilled to see Ballad fave’s Illamasqua on hand topping up make up - embracing our (Christmas) alter ego, always!!
And yes, the beer perked us right up, so we well and truly got our vintage shop on. Amongst the treasure - trove rails to the theme of WHAM! and some beautiful live piano, violin and a band to end our (VERY LONG - but you know us) shopping experince!
We’ll show you what we bought later on… we’ve got the uni girls down this weekend for our Christmas Day and we will be donning our purchases!
Thank you Rokit, WE LOVE YOU!! You’re always so friendly even when it’s not your Christmas event… Could spend hours in the Covent Garden store just having a chat, you beauties!! You are what shopping should be.
And Imogen, thank you for being the wonderful you. We are over the moon with our stockings. A really lovely evening. Can you throw another?
Keep up with Rokit on Facebook here for offers, inspiration and more of their legendary events. Their blog is a retro Aladdin’s Cave, so you’d be a fool not to head there next.
We awoke this morning to find this series by Zak Hutson waiting patiently in our inbox. Here at Ballad, he is exactly what today needs. Punchy, textured and electric. Currently exhibiting at the Stranger Factory, Hutson’s Acrylic, Pen and Metallic Ink creations tick all our boxes. With that green hair, we can see a CANDY POP! submission coming on!
Ohhh we do love a good shoot here at Ballad Of…especially when they come as fantastic as this one does. Sent in by the wonderful Marina Gehrmann who styled this shoot shot by Christophe Voy we just love the Americana, Texas cowboy feel to the shoot. The beautiful blonde, works this shoot perfectly and we just can’t stop looking at her. ADORE.
Rainy day, cozy bed, Nanna Øland Fabricius (born 20 November 1985 in Copenhagen), is singing “he said, Sorry but you’re never gonna dance again, But my feet just keeps me moving…Trying to break the chain…And I feel like running, and I feel no pain…I feel like running”…old memories came to my mind, I studied Classic Ballet many many years, around 12…I was also in figure skating solo-dance competitions. I thought it was my future, I also took tap dance classes and contemporary Ballet too. There was a time that, dance was my life, my future. But future is never like we thought it will be like I guess, sometimes it it, but not in my case, and not in Oh Land. Nanna was also studying to became a Ballerina. Classic Ballet used to be her future. But then a serious back injury took her dream away. Something very similar happened to me. I could not dance in a professional way because of my health, at least not at that time.
There was a dark moment in her life. There was a dark moment in mine.
But there is always a light, always a way to discover new skills…only if you still believe…you can have more than a dream, and find new ones.
Oh Land song keeps playing.
I was reading an interview where Nanna Oh Land said that this “dark moment” phase made her realize that the reason why she danced was Music…Music was the reason of it all…Music was her Light, her new dream. Music was also one my lights to face the grey clouds. And this song is the song that pulls me to Life! This life, This Stage Life!
I believe everything you do in this life is an art…the art of feelings, like falling in love with somebody and let him/her get your heart, Dance in the rain and don´t be afraid of getting wet…of doing mistakes; Give and take. Finding a new way to dance even when someone says “sorry but your never gonna dance again”.
This song is about being Strong and also about being Fragile, like we all are. But it´s also about getting back on the road.
A new track started playing on Itunes. It´s Oh land again, but now she is singing about “White Nights”.
Life is like music…full of track! Dear Readers, I hope you find yours like I did!
Go out with you headphones and try to capture “your” sound
I bet you will find it!
More about this amazing young inspiring woman: http://www.ohlandmusic.com/
Keep calm everyone, but I think we’ve just found the closest thing to perfection. Seriously…it’s time to get overly excited for the superbness of Jane Paludanus. Like we don’t think we could fall in love any more than we just have done viewing her website. Oh Jane…why didn’t we know you when Lola-Bacon was created? We adore you and you’re work, all we can say is…WE WANT TO SEE MORE!!
Nikki Browne shows us what she’s made of today with her wonderful photographs. We’ve had some awesome photographers here on Ballad recently and Nikki is no exception. Hints of vintage and a certain shot of Candy Pop greatness, we are getting giddy over Miss Browne over at Ballad HQ. You like? WE LOVE!!
