Laura Stevenson & The Cans
Laura Stevenson & The Cans I first interviewed her a few years back and really dug her tunes. Her new album Sit Resist is a must have and one of the albums of the year so far. So I wanted to interview her again about the new album and so on.
http://laurastevenson.tumblr.com/ The Website.
1. Are you happy with the response to the new album so far?
We are really excited about the response. It’s validating to us because we’ve been sitting on our hands for months waiting for Sit Resist to come out and wondering if people will like it… hoping people will. So far so good!
2. How were things different recording wise compared to the last album?
Well, this time we worked in a nice recording studio instead of in our friend’s apartment. When we were making A Record our buddy, Bryce (the engineer) had this roommate that was a carpenter so we would have to time our takes in between the roaring buzz of a table-saw. That was pretty fun though.
3. What has been the inspiration for the new album?
All the songs were written in this weird transitional period… I was going to school and we were stuck in NY unable to do extensive touring. Then school was over and we started running ourselves ragged, touring in hyper-speed to catch up… and that took a lot out of us. It was a stressful time, things were really hard and we had to keep telling ourselves it would get better. Throw in some sad family stuff and some sadder love songs and… that’s our new record!
4. How did you get signed to Don Giovanni Records?
Joe from Don Giovanni was a long-time friend of both Alex and Peter so we stayed with him one night when we played in Syracuse. He came to the show and got really psyched about the band and we kept in touch throughout the rest of the summer and into the fall about putting out a new record. He kept getting more and more psyched about it and so did we, so it worked out great for everybody. He rules.
5. What inspires you when writing your songs?
It really depends… usually I write when I’m feeling out of control… it helps me sort through all the bad stuff. It doesn’t necessarily pull me out of anything but it helps me get my feelings in order I guess.
6. How has the internet & social media played a part in getting your music out there?
Well, we put the first installment of our first record out on Quote Unquote Records which is a digital, donation-based label that my friend Jeff Rosenstock runs. That was so awesome for us because we could just put it out there for people to share with their friends and to just enjoy because that was exactly what we wanted to do with that record. It worked out great!
7. What do you hope the new album will do for your music career?
I think Sit Resist is an exciting turn for us in terms of the songwriting and production… so it’ll attract a broader audience this time around. Who knows what’ll happen… my mom thinks it’s a hit.
8. What advice can you give to somebody wanting to make a music career?
The most important thing is to be patient and keep doing what you’re doing… don’t rely on being fueled by results because those come after all the hard stuff is over.
9. Who has been your greatest help with your music so far?
My dad has been my biggest support. He comes to all our shows.
10. What is next for Laura Stevenson & The Cans?
I have no idea, but I guess that’s the exciting part.
