Looking ahead to the autumn release of her latest album Silver Ladders, we spoke to Mary Lattimore about geographical inspiration, working with producer Neil Halstead, and the uncertainties facing record stores and venues during the pandemic.
Photos: Rachael Pony Cassells
Deluxe: First off: It seems like a great many artists are making good use of this time, for better or for worse. Seeing an album release announcement during this pandemic must be strange, I bet?
Mary Lattimore: It’s strange, but I’m actually really grateful for it - something to look forward to. Everything feels pretty out-of-control, so having a plan to release something is a little bit comforting. More than a little bit comforting. Very comforting to have something on a schedule.
D: Was this the anticipated release schedule? Or was that changed because of everything going on?
ML: This is the anticipated release schedule. When the virus first arrived, I wanted to change it, but Ghostly thought that people would appreciate the record coming out in the fall rather than waiting. It feels like a good choice now. I think everybody needs little escapes and distractions. I know I’ve been listening to a lot more music more deeply lately.
D: I would agree with Ghostly on that one. It sounds like great music to counteract the news cycle. Or help listeners process it with some meditative, close listening.
ML: Thank you. Yeah, I think the sound of the harp really resonates with people as therapeutic somehow. Even if there are darker melodies, I think the sound of the fingers on the strings is warm.
D: Is it too far a stretch to make the connection of tangible, intimate connection with one’s instrument with a warmer result? I hesitate to ask about the harp, specifically because I feel you must get questions about that a lot.
ML: Oh, my relationship with the actual harp? It’s a very close companion and I can see that producing a warm result. You’re using eight fingers at once and it’s a very physical instrument to play. Sure, that makes sense It’s also an instrument you have to really haul around and commit to. And they’re wildly expensive, so when you get one, you feel very attached to it.
D: With such a close connection to your instrument, do you find your approach different when composing solo works versus collaborative efforts? Or even a general change in approach in to those scenarios, regardless of the instrument itself?
ML: I guess I see part-writing as different than collaborating through improvisation. Collaboration and improvising together, and writing solo songs through improvising, are kind of using the same part of the brain. Whereas if I’m writing a part for one of Meg [Baird]’s songs, for example, that feels really different. Listening in a different way.
D: There’s so much on the books already of various, wonderful collaborations in addition to your solo work. Meg Baird, Jeff Zeigler, William Tyler/Steve Gunn, Mac McCaughan And now Neil Halstead. Which caught me by surprise at first but sounds great and seems to be a great fit as a producer.
ML: Yeah. I just love his ear so much. He did an amazing job.
D: How did you two get connected for the project?
ML: I knew that I wanted to do something different for this record. For the past couple of solo records, I recorded them myself on my laptop and felt like the forward-motion move would be to find a producer and work in a studio this time.
I’ve been a huge Slowdive fan for such a long time, I feel like that music shaped me. I was playing a music festival and Slowdive were too and my friend Dana is friends with them. She was also at the fest and she was like, “Mary, wanna meet Neil?” And I said “of course,” so she introduced us. We all went out for a beer and that night I went back to the hotel and the idea popped into my
head. So I wrote to him on Instagram. He was really open to it and I didn’t even know what the situation would be like, what the studio was like or what the town in Cornwall would be like. But just kind of jumped into it and it was a pretty magical experience.
D: Cornwall is a pretty spectacular place. Do you think the surroundings guided or influenced the sessions?
“I don’t have the cassettes anymore, but I remember getting Wish by the Cure and listening to ‘Friday I’m In Love’ a million times in a row on my Walkman. They’re still my favourite band.”
ML: Oh, yes. For sure! Have you been to Newquay? The surroundings and the architecture and the weather and all of it.
D: I’ve only been to the south of there - Newlyn, Mousehole, etc.
ML: what a crazy beautiful area.
D: It’s bizarre to travel from the Eastern bit of the country and then come upon beaches and semi-tropical plants. But it was such a kind and inviting area beyond the scenery, as well.
ML: There’s an island near there I’d really like to check out. And yes, the people there were SO nice to me. Very welcoming.
D: Which island?
ML: Ack...I cant remember what it’s called. I’m digging around for the name. But I talked with Neil’s partner, Ingrid, about going there next time I visit. Oh! Isles of Scilly!
D: Whatever it is, it’s likely worth the trip across the Atlantic for sure.
ML: Yes! We took a day trip to St. Ives and that was gorgeous.
D: Was the atmosphere a bit stark at times? I feel like Cornwall can pivot from this idyllic surfer’s paradise into quite a gloomy experience, depending on the weather.
ML: It was but that was part of it, too. Very rainy and kind of gloomy, but then the sun would come out. Dramatic and romantic.
D: What was the process like working with Neil on his home turf?
ML: It was great. Hanging out in his studio, seeing all of his synths, driving around, having a good lunch. Just felt immediately cozy. I’m really glad I went there. It felt very intentional and meant-to-be. I was definitely taking a risk because we didn’t know each other at all but we really got along so well. This won’t be the last time we work together, I’m sure.
D: Beyond Cornwall, the title of the album is taken from an experience in Croatia. Is that correct?
ML: Yep. I went to Croatia last year, to this little town called Stari Grad on the island of Hvar. Just spent time there alone and, as I love to swim, went swimming a lot in the sea. There were ladders leading right down into the water. I’d never seen that before - swimming pool ladders right into the sea.
D: That’s really strange but very beautiful. Almost as though you cannot improve on the quality of the sea with a man-made artifice.
ML: It’s the best thing.
D: The cover art is fairly cosmic and also looks like the coziest place.
ML: Yes, my friend Becky Suss painted it! It’s the interior of a lighthouse, a painting based on the book Cheaper by the Dozen.
D: I haven’t heard of that one. Could you elaborate on it?
ML: I haven’t read it yet, but it’s a children’s novel about a family of twelve kids with scientist parents. The funny thing was, I found the book in a free book bin the day after I picked this painting. I think it’s based on a true story.
D: That’s some great serendipity, there. Did Becky also do the cover art for Hundreds of Days?
ML: Yes. For The Withdrawing Room (my first one), At the Dam, Hundreds of Days and Slant of Light, my record with Jeff Zeigler. These were all her paintings she graciously let me use for covers. This is our 5th one together! Her paintings are like floor-to-ceiling, so huge, just magnificent.
D: That’s a great connection to have; talented friends sharing and re-purposing work for new endeavours.
ML: Yes, I feel very lucky.
D: Being an appreciator of music (and other art, as we’ve seen), I wanted to dip into some questions about records and record shops if that’s alright.
ML: Oh, yes. Sure! I love record stores so much.
D: Do you recall your first experiences with them?
ML: Definitely going to the shops in various malls when I was 11 or so. Buying cassettes.
D: Any formative finds from those days that you’ve held onto?
ML: I don’t have the cassettes anymore, but I remember getting Wish by the Cure and listening to ‘Friday I’m In Love’ a million times in a row on my Walkman. They’re still my favourite band. I worked in record stores for many years later on in life and I definitely hold them dear as favourite places.
D: Oh, that’s a great one to get into so deeply. ‘High’ is such an amazing song. Are the stores where you worked still in business?
ML: Nope, unfortunately not. All of them are gone. But I feel like, at least pre-pandemic, LA record stores do better. Those where I worked were all on the east coast.
D: Which towns/cities? I feel like even just New York, Boston and Philadelphia have had several of the best shops I’ve ever seen.
ML: Yes! Two were in Rochester, NY and one was in Philly. All of those cities have amazing stores. It’s so true! I can’t wait to get back to shopping in person for records! Best feeling.
D: Have you encountered your own records in the stacks? What does that feel like?
ML: I love it! such a good feeling. Feels good to be in the mix.
D: As a former employee of record shops, that also sounds like a cool shift from taste curator to the music creator then being shared by those same folks.
ML: Yes, definitely. And to have this physical symbol of your time, intent, thought, sound, and work as an object that sits with the other objects that represent other people’s hopes and work is really cool too, if that makes sense? Just in this beautiful store that showcases all of these dreams and experiments made real. Having the object there feels like you’ve captured something ephemeral or abstract.
D: There’s a wonderful immediacy and impact that a site like Bandcamp is having at the moment. But I’m guessing it’s no substitute for the atmosphere of a record shop. Do you have any insights or suggestions of how best to assist those shops that might be struggling alongside venues during the pandemic?
ML: I just don’t know. I love Bandcamp because I feel like thier love of music feels sincere. And their support of musicians/labels feels sincere. But yeah, going to the shop is just the whole experience. I’ve been buying records online from different shops. It also helps out the struggling US Post Office. I just don’t know what’s going to happen with record stores and venues... Hard times for things that we love that feel important to the fabric.
D: Along those lines, are there any records you’d recommend for folks at the moment? Perhaps that they could order from a favourite shop…
ML: I’ve been listening to Plantasia a lot by Mort Garson. I also just got the new Samara Lubelski record called Partial Infinite Sequence - an experimental violin record. Meara O’Reilly’s Hockets for Two Voices and Nailah Hunter’s Spells. She’s a composer and harpist. Highly recommended. I think the LP comes out soon.
