Though you probably wouldn't know it by listening to commercial radio, the current L.A. singer/songwriter scene is thriving in a manner reminiscent of Lauren Canyon's 1970s heyday. And while the current crop of troubadours has yet to find the commercial success of Jackson Browne and Joni Mitchell, the honesty of the music connects the two generations. California native Greg Laswell is a key figure in today's singer/songwriter movement and on Thursday, July 9th he will perform at Workplay. Finding a mass audience via film and television exposure - including placements in Grey's Anatomy, Smallville and Confessions Of A Shopaholic among others - Laswell is touring on the success of his 2008 release Three Flights From Alto Nido. Recently, I spoke to Laswell as he drove from his L.A. home to his recording studio in Flagstaff, Ariz.
BT: Greg, thanks for your time today. You've been a busy man since the release of Three Flights From Alto Nido. If you will, talk about your current touring schedule.
GL: Right now, we're hitting while the iron's hot, so I haven't had a whole lot of time off. I'll get some time off after this tour's done.
BT: In addition to touring in support of your last album, you're recording material for your next full-length release. How does your writing and recording process work? Do songs come quickly or do some songs lay around for a while before you complete them?
GL: It usually happens right away - everything will come together within an hour or a day or two at most. I rarely set something aside without finishing it - I usually try to finish it before I move on to something else. Even if I don't end up keeping it, I finish it.
BT: Obviously, today's music business is going through a revolution thanks to iTunes, Youtube, satellite radio and even customized ringtones. Some artists say it's a great time given the accessibility, but others say it's frustrating becuase anyone with a pro-tools rig and a Myspace page can record and sell an album. How do you view the balance of access versus overload in this age of technology?
GL: It's a good time to be an independent artist and it can also be difficult. It depends on where you're placing your efforts - I've been really lucky with the TV placements I've gotten. It's about good old-fashioned hard work and touring a lot. The guy with the pro-tools rig and the Myspace page probably still has a job, so he's not going to be able to get out on the road.
BT: You mentioned the success you've had with film and television placements. How do you account for the fact that these outlets have brought exposure to artists that still don't get commercial radio airplay?
GL: All of the radio stations are afraid right now. We just lost another radio station in L.A. - Indie 103 FM - and they're panicking and it's a scary time for the record business in general. But TV doesn't have any risk - if they want to put an edgy song that not a lot of people have heard into one of their shows, they're allowed to do that. So it's been real cool over the last several years to see more and more artists get their break on a TV show.
Elizabeth & The Catapult will open the 8 p.m. show. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at www.workplay.com or by calling 380-4082.
BT: Greg, thanks for your time today. You've been a busy man since the release of Three Flights From Alto Nido. If you will, talk about your current touring schedule.
GL: Right now, we're hitting while the iron's hot, so I haven't had a whole lot of time off. I'll get some time off after this tour's done.
BT: In addition to touring in support of your last album, you're recording material for your next full-length release. How does your writing and recording process work? Do songs come quickly or do some songs lay around for a while before you complete them?
GL: It usually happens right away - everything will come together within an hour or a day or two at most. I rarely set something aside without finishing it - I usually try to finish it before I move on to something else. Even if I don't end up keeping it, I finish it.
BT: Obviously, today's music business is going through a revolution thanks to iTunes, Youtube, satellite radio and even customized ringtones. Some artists say it's a great time given the accessibility, but others say it's frustrating becuase anyone with a pro-tools rig and a Myspace page can record and sell an album. How do you view the balance of access versus overload in this age of technology?
GL: It's a good time to be an independent artist and it can also be difficult. It depends on where you're placing your efforts - I've been really lucky with the TV placements I've gotten. It's about good old-fashioned hard work and touring a lot. The guy with the pro-tools rig and the Myspace page probably still has a job, so he's not going to be able to get out on the road.
BT: You mentioned the success you've had with film and television placements. How do you account for the fact that these outlets have brought exposure to artists that still don't get commercial radio airplay?
GL: All of the radio stations are afraid right now. We just lost another radio station in L.A. - Indie 103 FM - and they're panicking and it's a scary time for the record business in general. But TV doesn't have any risk - if they want to put an edgy song that not a lot of people have heard into one of their shows, they're allowed to do that. So it's been real cool over the last several years to see more and more artists get their break on a TV show.
Elizabeth & The Catapult will open the 8 p.m. show. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at www.workplay.com or by calling 380-4082.
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