A Dirty Dozen with LISA BARCA – February 2024

According to a recent press release: “Based in Phoenix, AZ, Lisa Barca got her start in music in the clubs and coffee houses of New Haven, CT, where she focused on poetry as well as busking around the city every opportunity she had. After relocating to Phoenix, Lisa’s musical landscape moved to artists such as Liz Phair and Veruca Salt, crossbreeding those acts with the Dead Kennedys and the like.  To say Lisa Barca is versatile is an understatement on a criminal level.” We get Lisa to discuss new music, influences, and more.

1. Tell us a little about your latest release.  What might a fan or listener not grab the first or second time they listen through?  Are there any hidden nuggets you put in the material or that only diehard fans might find?

My latest release is the single “Party Day.” It has a heavy, moody atmosphere with ethereal harmonies and a hard-hitting, catchy chorus. Different from the three singles I released before that (“Clean and Clear,” “Into the Ground,” and “Beauty and Brains”), it draws directly on experiences of trauma, including family trauma. Almost everyone has some of that, but it is not often dealt with in music. Even though the lyrics aren’t super specific, and people can map their own stories onto it, it requires being very vulnerable to write and release a song like that. There are a lot of vocal nuances and complex arrangements, so someone could listen to it again and again and still notice subtleties that they previously missed. One of the biggest gems in my opinion is the guitar solo. My producer and collaborator Kolby Peoples plays it and it has this delightfully dizzying feeling of controlled chaos—manic but structured, intentional but unpredictable. You could listen to it again and again and still catch things. There are also two parts in the song where Kolby sings a backup vocal part, which is the only male vocal on the track. The rest of the vocals are me so it’s easy to miss that.

2. What got you into music, and can you tell us about the moment you realized you wanted to be a musician?

When I was a teenager and in college for a while, I would start just singing to myself, just spontaneously walking around. People would keep telling me I had a great and unique voice. It was kind of a surprise, really, as had never really sung and definitely hadn’t taken lessons. It just came out. I had taken some guitar lessons as a kid, so I was able to play songs. I was really into the Grateful Dead, and a lot of their songs have really interesting chord progressions. I had a book of their songs and would just play all the time. Once I started writing my own songs, from a more personal and female-empowered perspective, I knew that this was a passion that I wanted to pursue.

3. Building on that, is there a specific song, album, performer, or live show that guided your musical taste?

Too many to name! Some that really catapulted me were Juliana Hatfield’s album Become What You Are, Veruca Salt’s American Thighs, and Liz Phair’s Exile in Guyville. Those years, ’93-’94, were some of the best ever for music in my opinion. When I saw Letters to Cleo live at TT the Bears, a small club in Cambridge, MA, I was sold for life.

4. If you could call in any one collaborator to do a song with, who would it be, and why?

Without overthinking it, maybe Jack White. He keeps it pared down and has mastered a distinctively modern yet classic blues/hard rock style that for me really works, and I love his lyrics. It’d be fun as hell to scream some blues with him.

5. What is your favorite activity when out of the studio and/or not on tour?  What do you like to do to unwind?

I am deep into yoga and have done yoga teacher training. Taking long walks by myself, whether in the city or a little wilderness area, is also hugely important for me, and often I get inspiration for songs just walking around cities alone.

6. How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before? What is the one comparison a reviewer or fan has made that made you cringe or you disagreed with?

Currently we’ve been describing my music as melodic indie rock with infectious pop hooks delivered with the raw energy and immediacy of punk, often incorporating sophisticated arrangements and layers of vocal harmonies. We also talk about the lyrics being deceptively deep and exhibiting a poeticism that transcends the status quo. I don’t think any comparisons have been made that made me cringe per se – one that I thought was very complimentary was Heart (I mean, Ann Wilson’s virtuosos voice?! That was a flattering one), and I think someone brough up the Ramones, which does not bother me of course but I’m not sure quite fits, lol. I’ve also been compared to Sleater-Kinney, I guess because of the more power-oriented and defiant female vocals, but I think the stuff I’m doing right now is more pop-punk and structured and less abrasive than theirs is (although I like abrasive, don’t get me wrong!), among other differences. The opposite is true of comparisons I’ve gotten to Avril Lavigne and Paramore—that music is more pop and straightforward and less edgy than mine. I do accurately get compared to Veruca Salt. That one seems the most accurate.

7. When your band is hanging out together, who cooks, who gets the drinks in, and who is first to crack out the acoustic guitars for a singalong?

Lots of times we hang out at a bar / coffeeshop / music venue called the Dark Side in Tempe, AZ. We can rehearse there at slow times like Monday nights then hang out. The drummer, Jason Wiedman, manages the place and bartends so he definitely gets the drinks, with a nice selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic options. One of the greatest things about that place is that all the food is vegan and it’s really good and hearty – lots of different vegan pizzas and stuff like that. And there are instruments just out ready to play around the place, so any of us might pick one up and start jamming, although Kevin (lead guitarist) is often the first to get that going. You never know—he might play anything from Tracy Chapman to Metallica. It’s hilarious and always keeps us on our toes.

8. When was the last time you were starstruck and who was it?

The occasion that first comes to mind is seeing Ted Leo and the Pharmacists at a club here in Phoenix. He is such a consummate and true artist—utterly original and with so much integrity and depth to his songs, and he’s an energetic and captivating performer. And the band is just phenomenal. Ted even played a couple of songs solo on piano which was a surprise. It was Halloween and they all came out in costumes for the second set. A memorable time for sure and lots of insights for me on what makes a rock show great.

9. What is the best part of being a musician? If you could no longer be a musician for whatever reason, what would be your dream job?

The best part of being a musician has to be the creative process of writing. There’s a certain bliss that comes from being deeply immersed in composing a new song and, if it comes out well, playing it for the first time is a high like nothing else. Kind of like falling in love but better because the song isn’t going anywhere or arguing with you or anything like that, haha! Second to writing would have to be a good performance where the crowd is truly engaged, and you can build off their energy.  It brings everyone into connection in a way that few other things can. As for dream jobs, the cool thing is that I have one! I am a professor of humanities and writing and I teach first-year university students in discussion-based classes focused on literature. I help them develop intellectually and creatively; I learn a shit-ton from them about their generation. Although grading essays is kind of a drag, the fun and enriching parts of the job make up for that. For instance, I have them compose rap battles in groups that are a debate between the authors of two different books. It’s a blast! You see talent come out in them that a lot of times they didn’t even realize they had.

10. What is one question you have always wanted an interviewer to ask – and what is the answer? Conversely, what question are you tired of answering?

I’d like to be asked how it is being a woman in rock music—still a predominantly male field—and the qualities you need to develop as a female to roll with all these guys. Now, the guys I work with all treat me respectfully (otherwise they’d be out), but it is also like entering a certain gender universe and staying in your confidence and power center. I love talking about that topic and I hope to inspire more women to be rock musicians. I can’t think of a question I’m tired of answering at the moment. If I don’t know what to say, I’ll just say “come back to me on that” or something like that or steer the discussion in a bit of a different direction.

11. Looking back over your career, is there a single moment or situation you feel was a misstep or you would like to have a “do over,” even if it didn’t change your current situation?

When I released my first single, “Clean and Clear,” with this current solo project, I released it on Bandcamp and shared it on social media before it was on Spotify, Apple, etc. So, hundreds of people streamed it on Bandcamp (and a few purchased it, which is great) without being able to add it on those other platforms. But I don’t think that was a big deal because the song has done well and got picked up by KWSS 93.9 FM within the first month. Also, I released “Beauty and Brains” on a Wednesday, and I’ve since learned that it is better to release songs on a Friday, at least as far as Spotify goes. But then again, I’m not even totally sure about that!  I’m just doing my best to figure out this complicated, competitive, and ever-changing landscape of releasing and promoting music. Now that my friend Bree Brown is helping me with social media, graphics, and general promotion, I don’t know what I’d do! I am infinitely grateful to her. She is so talented and knowledgeable, so I am less afraid of making missteps now.

12. If you could magically go back in time and be a part of the recording sessions for any one record in history, which would you choose – and what does that record mean to you?

Elvis Costello’s My Aim is True. It’s a phenomenal record, with every song exhibiting exquisite songcraft, interesting and singable lyrics, and well-placed and fun backup vocals. When I listen to it, I sing along with or make up my own backing vocal parts, so it’d be a trip to go back to 1977 and sing on the record.

LISA BARCA LINKS:

OFFICIAL SITE

FACEBOOK

INSTAGRAM

Category: Interviews