Sounds like I was 9 years old had some classical piano lessons, then I started listening to musicals, broadway, Barbara Striesand, Judy Garland. Tried imitating them at home line for line, listened to real "singers' singers". Then I got my hands on my moms old tapes of Joni Mitchell and Judy Collins, would listen to those tapes over and over. Of course I heard all the 90's music my older sisters would play on the car radio...pop, rock, from Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, Lauren Hill to The Counting Crows, Nirvana, The Foo Fighters, Coldplay, Sublime and Rage Against The Machine. My dad would play Enya, Vivaldi, Fernando Ortega, and Arabic tunes and the easy listening jazz station everytime we would get in his car. Then I discovered Napster before it was illegal. I'd sit there every afternoon and listen to Ottis Redding, Janis Joplin, Tracy Chapman, Carol King, Carly Simon, Billie Holiday, James Taylor, Jimmi Hendrix, Moby, all kind of Soundtracks, all kinds of random stuff. Then I moved to Nashville and found out about Frou Frou, Imogen Heap, Ray Lamontagne etc... THEN for the first time fell into real worship music... music that is deep and dark and mysterious just like God. I got into making up songs on the spot, straight from the Bible at the Nashville House Of Prayer, I got into Rick Pino and the amazing worshippers that I would sing with every week like my friends Jonathan Lee and Todd Ganovski and Faith Gilmore, music that belongs at The Call...and here I am and all of that is what I just might sound like.
In the world of artistry and entertainment, it’s often easier to put on a fake face of the perfect persona than it is to let down one's guard and become vulnerable. Though singer/songwriter/piano player Lara Landon realizes she’d probably come across like more of a star if she’d act like every angle of her life was in order, the tunesmith refuses to veil fragile emotions or lie about her heart’s condition on the debut disc Beloved.
Chalk up that integrity to unbreakable family bonds, influenced by her father’s roots in Jordan and mother’s Sicilian bloodline, both of which always stood for honesty, humility and a hard working essence in all aspects of life.
No wonder why the youthful but wiser beyond her years Landon has always stood for creative excellence, even in the days before realizing a path as a performer. Whether it was scoring the lead role of “Annie” in a college production at a mere nine years old, talking vocal lessons shortly thereafter or soliciting a demo around to record executives at fourteen, the hopeful’s always had an unbreakable spirit. But that’s not to say she hasn’t had stumbling blocks along the way, most notably a bout with depression and anxiety throughout adolescence, plus complete dismay with the massive music industry a few years later when studying at the arts oriented Belmont University.
“I’ve always been a big fan of reading biographies of other artists and seeing how they went from rags to riches or from nothing to singing in stadiums,” says Landon, citing an astute influence pool who thrived amidst their personal hardships, including Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Tracy Chapman, Billie Holiday and Johnny Cash. “I’ve always rooted for the underdog and feel like my music can really encourage people who might have felt passed over at some point.”
“I remember being at Belmont interning at an online radio show while trying to pursue my music career and there was a band called MIKESCHAIR that was getting really big around campus,” Landon recalls. “I asked the guys who their manager was and they told me about Jeremy Lee, who manages and is married to Plumb. I called him out of the blue and asked if I could come to his office to pick his brain. I was really nervous and scared meeting a big time manager, but I had the courage to tell him I had a show coming up downtown and asked him to come see me.”
And sure enough on a date night with his wife, Lee and a pregnant Plumb caught Landon perform at an intimate writer’s night and walked away as instant fans. In fact, a few weeks later in that same type of setting, they brought back longtime pal Beeson, who not only found a similar type of magnetic musical attraction, but quickly became a mentor to the burgeoning troubadour.
“He started listening to my songs and giving them little tweaks, like saying ‘this one’s just okay so spice it up’ or ‘this one’s missing tension so add some drama,’” confirms Landon.
No sooner had the ink dried than Landon found herself in the studio with A-list producer Michael Omartian (Amy Grant, Chicago, Rod Stewart, The Jackson’s, Whitney Houston), who began the Beloved recording process. “Michael’s cool because he is a legend, but really humble and down to earth,” she explains. “He puts you at ease immediately and felt more like a dad than a producer, often comparing me to his daughter, which made the sessions feel really special since the beginning. Recording with him was different than most producers these days because he also had renowned engineer Terry Christian, which allowed him to focus completely on the creative side, rather than having to worry about technical aspects as well.”
Outside of his Grammy-Award winning talents behind the boards, the collection also features the occasional co-write with Omartian, plus Sonicflood hit-maker and solo star Jason Ingram. At first the concept of teaming up with others for her deeply expository lyrics seemed like a foreign concept, but in the end, Landon realized it was a valuable part of the refining process.
“I was a little reluctant because my songs are so precious and personal to me, but I realized teaming up with someone else on occasion could provide a fresh view,” she suggests of the switch between several individual and a handful of combined credits. “And now when I listen back to Beloved, it sounds like my journals set to music, which means the subject matter won’t be all perfect, happy or wonderful. I’m dealing with stuff that’s harder to accept and I get pretty deep and sometimes a little dark.”
As a result, the tunes contained therein fall somewhere along the stylistic plane of Plumb, electronic innovator Imogen Heap, plus piano siren Tori Amos With the project poised to hit streets in September 2009, Landon is gearing up for greater visibility on the road where she’s thus far been an approachable interacter who faithfully follows up with her fans throughout an extensive online community. And she’s quick to point out that her fervent series of MySpace messages and emails isn’t some sort of gimmick or means of casual chit-chat, but an actual investment into the lives of her listeners.
Hello my friend, Yes, Many with a Heart for others have left, some to pursue the next step of their chosen Journey, which leaves ample opportunity for others, that are gifted, like YOU, to now step into the drivers seat, take up the helm, tighten up the reigns, strap into the cock-pit, and set your feet-like-flint. And now declare, this is Healthy Ground, Life is and will arise throu' these fields, every step you take, You, as you are, are a living Word, a Story, Released to be, exactly what will bring forth Life in many, as you believe and breathe. Thanks for being you.
"Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving." A wish to my friend is to have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving with the ones you love.
If I was in Tennessee, If I was in love Then you would be the one I would love The one I would, hold in my heart true If I was in Tennessee, I would love you
Tennessee love, love of my heart Tennessee love, all dreams to you If I was in Tennessee, I would love you
If I was in Nashville, I would take your hand If I was in Nashville, upon your bridge, I would stand The one I would, hold in my heart true If I was in Nashville, I would love you
Tennessee love, love of my heart Tennessee love, all dreams to you If I was in Tennessee, I would love you
If I close my eyes, I can dream If I open my heart, you will be there The one I would, hold in my heart true If I was in Nashville, I would love you
Tennessee love, love of my heart Tennessee love, all dreams to you If I was in Tennessee, I would love you
If I was in Tennessee, If I was in love Then you would be the one I would love The one I would, hold in my heart true If I was in Tennessee, I would love you
If I was in Tennessee, If I was in love Then you would be the one I would love The one I would, hold in my heart true If I was in Tennessee, I would love you
Tennessee love, love of my heart Tennessee love, all dreams to you If I was in Tennessee, I would love you
If I was in Nashville, I would take your hand If I was in Nashville, upon your bridge, I would stand The one I would, hold in my heart true If I was in Nashville, I would love you
Tennessee love, love of my heart Tennessee love, all dreams to you If I was in Tennessee, I would love you
If I close my eyes, I can dream If I open my heart, you will be there The one I would, hold in my heart true If I was in Nashville, I would love you
Tennessee love, love of my heart Tennessee love, all dreams to you If I was in Tennessee, I would love you
If I was in Tennessee, If I was in love Then you would be the one I would love The one I would, hold in my heart true If I was in Tennessee, I would love you
I just want to keep you posted on what's going on this way.
The Soul of a Man Anthology is the winner of the 2009 Best Short Stories/Anthology from the African American Literary Awards Show. Read an excerpt of my contribution, "Like Father, Like Son", at http://joeyisinit.com/excerpt.html.
My lastest entry on http://joeypinkney.com is "5 Minutes, 5 Questions With... Elva "Precious Love" Thompson, author of A Mother's Cry". Leave a comment on my website, I would like to know what you think.
Here is the link: http://www.joeypinkney.com/interviewed/elva-precious-love-thompson.html
Don't be a stranger. Let me know what's going on in your neck of the woods.
The sky is my canvas and my color is blue. I will paint away all the clouds that ever follow you. The mountains sing aloud your name as the trees clap their hands. I will surely join them in this one big open band. Let us dance without a rhyme, in this season now. Let us dance and if you don’t know, I will show you how. Fly into your dreams, just like you used to do, soaring above every blistering word that said you could never be you. The ocean is your canvas and your colors are deep. Splash your many shades now for the world to see.
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