Questions & Answers: Anna-Lynne Williams (Lotte Kestner & Trespassers William)
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Anna-Lynne Williams ist eine Musikerin aus Seattle, USA mit einer Menge Eisen im Feuer. Da ist zunächst die Zusammenarbeit mit Matt Brown als Duo Trespassers William. Unter dem Namen Lotte Kestner hat sie das Solo-Album “China Mountain” veröffentlicht hat. Zu guter Letzt gibt es noch das Projekt Ormonde. Genres: Indie, Folk, Dreampop, Shoegaze und Electronica. In jedem Fall wunderbare Musik, die für Wohlbefinden sorgt. Beiträge auf Schallgrenzen: Song der Woche: Lotte Kestner – Temperature sowie Trespassers William oder das Schönste der Welt. Lotte Kestner besuchen: MySpace. Trespassers William besuchen: Homepage | MySpace. Und so habe ich die Dame artig zum Interview gebeten. Alles ist möglich, selbst dämliche Fragen wie diese….
Hallo erst einmal. Kannst Du dich bitte kurz vorstellen?
My real name is Anna-Lynne Williams. Lotte Kestner is a name I borrowed.
Die obligatorische Frage. Dich fragt eine ältere Dame, was ihr für Musik macht. Wie wäre Eure Antwort?
I suppose if I say I make mellow, folky music that covers all of the projects I’m working on to a degree. But each thing I’m working on has a different amount of ornamentation, different instruments, different moods.
Kannst Du mir ein wenig über Deine Projekte “Trespassers William” und “Lotte Kestner” erzählen?
Trespassers William is a band I’ve been in since I was a teenager, started with Matt Brown and inspired by shoegaze, 4AD, lots of European bands. My voice is just one of many textures, and the songs are often about the processes of falling in and out of love. We try to play most of our shows in Europe as our sound seems to fit best there.
Lotte Kestner is a newer undertaking, strictly me and my guitar and whatever keyboards or toys are around. There is a much bigger emphasis on voice, more accesible lyrics, lots of intimacy. I suppose I would call it folk music. I’m also in a band called Ormonde which is a duo with Robert Gomez. We both sing and write the words together. There’s a strong male/female dichotomy which makes the music a bit sexier than what I usually work on.
Wo siehst du den Unterschied zwischen deiner Soloarbeit und der Musik als Teil von Tresspassers Williams?
I can usually tell when I’m writing a song which project it’s suited for. The Lotte Kestner songs are usually built around guitar arpeggios, tend to be more brief, are reminiscent of old folk melodies. The Trespassers songs are more epic and dark and have more room to be filled by other instrumentation from my band mates, and ultimately have much more complex arrangements. I think of Lotte Kestner as a way for me to make music about my life quite directly, where Trespassers is a collaboration and so I sing about things that are more veiled or more general.
Was dürfen wir von für die Zukunft erwarten?
I’ve recorded a few songs for the new Lotte Kestner album, and the rest are already written. It’s perhaps even more folky than the first album and I’ll probably get more extravagant with some of the arrangements. But it will still be minimal compared to most music. I’m mixing this one myself so it will be very intimate. Hopefully I’ll be done recording it near the end of this year and then I’ll decide if I’m pressing it myself or finding someone else to. I still believe in the whole pressed package.
Lieblingsbands oder Musiker?
Of all time… probably Radiohead and Kings of Convenience. I do go through phases. It was all Devendra Banhart and Joanna Newsom for awhile, then it was Elbow and Interpol, then it was Animal Collective and Flaming Lips. I always love a solid solo album, like the ones David Bazan and Damien Jurdado have been putting out.
Welches Album hast du dir zuletzt gekauft?
The last ones I’ve bought are the new ones from Interpol, Sun Kil Moon, Ray Lamontagne, and Kent.
Und der größte Fehlkauf?
Usually if it’s a guilty pleasure band I’ll download it or borrow it from the library. Beyonce’s a good one.
Der Musikmarkt wandelt sich. Wie beurteilst Du die Veränderungen?
Not good! It feels like the whole record label empire is falling apart. The good side of that is that anyone can make their own music and share it. The bad side is that there’s no money in music anymore and I can’t imagine how I or anyone will keep making a living at it if no one has a CD collection anymore.
MP3′s sind ja beliebig reproduzierbar und im Grunde wertlos. Was hältst Du von Möglichkeit, die Veröffentlichungen für den Fan aufzuwerten? Also mit aufwändigen Booklets, Cover-Art und vielleicht sogar Vinyl-Editionen etc?
i still buy an album if i really love it, and i’m starting to buy more albums on vinyl. i have an old suitcase record player with lo-fi built-in speakers, and folk albums sound really good on it. as a listener, and as a music-maker, i feel enthusiastic about actual, physical albums. nice artwork and handmade packaging and things of that sort might be able to convince people to keep buying cds and records for awhile. but i guess i should be prepared for the day when everything is digital. i guess to the younger generation, paying for music is like having to go to the post office or paying for a long distance call – it’s usually not necessary. i will miss jewel cases and gatefold sleeves if they disappear completely. i still love going to the post office and mailing off my cds that people have bought.
Was für Erfahrungen hast Du als Musikerin mit Facebook, Twitter, Myspace und Musik Blogs gemacht?
MySpace was instrumental in getting the Lotte Kestner songs out there in the first place. It spurred me on, having an immediate audience after I’d finished a recording, and a place to write updates to fans and let them know about shows. Facebook has now picked up that torch.I can’t imagine that word of mouth could have worked as well.
Was war Dein bisher größte Erfolg?
I think the company I get to keep is the most validating. Getting to sing with Robert Gomez or John Grant or the Chemical Brothers makes me realize that I’ve done something right. I would love to have more songs in films, that feels really pivotal as well.
Zum Schluss die dümmste Frage. Als Deutscher esse ich natürlich gerne Eisbein (nicht wirklich) mit Sauerkraut und dazu reichlich Bier (manchmal).Dein Lieblingsessen?
Most of my favorite flavors are Mexican. Guacamole, plantains, huevos rancheros, nopalitos, Cholula hot sauce. And chocolate, of course.
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