INTERVIEW with VV LIGHTBODY

Benji O’Connor, WSOE’s Co-MD sits down for an interview with Vivian McConnell, better known as VV Lightbody, a Chicago-based folk rock musician who released her second solo record Make A Shrine or Burn It in May of 2020.

Benji overshares too much of his own life in an interview with VV Lightbody and they talk about VV’s upbringing, her new record, Fleet Foxes, Neil Young, and the glorious city of Chicago.

Link to Extended Interview on Soundcloud

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Benji: What kinda music are you listening to right now?

VV: Y’know I’m always just trying to keep up and this year, a lot of bands have been releasing great records. I don’t know, I just jump all around, I mean sometimes I just listen to classical music in the morning. I know this might be a bit of a copout but I’ve been listening to a lot of podcasts and news, I’ve been listening to a lot of cooking podcasts. The new Buck Meek record I’ve been listening to a lot.

Where did your love for music come from?

I think- I mean, when I grew up, there was music playing constantly in my house. And -y’know my dad played guitar and I have memories of him playing me to sleep at night. And I took piano lessons and I played flute in middle school band. Ever since I can remember, music is a huge part of my family’s world. And I guess in the nineties we were listening to CD’s so it’s always just been a part of my world.

I’ll never forget my dad, when I was about eleven, driving to Iowa, which was a big thing--driving from Illinois to Iowa--and my dad put on his Neil Young decade cassette and he said “Viv, it’s time”. And I actually remember hating it, I mean I could not get into Neil Young’s voice, but now Neil Young is one of my favorite artists. I think a lot of classic rock, y’know--Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, The Band--were the big ones. But also, I don’t know, my dad was listening to Radiohead when I was a kid too, a little bit. I haven’t been to a single Radiohead concert and he’s been to like four so he definitely has me there.

So for the early rock bands you were in Santah, and I guess, Grandkids? Which is still together, right?

We never officially broke up. I, umm, so I guess we’re still together and we haven’t played a show in a really long time and we’re not really… yeah. Let’s just say we’re not together.

What kinda music influenced the sounds of both of those bands?

Both of those bands started like ten years ago. So thinking back to like, indie rock at the time like Spoon and, y’know Fleet Foxes, I mean everybody wanted to be Fleet Foxes--and still wants to be Fleet Foxes. Also like Wilco--we loved Wilco--also I mean both of those bands, Santah was like synthy rock band writing: loud banger songs, catchy, dance-y songs. And Grandkids was all over the place. We were referred to as a ‘math-folk’ band people would compare us to like Dirty Projectors meets folk rock. I haven’t thought about our influences in a while and there’s a lot of complicated sounds going on within those bands.

Here's a good one: What’s a genre that you’d like to try to write and play for but never feel you could do it justice?

Oooh that’s a really great question… I feel like, punk, kinda like harder rock? Not like hard rock hehe, not like butt-rock either. I don’t know, maybe like classical? What about you?

I think the one genre I don’t think I could do at all is Hip Hop and Rap. Man, in another timeline, in another world, I would be like, spittin’ bars, but I just don’t think it’s this one, hehe.

Yeah, yeah, I mean, it’s never too late! But I feel you. It’s a tough question because it’s like ‘what am I really bad at?’ And I can kind like fake my way through a lot of things. But there’s one, you made me think of something like New Wave music? Y’know eighties? Like the Raincoats. I would love to write those kinds of interlocking guitar parts like that or y’know sing like that. But I just think it would be so forced and I wouldn’t be able to do it.

Hey man, it’s never too late! Just get a couple of buddies together and record Raincoats covers!

I read in an interview, you’re living in Bridgeport in Chicago. How’s it going living there?

I actually just moved out of Bridgeport and moved in with my partner which has been really special. I’m kind of in the Logan Square/Humboldt Park area. But Bridgeport is a very special place and I’ve been there since I’ve moved to Chicago, since the beginning, and it’s very near to my heart. [It’s a] really cool artist community, I lived by like two schools and it was pretty quiet. It’s weird because we want to be close to our friends and, like, music but now it’s tough because nothing’s open but it’s okay y’know, we’re settling in. It makes me really sad to not see a lot of my Chicago friends but I know that everyone’s feeling that in every community.

Chicago is a really interesting place in how a lot of its old ways are forcing people out, like Illinois is still the only state that decreases in population and has been for like the last seven years. What do you think of the future of Chicago as a musical/artistic place?

I don’t know, Chicago feels like the best ‘music place’ in the United States right now. I think the music that’s coming out of this city right now is really underappreciated, I think that now finally people are starting to realize like, ‘oh my God, Chicago’. I mean for while it’s always been oh, New York, LA. I feel like Chicago is really finding, I don’t know, maybe it’s this year and finally people are realizing how special Chicago is and I really hope it continues to be a scene like this. Right now, there’s just so much great music coming out of here and I hope it stays that way.

Bringing it back to your own music, you’ve titled your own music as ‘nap rock’: what does that mean?

Honestly, I think I need to get a new phrase. 'Nap rock' came from when I was making my first full-length record as VV Lightbody Bathing Peach in 2018 which was a lot softer of an album than Make a Shrine or Burn It. And I was just like so, I was listening to a lot of soft music and I was really stressed out and anxious and working a ton. I was teaching music and I had just moved to the city and I was really overwhelmed--I found so much comfort in sleepy, soft and beautiful music of all types: Brazilian and singer/songwriter stuff. But it still had a bite to it and performing it made it feel like rock. And I think some of the songs on my most recent record still fall into the ‘nap’ category--it’s more like soothing rock. I don’t know, how does it come across to you?

I definitely hear a distinctive difference between the two records and I can definitely hear what you’re saying that Bathing Peach has a rounder, definitely softer tone than the whole of Make A Shrine or Burn It. Even in the nappier songs of Make A Shrine, there’s still a bite to the production compared to Bathing Peach: it’s really crisp. You really hit something on the production on this one!

I guess, to speak on this a little bit: I think in my ears, my body, and my heart I like soft, round, warm tones but when I was making this record, I was referencing a lot of my favorite artists, and was like wow, like with Cate LeBon: everything is really crisp y’know--lots of low end scooped out and was like ‘I like how this sounds with a lot of other music but am afraid to do it with my own. I really actually pushed it to be this crisp and, I guess, bold.

So Make A Shrine is only your second solo album but is far from the first sophomore work you’ve ever done. Where does it stand in your artistic journey?

I feel like this is maybe the best thing I’ve ever made. In terms of maturity in sound and cohesiveness, I feel really proud of this record. I don’t know- I look back on some of my other records and you’re always gonna hear things like ‘Ooh that sounds a bit pitchy’ or ‘I wish hadn’t done that’ but this record I- and I have that with Grandkids and Santah like, the record This Guitar by Grandkids is amazing and fun and Santah’s record Chico is awesome, but as far as for me I think [Make A Shrine or Burn It] will stand up for a long time.

It was really tough releasing it. When I did it was May, y’know, May of 2020 and it’s hard to say if I was touring, it would have done “better”? But the thing is, this record for me is still relevant but also people are reaching out to me and just letting me know how much the music mean s to them. And I’m hoping it is a record that will grow and grow and find its place and keep finding its place in people’s lives.

Make A Shrine is less so a ‘break-up’ album and more of a record contemplating on a relationship and finding independence after that.

I wrote this about in a 2-ish year period, I had just gotten out of a long relationship and was casually dating but mostly just trying to find myself. It’s kind of just about figuring out who I am and ‘being my own boyfriend’ and ‘How can you be in a relationship if you can’t love yourself?’--that was kind of my mindset at the time.

Along with your career, you’re definitely a go-getter musician handling your own social media and tours. How’s this album release cycle been?

Well, full of ups and downs, I’ll be honest. But I think there were a lot of successes. I think it’s been a great album release, y’know the vinyl, I pressed like 250 vinyls and they sold out in like 24 hours and that felt so good. But it feels sometimes like a little bit of a bummer because I didn’t make it on these big editorial playlists on Spotify or Apple Music but it’s also really okay because the amount of people who I’ve touched personally like, people are still reaching out to me saying “This song is helping me through a break-up” or “This is my anthem for this year”, and that feels really good. But it’s been hard, Not being able to tour like you said is tough, I really miss performing. It felt like a little bit of a letdown to not be able to play the songs like. Luckily I did an Audiotree Session in October which was an awesome way to play the songs live. Y’know, full of ups and downs but still feels like it was worth every moment.

Any plans yet to tour this year or next year?

Obviously, everything is super up in the air. Might dow some shows in the fall depending on the vaccine and whatnot. But I will be touring when it's safe and I feel really excited for that day.

Listen To: Make A Shrine or Burn It, "If It's Not Me", "Car Alarm"

VV Lightbody released her second solo record Make A Shrine or Burn it on May 1st, 2020 to Acrophase Records.