We were lucky enough to interview Nashville based artist, Lori Triplett following the excellent release of ‘Slow Poison’. Read the full interview now!
What is your earliest music memory?
We used to have a piano out in the foyer of my childhood home…the same piano I later ended up learning how to play on.
I vividly remember when I was six years old and hadn’t yet started taking piano lessons, I had figured out how to play the melody of Richard Marx’s hit song at the time, “Right Here Waiting for You” on our piano.
My older sister’s friends were over, and they thought it was so neat that I could play a song they recognized. I remember feeling really excited and proud of myself. I really think special little moments like that really ignited a passion for music in me from a young age.
Who influenced your latest release?
Phoebe Bridgers and her Stranger in the Alps record was a big influence on the production direction and style of Slow Poison.
My producer and I wanted to keep a singer/songwriter vibe but also not be afraid to include electronic elements to help draw out and highlight some of the emotion of the lyrics.
I’ve always felt that record did that so beautifully, so that was definitely an influence while we tracked this particular project.
Previously you have released two full-length albums. Is ‘Slow Poison’ a continuation from those, or are you taking a brand new direction?
My last full-length albums were released a number of years ago (2004 and 2009), one of them featuring songs I wrote back in high school and the other featuring songs I wrote in college.
At that time, I was still pursuing a career in the Contemporary Christian Music scene, but I found that genre to be way too restricting in what I could really say as an artist and where I could perform. Slow Poison is definitely an intentional step in a different direction, as I’m not pursuing that genre anymore.
There are still moments where you’ll still hear overtones of my faith lyrically, but the songs featured on Slow Poison were written with much more artistic freedom than in my former genre.
The EP features themes of love, loss and redemption, where do you get your inspiration from?
I’ve always drawn inspiration from my own personal experiences when I’m writing songs. And if not there, I draw it from trying to put myself in the shoes of someone else and seeing things from their perspective.
I think it’s one of the ways I’ve come to cope and overcome some of the bad things that life has thrown at me over the years. And I figure by being as honest and vulnerable as I can with my songwriting, someone out there somewhere may resonate deeply with it and be able to find some hope and healing in it.
What’s the Nashville music scene like?
I’d say when most people think of Nashville; it’s likely they only think ‘country music’. And while it’s definitely saturated in that genre, there are definitely other genres that are becoming pretty common here more and more.
If you want to be challenged on a daily basis to become a better singer, songwriter, and musician, come to Nashville. Everyone is working harder than the next person to ‘make it’, so you can’t help but be constantly inspired and pushed to get better at your craft.
Who would you most like to collaborate with?
I couldn’t pick just one, but I’d say a few of my songwriting heroes are Patty Griffin, Ruston Kelly, and Sean McConnell. They all have an insane gift for writing hauntingly beautiful and meaningful songs with an unapologetic honesty. That’s the kind of songwriting that inspires me most.
What’s your dream venue to play?
Definitely the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. I’ve been in the audience there for several shows, and there’s an intimacy and magic in the air there you just don’t get anywhere else.
Other than music, what are you passionate about?
I really love history and antiques. Something about being able to physically touch something from the past is really cool to me.
Maybe it’s because I grew up in a Victorian home that was built in 1898 or because my mom also loves antiques and has many in my childhood home. As part of this passion, I collect old books, and when quarantine started, I tracked down and acquired the entire vintage 14 book series about Oz by author L. Frank Baum.
Many people don’t realize that ‘The Wizard of Oz’ is just the first book of the series and that there are actually many more books he wrote as part of that story. It’s really fascinating to me!
What changes would you like to see in the music business?
From a woman’s perspective, I think the industry as a whole needs to have a shift in their thinking about the age and look of an artist.
These days, it seems like you’ve probably aged out by the time you’re 30 if you haven’t already ‘made it’. But some of the greatest of all time artists gave us their best work at a later point in their careers. I’d love to see the focus be put back solely back on what really matters: The music.
If you could choose one thing for fans to take away from your music, what would it be?
I want them to come away with the feeling that they’re not alone. Other artists’ music that was written from an honest and vulnerable place has always helped get me through the darkest spots of my life, so I always strive to write from that place too. I guess it’s sort of a “paying it forward” way of looking at it.
We see you are releasing a new Christmas EP too, can you tell us any more?
I’ve always wanted to do a Christmas project, and this is my first one, so I’m really excited to share this EP with everyone for the holiday season. It’s a four-song EP that includes two covers and two originals.
I’ve always loved sad and more reflective Christmas songs, so I used that mood as inspiration for this project. I’ll be announcing the release date for it soon, so anyone interested can follow me on Instagram at @loritriplettmusic or join my mailing list on my website to stay in the loop!
FV Music Blog October 2020
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