Back
in 2010, U.K born, NYC based singer-songwriter Louise Aubrie released
her debut CD, Fingers Crossed... to great critical acclaim.
Next up for this up-and-coming song stylist is her 2013 CD entitled
Time Honoured Alibi. Featuring eight new Aubrie
originals, the CD once again benefits from the top notch production
of Boz Boorer, who also contributes keyboards, and has co-written
one of the new songs. Backing up the vocals of Louise is her band
including Rob Ritchie (guitars), Matt Wigton (bass)
and Fred Kennedy (drums). The Louise Aubrie sound is very much
rooted in a kind of Phil Spector wall-of-sound approach to pop and
garage band hard rock. Her self assured vocals are superbly tracked
in the tight mix to great effect and the CD sound is nicely balanced
out by Boorers guided studio techniques. Boorer has worked with
U.K. singer Morrissey for 20 years. Recorded in Portugal, mixed in
London and mastered in Los Angeles, Time Honoured Alibi has
a cross-border international flair, greatly enhanced by Ms. Aubries
confident, near defiant vocal delivery. Fans of Morrissey, Sandie
Shaws great late 80s album and even the Velvet Underground
and Phil Spectors girl group legacy are well advised to check
out this new hard rocking set by rising rocker Louise Aubrie. On Time
Honoured Alibi, singer-songwriter Louise Aubrie adds a new and
quite electrifying chapter to the time-honoured legacy of great girl
rockers. www.LouiseAubrie.com
mwe3.com presents an interview
with
LOUISE AUBRIE
mwe3:
You have an interesting story. Born in London and you now live in
New York City. Can you let the readers know something about your early
years, growing up in London and how and when and why you decided to
make the move to New York? How would you compare the two cities? I
love them both. Has it been easy getting used to New York? Its
not the easiest place to live in the world. (lol)
LOUISE AUBRIE: I have a special place in my heart for both
cities. These days, in many ways they are the same: you walk around
and see the same stores, the same restaurants, the same spectrum of
(in)sanity and creativity. I feel like the energy in NYC is more heightened
than in London for a couple of reasons: 1) The size of Manhattan and
the concentration into such a small area its like someone
has gone to London, stood at Stepney to the east and Ealing to the
west and squeezed that 14 mile width into Manhattans two. And
secondly, the 24-hour culture. I still dont think London has
really embraced this, which is no bad thing, but the streets feel
different at night which again can spark thoughts and ideas that might
otherwise be constrained to dreams and/or nightmares!
I moved to New York 5 years ago, mainly because Id always loved
the city and wanted the experience of living in such a legendary environment.
It can be tough living in this city, but its also very addictive...
its so hard to leave, and even though it can boot you and bruise you,
its a wonderful city full of opportunities.
mwe3: Your first album was excellent and your new one is even
better in my opinion. Can you compare Fingers Crossed with
the newly released Time Honoured Alibi? Are there some similarities,
especially considering both were produced by Boz Boorer. How did you
meet Boz and whats it like working with him on your music? I
read that both CDs were recorded in Portugal, mixed in London and
mastered in L.A. Sounds like an international adventure of global
proportions! What was involved in the planning and making of the new
album?
LOUISE
AUBRIE: Thank you very much. The first record was a culmination
of many years of material, taking all those influences I had grown
up with and making them into a cohesive unit. This new record is more
rooted in rock than the last, although it does also include two ballads
which have also proved to be very popular at live gigs. I was listening
to a lot of T-Rex, New York Dolls, and Blondie and definitely wanted
to come out with a rockier sound.
There are of course similarities because I have worked with the same
team on both records; from the musicians to the production, mixing
and mastering.
I first met Boz briefly in London, before I moved to New York, through
a mutual friend, Roger, who owns the recording studio where I first
started laying down some tracks. Roger was extremely kind to me and
gave me my first opportunity to work with his engineers and to start
being creative with my own material. Roger is old friends with Boz,
and Boz and I actually lived very close to each other in London. However,
it wasnt until I moved to New York that my relationship with
Boz developed. He was touring a lot with Morrissey in the US, and
one day I handed him some demos, which luckily he liked! He saw something
in them, and he was generous enough to work with me on producing the
albums. Boz is wonderful to work with; his ears are the best in the
business. I am always amazed at how he can hear every tiny sound and
nuance, and he will pick up on things that no one else can; just a
subtle line that would change an entire song. He spent many years
as a studio engineer, and that, coupled with writing, playing and
being on the road now for over 30 years, really makes him the most
special person to be around. I am a big fan of his music, both solo
and with Morrissey, so to be able to work with him is an amazing experience.
mwe3: Who plays with you on the new album and how would you
describe the chemistry you achieve with your band members? Who else
would you credit as being important in the design and making of the
Time Honoured Alibi CD?
LOUISE
AUBRIE: I have the same team around me, and I have been very lucky
to work with them all. When I first moved to New York, I didnt
know anyone, let alone any musicians. But as I started to go to the
clubs, I quickly met a bunch of people again, the concentration of
the downtown music scene means that you get exposed to a great number
of people. That said, I actually went through 5 or 6 line-ups before
I found the one that workedyou are right that it is about chemistry,
not just musical ability.
On guitar, I have Rob Ritchie, who also sings the duet Tonight
At Ronnies with me, on bass is Matt Wigton, and on drums
is Fred Kennedy. Matt and Fred have a wonderful partnership and have
worked closely together for over a decade, so this gave me a really
solid foundation. They recommended Rob to me, who I knew was a fantastic
guitarist as soon as I met him and first heard him play. The fact
that the three guys all knew each other before was also a key element.
We all respect and care about each other inside and outside the band.
Obviously this was all then shaped by Boz who was key in bringing
together the arrangements that the 4 of us had designed. After this
process, Fred did some additional production work, then we turned
to Cam Blackwood at Voltaire Road Studios for the mixing. Cam has
worked with a wide range of recording artists, including Cee Lo Green
and Florence and the Machine, and I believe is one of the best in
the business. Finally, Dave Collins mastered the album. Dave is the
former chief mastering engineer of A&M Studios.
mwe3: What was your earliest exposure to music and some of
your favourite artists, then and now? Who inspired you and who inspires
you now? How about your early musical training and influences, both
musically and song writing wise that led you towards a career in music?
LOUISE
AUBRIE: I grew up with such an eclectic range of music. It may
sound strange given the music that I write and release, but I am a
big fan of the greats Sinatra and Elvis. In my book, no one
comes close (or will ever) to Sinatras style and phrasing in
a song he never once sounded unsure about his attack. And Elvis
is, of course, the King. Very close to my heart, musically, is David
Bowie whose career I have followed since birth really! And then the
glam-rock era and of course punk-rock. T Rex, the Pistols, the Dolls,
and the Ramonesand I remember playing a Blondie album over and
over when I was growing up until I wore it out.
However, the central influence on my music is Morrissey, both his
career with The Smiths, and his 20+ year solo career. The Queen
Is Dead changed my (musical) life. I know I am not alone in citing
that as one of the seminal and most influential albums that has been
made. It is an incredible body of work. Morrisseys solo albums
Vauxhall And I and Your Arsenal in the 90s were also
a huge influence, the latter being produced by the late great Mick
Ronson, and its a sound that I definitely tried to emulate.
With regard to training, I had classical voice lessons from the ages
of 15-20, but this was more Mozart than Moz!
mwe3: How about your main musical instruments as far as writing
music and performing? What instruments do you write music with? Are
you into gear, guitars and otherwise or do you mostly
focus on song writing?
LOUISE AUBRIE: I write all my music on the guitar. I love guitars,
my favourites being Gretsch. But I also have Gibsons, Fenders and
an acoustic Martin, the latter being my go-to guitar when I write.
But I am not a guitar-geek, no. I would actually love to be, but I
am lucky that the guys I have around me are very into gear, and know
exactly what kind of sounds will work! For me, the lyrics are just
as important as the music, and I usually write them at the same time.
mwe3:
Do you have any personal favourite, standout tracks on Time Honoured
Alibi? Track 5, Tonight At Ronnies harks back
to your beloved London and the track also features shared vocals with
Rob. Whats the story with that track? That song kind of makes
me homesick for both New York and London too!
LOUISE AUBRIE: Thank you! Its hard to have favourites, actually!
And it changes all the time. This whole album is about great men in
my life, so in a way, I love them all. Ronnies is
a love song, based in London. I wrote it with Robs vocal in
mind, and Im glad how well it turned out. I like people to draw
their own conclusions regarding what the songs are about, so Ill
just say that its a very happy love song!
mwe3: What else keeps you busy outside of music? Do you have
other hobbies, interests or special causes youre involved with.
How about seeing other parts of the US and/or North America? Its
such a huge country! Your music must take you far and wide.
LOUISE AUBRIE: Music really takes up most of my time! I give
to childrens charities both in London and New York, and do what
I can to help those causes. I am ashamed to say that I have not done
as much traveling as I should have done around the US! I would like
to do that classic car-drive across the States...one day!
mwe3: What are some of your plans for Time Honoured Alibi
and other plans far as writing, recording new music and performing
moving forward?
LOUISE AUBRIE: The plan for this record it to play gigs, initially
in NYC, and then if possible around the U.S. and also over in Europe
later in the year. The response so far has been positive, so I am
hoping that these plans will become more concrete as the year progresses.
Thanks to Louise Aubrie @ www.LouiseAubrie.com