Lindi Ortega Interview: In It Together
Photos by Kate Nutt
BY JORDAN MAINZER
When I spoke to Canadian country singer-songwriter Lindi Ortega last week, she was in the middle of recording personal songs for people. It’s all a result of the decisions she made surrounding her latest album Liberty, all in the name of personal and career fulfillment. For the release of her 2017 EP Til the Goin Gets Gone, Ortega left her long-time label Last Gang Records in favor of self-releasing. In order to fund Liberty, an ambitious Spaghetti Western, while still self-releasing, Ortega used Kickstarter. One of the reward tiers was a personal song, which two people paid for.
So there Ortega was, playing all parts and producing, just for a single set of ears to hear. A part of her job, yes, but also creatively fulfilling--just like how she has to figure out how to play Liberty songs with less people than on the record, it’s a welcome challenge. For Ortega, though, this past year has been more than just creatively fulfilling. It’s also been relieving. In an article for Lena Dunham’s Lenny Letter published less than a month before Liberty was released, Ortega revealed her experience with Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD). It goes hand in hand with the album, which Ortega describes as somebody facing a struggle, fighting through it, and coming out on the other side, still fighting demons when they come back. “That idea works really well with my own personal struggle,” she told me. Even better, her revelation has rung far and wide; she’s heard similar stories from fans. “I think that when people hear you’re going through things that they’re going through, they feel less alone. Considering that Body Dysmorphic Disorder has one of the highest suicide rates of the disorders out there, if I could do any small part in perhaps helping with that, then that can do right,” she said. “We’re all in this together.”
Ortega starts a co-headlining tour with Americana soul band Dustbowl Revival on Sunday at SPACE. Her band this time around consists of her husband Daniel Huscroft on guitar and her drummer. She’s excited to play SPACE. “It’s one of my favorite venues,” she said. “I’ve always had a great show there. Something about the vibe, the atmosphere, the people that show up.”
Read the rest of my interview with Ortega, edited for length and clarity, below.
Since I Left You: Liberty came out earlier this year and has had over half a year to find its way into the hands of people. In your mind, what’s the reaction been to the record?
Lindi Ortega: I feel like I’ve had a positive reaction so far. There might have been a few people who didn’t understand the direction. They were expecting me to do what I’ve been doing for my other records. I can’t really take that to heart, because I have to do what I have to do as an artist. Sometimes, you have to challenge yourself and do something a little bit different so you don’t get bored of your own thing or vibe. I always wanted to do a Spaghetti Western style record, and now seemed like the perfect time to do it.
SILY: What was your first exposure to Spaghetti Westerns?
LO: Old Westerns when I was young. Watching Ennio Morricone stuff, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Josey Wales, Clint Eastwood. John Wayne, and that sort of stuff. I’m a huge Quentin Tarantino fan. He has great choices song-wise for a lot of his movies, and although his movies aren’t touted as straight-up Westerns, they have the same elements as Western movies. The way that they’re made, the story lines and stuff, seem very Western to me in a lot of ways. Trying to mix that modern Tarantino vibe with Sergio Leone and Spaghetti Westerns.
SILY: Was it the narrative structure of Spaghetti Westerns that most influenced you?
LO: Yeah, I mean part of it was the narrative, and the other was the musical influence itself. Because I wanted to have a narrative for this record, I thought the idea of a Spaghetti Western worked out.
SILY: Have you ever played Liberty front to back live?
LO: No, I haven’t. At the level I am as a musician, I wish I could afford to bring all the players along and make a full show like that, but I simply don’t have the money or the budget to do it. I have to reinterpret the songs with whatever musical outfit I have with whatever tour I’m doing. I’m playing the songs from this record but also all the songs from other records as well.
SILY: When you adapt the Liberty songs to the live stage, is that creatively fulfilling or just something you have to do?
LO: I do have to do it, but at the same time, I quite enjoy discovering different ways to interpret songs, so it is fulfilling. I even loved singing some of them solo with a guitar and that version of it. It’s definitely a thing I’ve done as a 4-piece, a 3-piece, a 2-piece, and a 1-piece. The live video for “The Comeback Kid” had a fuller band, which was amazing, but it’s really a budgetary thing. If I had the money, I’d bring them along for sure.
SILY: You can also tell a unique story with the structure of a live set, even if not a narrative, with the ups and downs.
LO: Yeah yeah, for sure! I wrote most of the songs on guitar in my living room. I wouldn’t be doing my job properly if I couldn’t interpret and play them just like that. I think they do lend themselves to being played all sorts of ways. It’s really about the story, and the whole idea of the record was traversing the darkness and your inner demons and going through the dark tunnel and coming out victorious into the light. That all stems from songs I had written prior. For myself, I was going through dark times so I wrote some dark songs. Then I found out those dark songs helped people through dark times in their lives. That sparked the whole idea for the record and wanting to make a narrative. I feel like there are other songs from my other records that could also fit into that narrative in a live set.
SILY: Have people told you that either Liberty or your revealing your Body Dysmorphic Disorder helped them?
LO: Yeah, definitely, on both parts. I wrote an article about it for Lenny Letter, and right after that came out, a bunch of people were messaging me and telling me they had similar struggles, or they’d tell me about depression and anxiety in general. It was amazing to see that it had somewhat of an impact. It was nice to be like, “Me too, and you’re not alone.” It was nice to reach out and tell them that. People come up to me at shows and say the same thing. The best thing about shows for that type of thing is I can actually hug somebody and we can have a moment about it. It feels super genuine and comforting. That’s always amazing to me. I know it’s hard to talk about those kind of things, as I’ve gone through them. It’s hard to talk about it to a stranger, let alone somebody you’re paying to see at a concert. At the end, you’re standing in line to get your CD signed and you tell them some dark and personal things. I truly appreciate they can share these things with me and that somehow my music is able to help them.
SILY: You don’t even need your specific personal context for Liberty have an impact. Like you said, it’s broadly about fighting through adversity. It’s universal.
LO: I really wanted to steer away from keeping it only about me. The idea was for everybody to see themselves in the songs, and the songs to be able to help them with whatever struggle they were going through. I decided to keep it open to interpretation so people could write their own story to them.
SILY: Do you have a favorite song from it?
LO: It always changes. I really love playing “The Comeback Kid” live. I get excited when that hits the set. I love the musicality of it.
SILY: Do you have any regrets about leaving Last Gang Records, or are you positive it was the right thing to do for you?
LO: I’m positive it was the right thing to do for me. Everybody’s story is different, and all musicians have different paths they take and travel, but this is the path for me. I have no regrets at all.
SILY: What was the main reason you wanted to self-release records?
LO: I just wanted to be my own person musically and not have to go through a bunch of different people to get things done. I had my own path and trajectory. We had different visions for who I wanted to be. They are a label, and I don’t begrudge my experience with them. They did a lot for me, and I appreciate it and feel honored to have worked with them. I felt it was time for me to take my own path and do my own thing. They’re a great label and do great work for other people and want to make people famous and give them a big chance. That’s amazing. For me, I’m just happy existing doing what I do and don’t have any long-term plans of being a pop star.
SILY: What’s your favorite part about self-releasing?
LO: Owning my masters. I like to own my music. It’s an important thing for me. I wrote it, I created it. It’s my baby. I don’t like to give up my masters. When you sign to labels, that’s one thing they would like to have. I’m happy they’re mine and nobody else has them.
SILY: Are you working on any other new music?
LO: No, I’m not. Liberty just came out 7 months ago [laughs]. I’ve had 90+ dates since January. I’ve been busy touring and haven’t had much time to take a breath, let alone write any more songs, except for Kickstarter. I think I’m going to focus on touring the remainder of this record. Then, I’ll see. Maybe I’ll take a step back and see what I want to do next. I did a Spaghetti Western, so who knows what I’ll do next. The world is my oyster.
SILY: You don’t have to write an album like you might if you were signed. Or, if you write something and finish it, now you don’t have to wait a year and a half because of the release schedule.
LO: Yeah! Or the other side is having to strike when the iron is hot. You have a small window to create something. Your creativity is forced into “Let’s write a record, you’re home from tour for 3 weeks!” Then it starts all over again. It’s interesting, the model of how the industry works. I just like to make authentic music. I don’t have a desire to rush into putting things out. I just want to take my time with my next project and do something honest and authentic that feels good that I work really hard on. I think it’s good to take time to put music out. That’s the way the industry works--it’s not conducive to taking time. It’s always trying to put you out there and keep you relevant. It’s hard for artists to take time. It used to be a little easier when people would take a year to record a record or be gone for a few years and come back. It’s a lot more difficult these days. Not having a label means I can do what I want. We’ll see how it goes. It all depends on how the creativity strikes me when it all settles down. If I’m in the right mood, great, but if I feel like I need to sit back, reflect, and take some time, I’ll do that.
SILY: What are your favorite and least favorite parts of being on tour?
LO: It’s nice to go to new and different cities, and it’s nice to go back to the same cities and see friends you’ve made. I really love vintage shopping, so whenever I get a chance I’ll go to vintage stores around town. I’m a foodie, so I like finding good eats. I also really love seeing friends after the shows and getting to talk to them and seeing them face-to-face. Getting to know them. Things I don’t like: super early morning flights where I get one and a half hours of sleep and have to play a show that night. That’s not fun. Poor diets, roadside food, too much Taco Bell. Sound issues is another thing that bothers me. Whenever there are technical difficulties. I’ve had that issue before. But you just go with the flow and try your best and have fun and be positive.
SILY: Is there anything you’ve been listening to, watching, or reading lately that’s caught your attention?
LO: You know, I’ve been getting into--and it’s old music--Mary Ford and Les Paul. A lot. It’s my favorite thing right now. Out of Canada, I’m a huge fan of Colter Wall. I’m super loving him these days. It’s really great to see Canadian country acts getting out there and doing Americana and country.
Tour dates:
Sun., Nov. 4 / SPACE / Evanston, IL, US*
Tues., Nov. 6 / Hi-Fi Lounge / Indianapolis, IN, US*
Weds., Nov. 7 / Songbirds / Chattanooga, TN, US*
Thurs., Nov. 8 / Proud Larry’s / Oxford, MS, US*
Mon., Nov. 12 / Rockefeller’s / Houston, TX, US*
Tues., Nov. 13 / Parish / Austin, TX, US*
Fri., Nov. 16 / Wave – Indoor Stage / Wichita, KS, US
Sat., Nov. 17 / Knucklehead Saloon / Kansas City, MO, US
*Denotes co-bill with Dustbowl Revival
