I love music. All kinds (except Jazz. Seriously — all that boodee boodee did-diddly doop makes my ears bleed.) I like hearing new musicians, finding new great songs to inspire me.
So, when Ellen Lerner contacted me on Myspace and asked if I wanted to be her music “friend” based on our mutual admiration for Joshua Radin, I took a mosey on over and listened to her songs. And then I asked her to take part in my new Music Monday gig (which is something like the Minions thing only it’s for music people.)
So, here she is! Ellen Lerner!
1. Could you please tell us a bit about yourself? How you got started, how long you’ve been playing, anything you’d like the world to know about you…here’s your chance. :)
I was told I was singing before I was talking. I don’t read music… I play by ear and I started playing the piano when I was 3. I played on a little toy piano until my parents bought me a piano when I was 5. Everyday after school, I would run home to play the piano… it was all I wanted to do. I wrote my first song when I was 7 years old. It was called Rainy Day and I have it on tape somewhere in my huge pile of music!!
Music has gotten me through some really hard times… especially when I lost my Dad at 14. I dedicated my first album to him.
2. Do you write your all your own songs? Music and lyrics?
I do write all of my own songs. Music and lyrics. i have never written with anyone else. It is a very personal thing for me.
3. Do you have a process you follow for each song, or is each a different journey?
I don’t really have a process. I’ll hear something someone says on the street, or in a movie, or I’ll have a dream…. the music usually comes first and then the lyrics follow. I usually write a song in a night. I rarely go back to “fix it”
I believe that what came out was supposed to be, so I just leave it as is….
4. Do you set aside specific writing time, or do you scribble on the backs of napkins when the mood hits?
I have always been known to scribble on napkins, scraps of paper, etc. I don’t have a routine. Whenever I feel inspired… that’s when I write.
5. Is there anything else you’d like my readers to know about any specific songs, your music, or you…
Anything else they can read on my page. My favorite room to play in Phila is The Tin Angel. It is a true listening room.
I have been to the Grammys… I have played in LA and NYC, but Philly is my home and my most favorite place to play.
Thanks to Ellen for appearing here today! Check out her music and learn more about her here. And read reviews of and buy her CD here!
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