June 27, 2007

Casey Stratton is the red-eyed singer with a voice as intense as his mane. He caught up with me last month to answer some questions about his new disc, the music industry, and why he blogs.

Your new recording is called The Crossing. What’s your favorite track on the album?
My favorites tend to shift all the time. Right now I’d say that my favorite track is “Static Into Sound.” I like the sentiment of it. For some people it can take a lot to admit that you need someone else.

I assume you’ll tour to support the record. Any plans yet? I’ll buy you a drink if you come back to New York.
We’re planning to tour in the fall. Summer is rough. People are busy. So I’m waiting. Hopefully gas prices will go down in the meantime! Also, I’m never one to turn down a drink so I’ll have to take you up on your offer!

You’ve blogged over at Live Journal for some time now. What prompted you to write an online journal? Do you read others?
I started my journal in 2004 when I was living in New York. I had begun to read other blogs and a few people I knew had Live Journal blogs. I decided that having a journal would be a way to share some of my ‘real life” experiences with the fans and such. That’s why I have no issues with doing memes or quizzes or anything. It keeps me grounded in reality. I read my “Friends” page every single day. I think that it is fascinating to be reading about people’s lives from all over the world. I read TONS of blogs. I love them.

I must admit that the other reason I started blogging on LJ was because Sony had mentioned having a blog on my official website at the time, but they wanted to approve every entry I wrote before posting them. Um…no. LOL

On your blog you wrote an entry I was fascinated by about how the seasons affect your songs. During what season was The Crossing written and recorded and how did it affect the outcome?
Something that makes the records interesting and diverse, in my opinion, is that most of them are written throughout at least 3 seasons. Most of my records take about 9 months to a year to write and record. The Crossing began in the spring of 2005 and continued through the early spring of 2006 so I wrote for almost a full year on this one. My hard drives are set up with folders that are titled “New Spring 2005” and “New Winter 2006” and so on, so even then I am compartmentalizing the songs in relation to the seasons. The majority of the tracks that made the record were from the winter and spring sessions, so I think that adds a nice dichotomy to the record. A mixture of more hopeful sounding songs and darker ones.

I’ve been training for a marathon and in doing so have listened to more and more dance music. I repeatedly find myself going back to the tracks Junior Vasquez mixed of yours. Were you happy with them? Any plans to remix recent recordings?
Best of luck with the marathon. I can’t even imagine. To be honest Dance music is not really my thing unless I’m in a club, for the most part. Junior and I had a bit of a falling out, but I’m in good company on that front. It seems you’re no one until you fight with Junior. I do enjoy hearing the mixes when I’m out and about, though. It was something different and fun to do. No concrete plans to remix anything at this point, but you never know.

One of my best friends was signed to Warner Brothers in the 1990s. She now releases her own music, so I have seen the ups and downs of independently releasing music. What do you miss most about a major label backing you?
Well I think the operative phrase here is “backing me.” I do miss having a giant recording budget and string orchestras, but for the most part I don’t miss being signed. Once the record was done, the internal politics of the BMG merger caused them to stop backing me altogether. I watched as my marketing budget was slashed by 75%. I knew then that the album would not get the push it deserved. It happens all the time, so you just get back on the horse and keep making music. It would be nice to have the resources of a big company again, but I don’t think it’s worth it creatively and my loyalty lies to the creation of music first and foremost.

What’s the greatest pleasure of releasing your own music?
For me the greatest part of releasing music on my own is that I don’t have 20 people trying to change everything all the time. I get to decide what goes on the record and in what sequence. Therefore the albums feel more personal and I think my fan base can recognize that. It adds to the intimacy of the music. Like they say, too many cooks can spoil the broth.

I use music particularly if I am in a bad mood. It cheers me up. When you need inspiration which artists do you listen to?
If I’m having a bad day I go straight for the Tori Amos, Kate Bush, Sarah McLachlan, Paula Cole section of my music library. I have always used songs to get through the rough times. When it comes down to it that is what inspired me to become a songwriter in the first place. I was originally going to be an opera singer, but one day I decided I wanted to make albums.

What song would you like to cover most?
I have always wanted to cover “Troy” by Sinead O’Connor or “New World” by Bjork with a full orchestra behind me. Maybe one day!

One last question. Who has more fun: blondes, brunettes, or redheads?
That’s a tricky one for me since I’m naturally blonde. Even so I think redheads have the most fun…especially when it comes to being wild. Redheads can get in a lot of trouble. Even when you’re red from a bottle. In fact maybe ESPECIALLY us fake ones. If you go out of your way to have bright red hair you know you’re looking for a wild time!