Intro:
Laurie Biagini is a one-woman Sunshine-Pop machine! Not only does she write her own songs, but she plays (and sings) just about all of the parts on her records. Add to this album design and video production, along with various gigs in Vancouver, Liverpool, and LA – and you wonder how she writes such amazing tunes. And she does all this on top of a full-time job. She must be a master of time management (writing songs on her commute is one clue) - because she is already working on album number four!

EC: You've played the piano since age five, but only just started writing music since August 2006 - why the long wait?!

Laurie: Oh there's so many reasons (excuses). I've always had melodies pop into my mind, but I never thought I could ever be a songwriter. There was a confidence issue as well - I didn't know if people would actually like the music since the melodies that were coming to me sounded like they came from the 60's, while the rest of the world seemed to be following the mainstream direction through the 80's, 90's and into the millennium. It wasn't until 2006 when a song came to me with both music and lyrics simultaneously, while a voice in my head was saying "You must record this", that I actually ever considered following through with any song ideas. The positive response from people on the Internet after recording that first song, and posting it on Myspace, was enough to boost my confidence to continue.

EC: You are obviously a big music fan, but what was the first record you bought?

Laurie: “Endless Summer” - The Beach Boys. I still have it!

EC: Did you play with any bands before your "solo career"?

Laurie: I did play with a few cover bands for a few years after I graduated from University. Funny how that got started - I was at a friend's party, and they had a piano in the living room. The friend asked me to play a song for everyone, and soon it turned into a thing where other party guests were requesting songs, which, most of them I could play (since I play by ear). At that party happened to be the bass player of a local cover band and he called the lead singer and held the phone up to the piano, telling him, "Listen to this!", as I was playing "Great Balls of Fire". The following Tuesday I found myself at their soundman's practice space and I was soon part of this cover band.

That was fun for awhile, but also quite stressful for me, there was some tension in that band, and it was difficult to handle the drama and conflicting priorities. I just wanted to play music, others preferred to spend the time partaking in substances which I wanted no part of. The next band the bass player and I formed, was fine for awhile. The players were more interested in the music and the gigs were great, but things came to a halt when a jealous girlfriend of one of the band members wanted to play keyboards and they wanted me to stand in the back, hidden away, while the girlfriend would be pretending to play the keys up front. Very sad and disillusioned from that, I left the band and then lost all spirit to play music anymore; I didn't touch my piano for several years.

EC: I love the story of how your first song came to you on your work commute. Do you get alot of song ideas this way?

Laurie: Yes, I don't know what it is about riding that commuter train, but I get a lot of ideas that come to me while commuting home from work. I keep a notebook with me to jot them down, and then try out what I'm hearing in my mind, when I get home. Other songs typically will come to me when I am either just falling asleep, or when I wake up from a dream.

EC: The age-old question - which normally comes to you first, words or music? Or Both?

Laurie: I'd say 98% of the time, the music comes first. My ear is geared that way. At the same time, I am also getting ideas for lyrical themes from conversations with people, observations, and the way I tend to use a lot of metaphors to present an alternative view of situations or people. The hard part is matching up the right words to suit the vibe of the music. Most of the time I will record the instrumental for a song, and sing a melody of nonsense words - then listen to it on the train about 100 times or so until my imagination can determine what words spring to mind to fit the musical phrasing of the verses and chorus. Sometimes it takes only a few days, other times it can take up to 6 months to get the right words.

EC: Do you mainly right songs on the keyboards? Or do you ever write them on guitar?

Laurie: Typically I start out with a drum beat and an acoustic rhythm guitar pattern when first trying out my ideas. After those have been recorded, I'll quickly apply a melody track on piano. That basically becomes a quick sketch file to build upon. Later the piano melody gets replaced by my own vocals. However, the first time I try out an idea, before any recording starts, it's all piano, since that's quick and effortless for me, and helps to set the song in my mind before starting any recording.

EC: I'm curious, what kind of recording set-up do you use? Is that your studio in the "You're A Dangerous Thing" video?

Laurie: Yes, that's my studio in "You're a Dangerous Thing"! My recording setup is pretty basic. I have my digital piano plugged into a small mixer, that can toggle between an audio piano, and a midi keyboard. The mixer is then connected to an audio/midi interface, an external sound card; which then goes into my studio PC. I also have condenser and dynamic mics, for vocals, percussion, and guitar recordings. To record tracks, I use Steinberg's Cubase Studio 5. This software was probably the most challenging part of the recording process; it's not easy to learn, but I think I've finally got a grasp on how to use it. When I first started recording back in 2006, I used Cubase SE.

EC: The liner notes on your CD describe the song, "No Other Like You" as "a song written in tribute to a great artist and songwriter who is no longer with us." Can you tell me who this is about? Is it Dennis Wilson?

Laurie: Actually it's about Gene Clark of The Byrds. While I was recording the most recent album, I discovered the catalogue of The Byrds, and was particularly interested in the songwriting of Gene Clark. Hearing a lot of his songs for the first time, I was quite impressed and it had an impact on me. This song was written in tribute to him, and there are a lot of clue words in the lyrics that refer directly to him and his songs.

EC: I've seen the clips of you playing live at the IPO at the Cavern Club, it must have been a blast playing there! (I'm sooo jealous!) I know you've played at many IPO events - how do you like playing live?

Laurie: Playing the International Pop Overthrow at The Cavern was an incredible experience. It was such a surreal feeling that after we launched into the first song "A Far-Out Place", for a second, I was a bit overwhelmed, realizing where I was standing and almost forgot what I was doing. Playing live is great when there's a band to back you, and I was very lucky to have Richard Snow and the Inlaws, as well as Maxi Dunn and Val Johnson-Howe (on vocals) helping me out in Liverpool when I was there. When I play the IPO shows in Vancouver, it's just me and my piano, which is quite a different sound. I'm careful to choose which songs to perform when going solo, as I want to be able to pull it off with enough energy and quality to give the song justice. I'm completely at ease when on stage, whether alone or with a band, my biggest worry is whether I can do the best possible performance to make the songs sound as energetic as they do in my studio recordings.

EC: You've had a couple of back up bands (Including Richard Snow and the Inlaws!), but have you ever thought about doing the live gig thing regularly? Maybe getting a "permanent" band together?

Laurie: The thought crosses my mind all the time. I would love to do that, but then the time commitment and past experiences (from the cover band days) hinder me from following through. I did put a few ads out on Craigs List looking for band members, but only one bite - which later said that the music was not his style. So it's kind of discouraging. I work full-time and don't have a lot of time and energy to form a band, and so this is why I still don't have one.

EC: If there was any artist (dead or alive) that you could share the stage with, who would it be?

Laurie: The Beach Boys!

EC: I love the videos on your youtube channel youtube channel. So many of your songs have a real "visual" vibe. For instance, "An Innocent Love" would make a great parody video of '60s beach movies - and "The Invisible Guy" has such a '60s Spy-movie feel! Does the video creation come much after the song, or do you ever have the vision on your head as you are recording them as to how a video would go?

Laurie: The video ideas always happen after the song is finished. I get ideas sometimes while on the train, or else I might take a song and Google a few keywords from the lyrics and see what comes up. That is how I found the footage for "The Invisible Guy". The hardest part in making the videos is finding public domain or creative commons content that I can use that matches the theme or vibe of the song. I make all the videos myself, so it has also been a bit of a learning curve learning how to use the software. There have been a lot of ideas I've had for the videos that have not come to fruition, as I don't have the budget nor resources for video production.

EC: Any live gigs coming up?

Laurie: The only confirmed gig at the moment will be the Vancouver International Pop Overthrow (August 29 - Sept 1, 2012). I want to spend the rest of the year working on the album, some new videos and perhaps there could be something happening in Los Angeles in 2013, as a band in California has recently offered to back me.

EC: I understand that a new album is already in the works? Tell me about it!

Laurie: The fourth album is currently untitled, that usually comes to me as a surprise as I write the songs. One song usually jumps out "Ta-da!!!, it will be the title track!!" partway through creating it. I have one song finished, called "Two Of A Kind" that has been enjoying a lot of airplay recently, and presently there are three more songs that are in progress. I'll just keep writing and recording until I have a dozen or more songs ready. I like to have them mastered as each one gets finished, and upload to either Soundcloud or my Reverbnation page, to give people a taste of what is to come, and also their feedback helps me decide whether the song is a keeper - their feedback is very much appreciated. The songs also get sent out to the DJ's in advance of the album release, which has worked out very well for me, the airplay always helps to generate interest in my music. I am hoping for a spring 2013 release for this album, but we'll see how it goes this year.