Who are your musical influences and what inspires you to create?
I have so many I could fill pages but, my important earliest influences were Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, Karla Bonoff and Bonnie Raitt. I wore their albums out! Over the years I drew inspiration from bands like Fleetwood Mac, The Pretenders, REM. Sheryl Crow, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Kathy Mattea, Kim Richey, Shawn Colvin, Nanci Griffith, Patty Griffin, Lucinda Williams, John Gorka, Kevin Welch, Emmylou Harris, the list goes on and on.
What inspires me to write?
Lots of things!
A drive in the country, a walk on a warm, sunny day. The mountains, love, loss, happiness, friends, family, life events, special causes such as raising awareness for Alzheimer's Disease, poverty and economical struggles, books, movies, tv shows! Whatever is in my heart that I need to be express.
What is your opinion on the current state of the music industry and what are the pros/cons of being an independent artist?
The music industry today has changed drastically in good ways and bad. One of the pros today, of course, is your music can reach many people on the internet through YouTube, pod-casts, internet radio, iTunes, social media etc. So many artists and bands have built a huge fan base without a record company. As long as you have the computer savvy to do so and the time to spend at it, you can do well atcontrolling your own indie career. But still, with all that at your fingertips, unless you are very good at marketing, lots of us still need a team to help get our music out to the public. One of the cons of being an indie artist is that the economy has hit the music industry as a whole very hard, making it tough for artists to get work as much as they would like too. It's more about numbers and filling the seats in lots of venues today instead of being about the music. That is unfortunate because people who attend shows are missing out on lots of great, undiscovered talent, but understandable, that the venues need funds to stay afloat too! It is crucial that fans get out to hear their favorite artists because without them, those artists and bands careers can not thrive. There are still venues who take a chance on indie and unknown artists and we appreciate them so much! Another con is people aren't buying CD's as much today. They prefer to download songs, so they may choose to buy only one or two songs and not give the entire album a chance. On the other side of that, if they like what they hear, they can always go back and download more.
If you could spend an hour with any musician, living or dead, who would it be, and why?
I'd have to say Joni Mitchell. I would love to be in the presence of a genius! I was such a Joni freak that one time, when I had tickets to see her in concert, I was fighting the flu and had a very high fever the day of the show. Did I stay home in bed? Of course not! I could not miss that show!! Joni shaped the lives of so many female singer-songwriters of my generation. I think I would fall over myself if I got the chance to meet her!
What are your aspirations for 2013 and beyond?
For 2013, I hope to get out and perform more, doing shows in areas that I haven't had the opportunity to get to. I would love to write and record another album. I hope to continue on this journey that I love being on for as long as people will listen.
How do you feel to have won a LadyLake Indie Award?
It is a thrill and an honor to be a LadyLake winner. This is my second win and it feels great to be recognized for the work not only that I have put into this album, but all who worked on it with me. Writing is hard work, though very rewarding, it's always nice to hear you're doing something right!! Cindy and Jen are sweet, hard working women and I am so happy they included me on their list of winners.
Links and Info:
Management/Publicity: Trespass Music, Michelle Fortier, 519-300-5954, michelle@trespassmusic.org
Radio Promotion: Trespass Music, Tracey Delfino, 774-269-3834 tracey@trespassmusic.org
EPK: http://www.trespassmusic.org/artists/lorettahagen/
Website: http://www.lorettahagen.com
Title Track 'Mud and Stone': http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45X3VQzIo6o
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