Tracy Bonham
The Liverpool Sessions (CherryDisc)
An interview with Tracy Bonham
by J. Ammo
The meteoric rise of singer/songwriter/ instrumentalist Tracy Bonham out of the Boston music scene has surprised everyone and sickened a few more. The Oregon-born, classically-trained violinist came to Boston to attend school. One of them being Berklee College of Music (an experience she feels chagrined by) where she studied as a vocal major and found herself surviving with jobs ranging from waitressing to singing jingles.
Her local notoriety came quickly during the summer of 1994. Her song on Curve of the Earth’s Girl compilation, “The One” (expertly produced by the Elevator Drops’ Hager Brothers), made its way into heavy rotation on major market radio station, WFNX. No one was especially surprised, given that type of exposure, when she was signed with Island Records shortly thereafter.
Island agreed with local label, CherryDisc, that the regional release of an EP would help the area’s familiarity with the relatively unknown artist. The six-song CD/vinyl collection, The Liverpool Sessions, should be out sometime this month. Meanwhile, I had a chance to discuss this sudden success with her…
What brought you to Boston from Eugene originally?
I came to be a “singah!”
Our reputation reaches that far?
Yeah well, I’m hesitant to say it, but I came to study voice at Berklee College of Music. I was very disappointed. I thought it was a crock of shit. It felt like a trade school for mechanics.
Tell me about your experience with the violin.
I was classically trained from the age of nine. My sister played the guitar first, then my mom pulled the violin out of the attic and said, “Here, try this on.” She was a music teacher and it was just a natural thing when I picked it up. I studied at USC and had aspirations to be a symphony player, but from the earliest age I had also been singing, so there was always a conflict for me about what I really wanted to do. The classical path finally burned me out, and I started to focus more on singing.
You still play it on stage though?
When I’m not playing guitar.
How did you get hooked up with Alvan Long and Curve of the Earth?
Through my friend, Mike LeVeque, who knew a lot of people. The sound of that production had a lot to do with the Hagers. Josh had a lot of ideas, like putting the violin through a Leslie and a distortion pedal. There are all kinds of things flying around in there. His brother was banging a necklace against a cymbal, making it sound like a helicopter going by. It was fun.
Are there any obligations or plans between you and Curve?
We’re just really good friends. Josh Hager produced the CherryDisc album.
How does Island feel about you releasing six songs on a local label?
That was something I had planned to do, regardless. Actually, the Island people think it’s a really good idea, too. There’s no way that we’re ready to do any kind of major thing right now. Nobody knows who the hell I am. We haven’t been playing out that long. It was just a good idea to stay on that course, keep moving, and get something out locally.
When do you start working with Island?
We’ll probably begin recording the album this summer. As far as when it will be released, that could be anywhere from September to 1996. We’re not trying to make a big deal, we just want to get our feet wet before we jump in and say, “Hey! We’re on a major label.” Y’know?
Tell me about the song “Bigfoot” that closes the EP.
Oh yeah! My grandpa made that up around a campfire when I was little. We were all playing beer cans and whiffle bats and folding chairs on the tape. I was glad we put that on the record.
Although she was suffering from a cold she caught traveling back from the band’s appearance at Austin’s South by Southwest industry shebang, I found Tracy to be a fun, animated and down-to-earth person. The Liverpool Sessions is a showcase of her considerable talent as a songwriter and a performer. One of the most promising pop releases in some time.
