Stepping Out Solo

Rip It Up, Issue 243, 1 November 1997, Page 15

Stepping Out Solo

Fans of American alternative/college rock are, of course, likely way too cool to admit to putting up posters of their favourite artists. Chances are, though, more than a few young males into this genre have adorned their bedroom walls with pin-ups of Boston singer/ J' songwriter Tanya Donelly.

Donelly merits pin-up status on both physical and creative grounds. Her looks somehow blend hints of her European ancestry (mostly Irish, Scottish and Hungarian) with a wholesome American beauty. And musically, Tanya has, over the past decade, been involved with several of the most significant bands in modern American rock. At just 16, she picked up her guitar and joined half-sister Kristin Hersh in Throwing Muses. In 1986, they became the first American band signed to prestigious British label 4AD, and attracted a significant cult following on both sides of the Atlantic. In 1990, Tanya joined Kim Deal in the first (short-lived) incarnation of the Breeders, and then stepped more into the spotlight as leader and primary songwriter in her own band, Belly. Their brand of melodic yet introspective rock broke through commercially, netting Yankee gold with their album Star, but when they imploded, Donelly’s life went into a tailspin. According to her label bio notes, “in Belly we were all coming from different places musically. For a while, that tension was a positive thing, but eventually we started to stifle each other.” Over coffee in Toronto recently, Tanya candidly revealed that “after Belly broke up, I went through a very down phase. Not to be as dramatic as to say it was a breakdown of some kind, but I couldn’t touch my guitar. I didn’t want to listen to music. I was just so depressed, and devastated by that feeling. I planned on taking a long time off but I got bored and went back into the studio!” The result is Lovesongs For Underdogs, the first Tanya Donelly solo album. It is sure to please fans of the work of her earlier bands, but also shows her stretching herself musically. “I’m really proud of it. I sort of sequenced it in a way which points out the direction I’m heading towards. It starts with ground we’ve covered before and moves into stuff I want to do.” Which is a good sign, as tunes like ‘Goat Girl’ and ‘Manna’ show Tanya taking more chances, musically and lyrically. “One thing I work on consciously now is fighting the impulse to edit or censor myself. I do that, and it’s no good to anyone. It’s like when you tell someone too much about yourself after a couple of glasses of wine and you just hate yourself the next day. Sometimes I feel like that about songs, it makes me kind of angry that people listen to them!. So I’m trying to get rid of that, or at least trying to separate myself as a person from them.” Stepping out solo suits Tanya’s temperament. “It means less music by committee, which I’m not good at. If I have something in my head, I just want to play it, not have a meeting about it! In hindsight, it [going solo] looks as if it’s calculated, but it’s more just timing. When I was in Throwing Muses I was happy. I didn’t have any grand schemes or aspirations, but it just sort of happened I turned into more of a songwriter. That’s absolutely the most satisfying part of all this now.” As part of her increased control over her work, Donelly co-produced Lovesongs. “I’ve been doing this for 13 years, so I know what I

want to sound like. I don’t have the language totally down, and I’m not particularly interested in the technical stuff. That’s where a coproducer comes in.” Much of that role was taken by engineer Wally Gagel, who worked on Folk Implosion’s hit ‘The Natural One’ as well as Sebadoh’s Harmacy. On hand for four tracks, including first single ‘Pretty Deep,’ is Gary Smith, who has previously worked with the Pixies, Throwing Muses, and juliana Hatfield. Smith is also Donelly’s manager, as well as owner of legendary Boston studio Fort Apache. Scarcely surprising then that Tanya recorded at Fort Apache. “It’s very much a home away from home. Because this [going solo] is such a big, weird step for me, I did want to keep it as homey as possible. All the musicians on the record are people I’ve known for a decade.” These included all-star drummers David Lovering (Pixies), David Narcizo (Throwing Muses), and Stacey Jones (Veruca Salt, Letters to Cleo), guitarist Rich Gilbert (Zulus, Human Sexual Response) and former Juliana Hatfield Three bassist, Dean Fisher, who doubles as Tanya’s hubby. Donelly enjoys the camaraderie of the Boston scene. “There’s not much bitchiness, which is nice. It’s a close-knit community. Everyone supports each other, plays with each other, goes to each other’s shows. There was a period of time in Boston where it was pretty catty — in the post-Nirvana signing frenzy. People got weird then, but it’s much more comfortable now.” In the late 80s heyday of the Boston scene (Pixies, Throwing Muses, Dinosaur Jr etc.), was Tanya aware of the musically fertile terrain she was inhabiting? “No, we just took it for granted. I wish I’d been more aware of it, as I’d have felt cooler or something. We were just so young we just thought that was what the world was like. Back then, we didn’t expect to be famous or even make a good living from music. No one ever did. It’s very different now, with negatives and positives. I’m glad so many people can make a living now, but the negative is that people’s motives are impure now,” she laughs sardonically. On ‘Mysteries Of The Unexplained,’ a song on Lovesongs, Tanya states ‘all your heroes are whores,’ and she rather courageously addresses the taboo topic of radio station payola. “That was a sour grapes day,” she laughs. “In some ways I think people should know why music reaches their ears sometimes, what has to be done in order for that to happen.” Her label bio lauds Tanya and comrades Kristin Hersh and Kelly Deal as groundbreakers for women in rock ‘n’ roll. Donelly modestly offers, “I think the doors were starting to open and we added our weight to that. There have always been women in music, but not always female songwriters up front. Now I’m a little more graceful about accepting compliments

like that or accepting that maybe we were instrumental, no pun intended, in encouraging women to play. My whole life I’ve got letters from young women saying, ‘I started playing today because of you and Kristin.’ That’s a thrill tome.” Yet, Tanya isn’t totally enamoured of the Lilith Fair concept. “I’ll preface my comments by saying it sounds like a really fun hen party to me. I’m sure it was a blast backstage. But I spend a lot of time in interview situations separating myself from women in rock and , trying to do away with that [tag]. It just doesn’t make sense any more. I know a lot of the women involved in Lilith Fair go through the same things, so it does sort of surprise me that they’d encourage that kind of event.” . Tanya observes that, “England is definitely ahead of the USA in terms of gender evolution

[for women in bands].” Lovesongs For Underdogs has been getting some rave reviews there, and Donelly says she has missed the usual British press backlash. “I think I’m so much of a dinosaur to them I’m not worthy of their cruelty. They just accept Kristin and I as not relevant to their new scenes, so they’re kinder with us than with their own kind, who they crucify.” Donelly has started headlining a North American club tour, and would love to get back to New Zealand. “We’re definitely playing in Australia, and we’re talking about Big Day Out. I love New Zealand. I was very blown away by - the varying topography there, jungles and beaches and desert and mountains. Just amazing. We played one show in Auckland, but got to spend three days in New Zealand.”

"it means Less music by committee, iihich I'm not good at. if 1 have something in my head, 1 Just want to play it, not have a meeting about it!"

KERRY DOOLE