At Lonesome Highway we like to introduce new artists to our readers, and our strong focus has been to champion important talent that perhaps goes unnoticed in the busy whirlwind that is social media these days. Lisa Cerbone has been creating music since she was a teenager growing up in New Jersey and her debut album appeared as far back as 1993. Subsequent releases built upon a growing reputation as an insightful songwriter and a vibrant talent, with her 2008 album WE WERE ALL TOGETHER attracting great media praise. Lisa has always written songs of real depth and has created an atmosphere around the arrangements that is very much considered and spacious in the delivery. Contemporary songwriting doesn't come any better than witnessed on her latest album WE STILL HAVE SKY. It is without doubt one of the strongest albums to surface at Lonesome Highway this year and we took some time out to chat with Lisa to discover more about her interesting journey and how she creates her superbly nuanced songs.
Congratulations on the release of the new album. Have you been pleased with the media reaction to date?
Thank you. Yes, I have been really surprised. I jumped back into recording with a “let’s see how this goes” mentality. I just wanted to have fun recording, which was my goal. In fact, I didn’t even realize that it would end up being an entire record of songs. I hoped it could be. Everything happened in such a natural way. So, any kind of attention it has received has gone beyond my expectations. The people who have taken the time to listen and review it have really done a deep dive and written about it so beautifully.
There has been quite a gap since your last release, WE WERE ALL TOGETHER, back in 2008. What prompted your return to the recording process after such a lengthy break?
I continued writing a lot during that span of time, but I just became so busy as a parent. I also worked on my Master's degree little by little, taking one class at a time. I think there was a period within that time when I thought, “Why continue recording?” This was a crazy thought on my part because why not do something that makes you feel really happy? I think once my kids were grown, I felt more comfortable revisiting that part of myself.
Were the songs written over a number of years or did they come together more recently?
They had been written over a number of years. I think some of the lyrics here and there changed with time and with the way I was feeling. When choosing the songs to record, I looked for songs that shared a common thread, some kind of connection with each other.
What changes, if any, have you noticed in the recording process over the gap between the albums?
I’m glad I don’t have to lug around 2-inch analog tape anymore! I do tend to like working in home studios a little more because you’re not so pressed for time, and it is more in tune with how the songs were written at home. I think recording equipment now can do so much more as far as perfecting sound, but we made a conscious decision not to use those things in order to get a more natural, organic sound. Autotune, for example, can make the recording sound like it was created by a machine, so we stayed away from that.
You collaborated with Mark Kozelek on production and he has worked with you in the past. How did you both meet?
About 25 years ago, Mark was performing in Baltimore. He borrowed my guitar because he needed an extra for his show. We went out to dinner and just talked a lot about music. I sent him some of my music, and we decided to work together. I was so surprised and thrilled that he wanted to work with me because I had been such a fan of his music. We worked on Ordinary Days in San Francisco and finished it at my house in Maryland. We remained friends through the years. We started discussing the possibility of working on another recording, and so, that is what we did last summer. He is always so patient with me, has such great ideas, and is so easy to work with.
He is well respected for his work with both Red House Painters and Sun Kil Moon. What did he bring to the new album in terms of inspiration?
He added background vocals, guitar, percussion, and banjo. One thing he could do that I have never seen anyone else do was harmonize with himself without having to hear his other harmonies. He is so gifted musically that whatever he added was done so seamlessly and quickly. He is also very supportive and has a strong work ethic, which I think we share. He made the process of recording go so smoothly.
You live in Maryland today but grew up in New Jersey. What was it like growing up in your old neighbourhood back then?
I grew up in the 70s. We had a lot of freedom then. In the summers, we would get on our bikes in the morning and go on little adventures all day. There was always so much to do: sleigh riding and ice skating in the winter, swimming in the summer. We were always playing kickball in the streets and all kinds of games. It really was a great time and place to grow up.
I believe that you were initially drawn to poetry and writing as your initial interests?
Yes, I was. I have always wanted to be a writer since I was very young. I remember telling people when I was in 2nd grade that I wanted to be a writer. I don’t think I was very good at it until I was in college. I took a lot of creative writing courses where I got some helpful feedback. I always loved music too, so I started putting the two together.
When did music appear on your radar and was there a creative environment within your family?
I remember listening to Top 40 music religiously when I was in elementary school. It was always on, and I listened so intently, really studying it. Later, I started listening to bands like Fleetwood Mac and would sit on my bed with the albums, studying the lyrics. My brothers played in bands. My older brother liked Led Zeppelin and would practice John Paul Jones' bass parts. I vividly remember him teaching himself how to play "Ramble On" in our living room. My younger brother played the drums and was in a heavy metal band that practiced in his bedroom. You could hear them practicing all the way up the street. When they would leave, I would sneak into his room and play the guitar through the amp. I had taught myself some chords on a cheap acoustic guitar I bought. There were always so many styles of music playing in our house—everything from Frank Sinatra, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Carole King, to AC/DC.
Who were your early musical influences when you started to write your own compositions?
I was obsessed with Joni Mitchell. I think Hejira was the record that inspired me the most. It had more of a melodic, languid sound that told a story. I also really liked Simon and Garfunkel, Bruce Springsteen, and Suzanne Vega. I always gravitated toward poetic lyrics and interesting melodies. Soon after, I discovered Mark’s music with Red House Painters and Sun Kil Moon. I heard something in the sound of his records that felt very familiar and resonated with me. Later, I discovered Elliott Smith, and I am still going through a big Elliott Smith phase. It has lasted a long time. He is another artist where I feel like we are mining some common ground, and I think his chord changes and melodies are so inventive. I also believe that many of these artists don’t shy away from quiet songs; they play more what they feel.
Your last album seemed to focus on themes of grief and personal loss, and looking for closure. Do you see parallels with the writing on the new album?
Those themes preoccupy me, probably because I find them so difficult to navigate in life. My songwriting helps me make sense of them. When we go through these things, I don’t think the feelings of grief or loss follow a linear process. It’s often two steps forward, one step back, and never completely resolved. But, I do see a progression. "Tiny Patch of Earth" from WE WERE ALL TOGETHER was solidly about grief, while "Cold Dark Night" from WE STILL HAVE SKY focuses more on realizing it’s time to move on. Over time, I learned that after my dad passed away, he would have wanted me to be happy and live my life. So, that song exists within the realms of grief and gratitude for having this special person in my life for the time we shared together. So, there are some subtle differences, I think.
Is it more challenging to create poetry or to marry a lyrical idea with a melody in song?
I think both are challenging. The process is rarely easy for me. In each case, my writing process is never the same. I just go with what works. I might start with a kernel of an idea and maybe a few lines, and then see where that takes me. Sometimes it leads nowhere. In fact, often it leads nowhere. Most of what I write never sees the light of day. But the process is important because those missteps can take you to a whole new place. That new place can be eye-opening. The process can be mysterious, but I have a sense of what works and what doesn’t based on “feel.” It has to feel honest, even if it takes you to an uncomfortable place.
There are reflections upon starting over, and moving away from unhealthy situations, as in The Waterfront Is Safe and Home For the First Time. Where did these song ideas arise from?
For “The Waterfront Is Safe,” I was thinking of something my grandmother had said to me. After high school, I wanted to go to Maryland for college. She knew it would be good for me to leave and start fresh. She was very supportive in that way and probably the only person who understood how important it was for me to go. I had a former student in mind from my days as a public school teacher back in the 90s when I wrote “Home for the First Time.” I thought about how she had absolutely no family support, lived in a house without running water, and struggled in school; she had to rely on others within the school system to guide her. Everyone worked together, including the guidance counselor, the principal, her teachers, and even the truancy officer, who sometimes picked her up when she didn’t come to school. From that support, she found her voice and moved past the things that held her back. She is doing really well now and helps others in similar situations.
Moving on from abusive relationships, and redefining past traumas are also referenced in other songs like Wrong About Me and Written In the Stars. Was this a conscious decision and topics that you wanted to address?
I think these songs really speak to how the process of dealing with a past trauma is not a linear path. When someone experiences trauma, they often tend to blame themselves or doubt themselves when relationships become difficult. “Wrong About Me” is about the realization that, hey, maybe I’m not to blame. Maybe it is possible that the other person is at fault too. It is a little glimmer of light that brings a person closer to the truth. “Written in the Stars” explores that sense of shame that does not belong to the person in the song, but it follows him around as if it does belong to him. I was thinking about intergenerational shame, the idea of breaking a cycle, and how difficult that can be when you feel like you own someone else’s sense of shame.
Your ability to capture an emotion, a moment in time, is so finely tuned. There is great space and mood that weaves through the songs. How do you create this atmosphere in the studio?
I think that is where Mark’s expertise comes in. I think he is really good at letting songs breathe without bogging them down with too much instrumentation. They were written in a very solitary space, so I think he wanted to keep that essence.
Your songs can paint pictures that stand like memories, frozen in time. Do you have a specific process when creating song ideas?
That makes me feel good that you see them that way. I watch a lot of movies, so I think I am trying to make the songs into little movies that someone can see in their mind’s eye. I try to begin with a central image and have everything that floats around it connected to that image in some way.
The writing can be quite bare and I wonder how challenging it is to place personal vulnerability on show to the listener?
For these songs, I honestly didn’t think anyone would ever hear them other than my family. I wasn’t sure I would ever record them, so I just threw caution to the wind when writing. When you write from that place, it is easy to be free. I do feel very vulnerable when I am performing. If it isn’t a good situation, it can be uncomfortable. But if people are there to listen and like the kind of music I write, it can be very cathartic. Hopefully, it is something that moves them too.
Healing of past wounds can be a balm, and a song that really gripped me was I’ve Got To Get Myself Back To You. Your lyric speaks of getting close to the wound, and having to protect it. Can I ask you to expand on what is this wound for you?
It was funny how that word made it into the song. It was one of those rare moments when it just wrote itself, and it felt right. I thought about how we can sometimes be so misguided, prioritizing things that do not serve us well. But we get so used to doing something a certain way; it can be a difficult habit to break because it’s the kind of thing that once helped us survive. If you’re not careful, it can sabotage a really good thing.
There is a song about the grief of revisiting the past in Cold Dark Night and is this feeling of dislocation something that resonates within you?
I see this song as hopeful and bittersweet. It is about realizing that it is okay to let someone go and to feel grateful for the time shared on this earth. I think it came from the realization that my dad, who the song is about, would want me to lead a happy life and move on. He wouldn’t have wanted me to be so sad about losing him.
You teach English to international students at a local university in Maryland. This led to one of the songs on the new album Song For Susanna. Can you let us know how this song evolved?
I teach international students at a seminary, but before that, I taught immigrants, many of them undocumented, learning English at the community college. They shared their harrowing stories of coming to the United States with me. Often, they are leaving violence and gangs that threaten their family members’ lives. They seek asylum here. They miss their countries and their family members, but they know they cannot stay there. Right now, under the Trump administration, immigrants are vilified and dehumanized. There are some that have been disappearing from the streets, including those who are U.S. citizens. It is a horrible situation. The students I taught are here trying to make a better life for themselves and their families. So, I wanted to show the difficulties they faced.
Bittersweet and layered with both compassion and empathy, your songs are ultimately woven with hope. The title song is an expression of this hope and the freedom we have to live with positivity. Is this the ultimate message of We Still Have Sky?
After seeing me perform, this very nice person came up to me and said that she thought this song was like a “big hallelujah.” I was so moved by her perspective. I don’t think it is good to live in a place of anger or helplessness, but there are things that we have that, no matter what, cannot be taken away from us. I try my best to remember that.
Thank you for taking time with these questions. Is there anything that you would like to leave our readers with as you move forward?
Nothing I can think of other than I hope to do more recording this summer. Thank you so much for the interview.
Interview by Paul McGee