shadowfax1007
New member
I was lucky enough over the past week to interview Holly Brook.
The interview was conducted for me to use in an English assignment, but Ive arranged so I can post it online, and I figured I would share it with the LPF community first.
A fair few of the questions are already common knowledge, but I had to ask because of the assignment.
A big thank you to Holly Brook, and her Mum Candy, Candy was a massive help organising the interview and sending me stuff etc et.
So here goes,
( I find the bit about Chester interesting )
-----------------------------------------------------
Hey Holly,
Thanks for agreeing to do this interview, how are you?
Tired from being on tour, but veging now.
First off, could you please tell me a little about yourself? Who you are, where did you grow up, what major events in your life have made you who you are today? How has your family been involved in your life and music career?
I'm Holly Brook, 20 years old, and I am an artist - musician mainly, but also enjoy all the arts. Recently I’ve started to learn how to fly and airplane. I'm passionate about music, art and things that interest me from time to time - like physics, and aeronautics.
I was born into a very musical family. I sang and toured with my mom for 11 years as the folk duo generations. My dad has a beautiful voice and has been involved in barbershop singing. My older sister tiffany also has a beautiful voice. Not only is music in my immediate family, but there is lots in my heritage. My great grandma on my mom’s side was an opera singer/actress in England. Her brother was a concert pianist and a visual artist. On my mom's dad's side, there was some almost freaky stuff. . . My grandpa had a distant uncle who built and played a one man band at the world’s fair of 1933. He could write two stories at the same time, one with each hand! His ability to focus was unbelievable, but he was sometimes considered a freak, even though he was a genius.
You have a real talent for music, was music always your first choice as a career? What do you think you would be doing as a career if you weren’t doing music?
I first wanted to be president and paint the white house pink, or paint whales on it like the artist Wyland... But after that, it was always music. You might say I’m obsessed and I don't really know what else I’d do. I tried to waitress for two months once and hated it!
I could possibly see myself being an air traffic controller believe it or not!
How did you come across Brad Delson and Machine Shop Recordings?
I had obtained a manager after making a demo recording and was beginning to gig a bit in LA. My manager knew LP's manager and knew they were looking for artists and passed it on to him, Brad and Mike, etc. They came to a show. . . Chester cried - guess my songs moved him to tears. They offered me a deal.
You have just released your album ‘Like Blood, Like Honey’, Tell me a bit about it, how long have you been working on it? Where did the idea for the album title come from?
I worked on my first album for a couple years. It's a long process being signed to a label. I wrote tons of songs, but at the time we were putting it together, this batch seemed like a cohesive whole - sort of like a painting. Lots of titles were bounced around, but this one had some imagery to it so I stuck with it.
What is your favourite song on the album? What is it about?
What I wouldn't give is probably my favorite song. It's also the oldest one, because I wrote it when I was 17, home to WI from a visit in LA. I wrote a blog about it once - I’ll attach it for you following the other questions.
“"Because my song "What I Wouldn't Give" is going to be on the show RELATED, I decided I should let you know a little bit about the song and what it's about.
This is a song that was written about 2 years ago in my house in Wisconsin. It was one of the first songs that Jon Ingoldsby and I wrote together, and the only song that my sister Tiffany contributed to on my album. At the time, I was going through a lot. I had just started traveling back and forth between WI and LA, which was hard in itself because I was leaving friends and family for months at a time to pursue my career. But also, I was very naive and was getting sucked up into a lot of bullshit in Los Angeles. For example, I was working with a guy who was like a placeholder for a manager, but he was very mentally abusive and manipulative. I was also living in a house with an alcoholic who would bring home prostitutes and offer me cocaine. I'd go up to the kitchen for breakfast and there would be a leftover line from the night before. I knew I was in a bad situation, but I thought that it was something I'd have to go through in order to get where I wanted to be. The lyric "What I wouldn't give just to forget, so I can remember how to live
again" means that part of me really just wanted to forget what I was doing, go home to WI and have fun and live life with the people who loved me. But I knew that would also ruin my career. So, after some time I managed to find a way to also live happily in LA. I didn't think it was possible at first.
I think it's great that they chose this song for their TV show because, as far as I hear, the story is about relationships between sisters, and not only was my sister one of the writers on this song, but she is also my best friend and I miss her very much now that I live so far away. But we do make it a point to visit each other often. I hope you enjoy the song!"
Looking back on the release of your new album, is there anything you would have changed about the album in retrospect?
No - it's perfect (hee hee - no, it's just not worth ruminating about something I can't change at this point.) The album could have used another up beat song. I had recorded a
cover of Joni Mitchell's "all I want". Unfortunately it didn't get on the album for budget reasons.
However, looking back, I worked hard at holding true to my own vision about my music and the album and I am proud of it. I appreciate the label allowing me that freedom.
Tell me about Jon Ingoldsby, how did you first come to meet him and what role does he play in your life?
Jon was the second person I met in LA. Once I decided to pursue my career there. I was introduced to him by a pseudo manager who wanted to control me, so he fell by the wayside, but Jon stuck. We get along famously. He's also my sweetie. We write very well together - he often helps me finish a song if I get stuck, and he's a master when it comes to production. Just look at his credentials!
Who are your main musical influences?
Joni Mitchell, Dylan, Sarah McLachlan, Tori Amos, Fiona Apple, Eva Cassidy (vocally) then, lets see - maybe a bit of Beatles, Bach, Mozart, Debussey
Lots of influences but my idol is Joni Mitchell because of how she developed as an honest, organic artist and pushed boundaries when it wasn't necessarily the popular thing to do.
When you write your songs, are your lyrics written around personal events in your life, or do the lyrics just come to you?
Yes, my lyrics come from my life, my emotions and things that happen. I often tweak them so that they are accessible for others to relate to. Sometimes my language is obscure and mysterious,
but that's so the listener can make up some of the meaning for themselves.
Sometimes songs just flow, both music and lyrics simultaneously. Other times, I have to work harder at the lyrics. I most often begin by doodling around on a piano, guitar or dulcimer.
You sing alongside Mike Shinoda in the Fort Minor song ‘Where’d You Go’, what was it like working with Mike and how did you first come to meet him?
It was great doing the song with mike and touring with Fort Minor. I first met him when the band LP signed me to their machine shop label.
You also toured with Mike’s group Fort Minor in Australia earlier this year, what was that like and do you intend on doing your own tour of Australia anytime in the near future?
I loved Australia. I would so love to come back and do a tour, but the record biz is tenuous at best and I’ll need label support or a benefactor to do so!
You have a My Space account, on which you post fairly regularly; do you think that it is important to keep in contact with your fans?
It's very important to connect with fans by reaching out in a personal way, of course. I also like to chat with fans at shows after my set.
Have you found that your career has affected your personal life, in terms of what you can do and how much free time you have? Have you made any major sacrifices to pursue your career in music?
I've always seemed to live a life out of the "norm" growing up, doing shows and gigs, missing a lot of school, dropping out, staying up till the crack of dawn working on musical ideas, etc. I have given up some partying, friends, some relationships and
activities for my passions.
That's what's behind my song givin' it up for you - it's more about giving things up to pursue my career although the song may come across sounding more like it's about giving things up for an actual person.
What are your plans for the future?
Make more music, act, write a book, a musical, do some film scores, buy/rent a home farther away from LA.
In five words, how would you describe yourself?
Intense, creative, versatile. . .
Before I go, are there any other interesting things about Holly Brook people should know?
You probably should know that my first big acting role was the big bad wolf in the three little pigs when I was in first grade hee hee
Holly Brook, Thank you for your time!
The interview was conducted for me to use in an English assignment, but Ive arranged so I can post it online, and I figured I would share it with the LPF community first.
A fair few of the questions are already common knowledge, but I had to ask because of the assignment.
A big thank you to Holly Brook, and her Mum Candy, Candy was a massive help organising the interview and sending me stuff etc et.
So here goes,
( I find the bit about Chester interesting )
-----------------------------------------------------
Hey Holly,
Thanks for agreeing to do this interview, how are you?
Tired from being on tour, but veging now.
First off, could you please tell me a little about yourself? Who you are, where did you grow up, what major events in your life have made you who you are today? How has your family been involved in your life and music career?
I'm Holly Brook, 20 years old, and I am an artist - musician mainly, but also enjoy all the arts. Recently I’ve started to learn how to fly and airplane. I'm passionate about music, art and things that interest me from time to time - like physics, and aeronautics.
I was born into a very musical family. I sang and toured with my mom for 11 years as the folk duo generations. My dad has a beautiful voice and has been involved in barbershop singing. My older sister tiffany also has a beautiful voice. Not only is music in my immediate family, but there is lots in my heritage. My great grandma on my mom’s side was an opera singer/actress in England. Her brother was a concert pianist and a visual artist. On my mom's dad's side, there was some almost freaky stuff. . . My grandpa had a distant uncle who built and played a one man band at the world’s fair of 1933. He could write two stories at the same time, one with each hand! His ability to focus was unbelievable, but he was sometimes considered a freak, even though he was a genius.
You have a real talent for music, was music always your first choice as a career? What do you think you would be doing as a career if you weren’t doing music?
I first wanted to be president and paint the white house pink, or paint whales on it like the artist Wyland... But after that, it was always music. You might say I’m obsessed and I don't really know what else I’d do. I tried to waitress for two months once and hated it!
I could possibly see myself being an air traffic controller believe it or not!
How did you come across Brad Delson and Machine Shop Recordings?
I had obtained a manager after making a demo recording and was beginning to gig a bit in LA. My manager knew LP's manager and knew they were looking for artists and passed it on to him, Brad and Mike, etc. They came to a show. . . Chester cried - guess my songs moved him to tears. They offered me a deal.
You have just released your album ‘Like Blood, Like Honey’, Tell me a bit about it, how long have you been working on it? Where did the idea for the album title come from?
I worked on my first album for a couple years. It's a long process being signed to a label. I wrote tons of songs, but at the time we were putting it together, this batch seemed like a cohesive whole - sort of like a painting. Lots of titles were bounced around, but this one had some imagery to it so I stuck with it.
What is your favourite song on the album? What is it about?
What I wouldn't give is probably my favorite song. It's also the oldest one, because I wrote it when I was 17, home to WI from a visit in LA. I wrote a blog about it once - I’ll attach it for you following the other questions.
“"Because my song "What I Wouldn't Give" is going to be on the show RELATED, I decided I should let you know a little bit about the song and what it's about.
This is a song that was written about 2 years ago in my house in Wisconsin. It was one of the first songs that Jon Ingoldsby and I wrote together, and the only song that my sister Tiffany contributed to on my album. At the time, I was going through a lot. I had just started traveling back and forth between WI and LA, which was hard in itself because I was leaving friends and family for months at a time to pursue my career. But also, I was very naive and was getting sucked up into a lot of bullshit in Los Angeles. For example, I was working with a guy who was like a placeholder for a manager, but he was very mentally abusive and manipulative. I was also living in a house with an alcoholic who would bring home prostitutes and offer me cocaine. I'd go up to the kitchen for breakfast and there would be a leftover line from the night before. I knew I was in a bad situation, but I thought that it was something I'd have to go through in order to get where I wanted to be. The lyric "What I wouldn't give just to forget, so I can remember how to live
again" means that part of me really just wanted to forget what I was doing, go home to WI and have fun and live life with the people who loved me. But I knew that would also ruin my career. So, after some time I managed to find a way to also live happily in LA. I didn't think it was possible at first.
I think it's great that they chose this song for their TV show because, as far as I hear, the story is about relationships between sisters, and not only was my sister one of the writers on this song, but she is also my best friend and I miss her very much now that I live so far away. But we do make it a point to visit each other often. I hope you enjoy the song!"
Looking back on the release of your new album, is there anything you would have changed about the album in retrospect?
No - it's perfect (hee hee - no, it's just not worth ruminating about something I can't change at this point.) The album could have used another up beat song. I had recorded a
cover of Joni Mitchell's "all I want". Unfortunately it didn't get on the album for budget reasons.
However, looking back, I worked hard at holding true to my own vision about my music and the album and I am proud of it. I appreciate the label allowing me that freedom.
Tell me about Jon Ingoldsby, how did you first come to meet him and what role does he play in your life?
Jon was the second person I met in LA. Once I decided to pursue my career there. I was introduced to him by a pseudo manager who wanted to control me, so he fell by the wayside, but Jon stuck. We get along famously. He's also my sweetie. We write very well together - he often helps me finish a song if I get stuck, and he's a master when it comes to production. Just look at his credentials!
Who are your main musical influences?
Joni Mitchell, Dylan, Sarah McLachlan, Tori Amos, Fiona Apple, Eva Cassidy (vocally) then, lets see - maybe a bit of Beatles, Bach, Mozart, Debussey
Lots of influences but my idol is Joni Mitchell because of how she developed as an honest, organic artist and pushed boundaries when it wasn't necessarily the popular thing to do.
When you write your songs, are your lyrics written around personal events in your life, or do the lyrics just come to you?
Yes, my lyrics come from my life, my emotions and things that happen. I often tweak them so that they are accessible for others to relate to. Sometimes my language is obscure and mysterious,
but that's so the listener can make up some of the meaning for themselves.
Sometimes songs just flow, both music and lyrics simultaneously. Other times, I have to work harder at the lyrics. I most often begin by doodling around on a piano, guitar or dulcimer.
You sing alongside Mike Shinoda in the Fort Minor song ‘Where’d You Go’, what was it like working with Mike and how did you first come to meet him?
It was great doing the song with mike and touring with Fort Minor. I first met him when the band LP signed me to their machine shop label.
You also toured with Mike’s group Fort Minor in Australia earlier this year, what was that like and do you intend on doing your own tour of Australia anytime in the near future?
I loved Australia. I would so love to come back and do a tour, but the record biz is tenuous at best and I’ll need label support or a benefactor to do so!
You have a My Space account, on which you post fairly regularly; do you think that it is important to keep in contact with your fans?
It's very important to connect with fans by reaching out in a personal way, of course. I also like to chat with fans at shows after my set.
Have you found that your career has affected your personal life, in terms of what you can do and how much free time you have? Have you made any major sacrifices to pursue your career in music?
I've always seemed to live a life out of the "norm" growing up, doing shows and gigs, missing a lot of school, dropping out, staying up till the crack of dawn working on musical ideas, etc. I have given up some partying, friends, some relationships and
activities for my passions.
That's what's behind my song givin' it up for you - it's more about giving things up to pursue my career although the song may come across sounding more like it's about giving things up for an actual person.
What are your plans for the future?
Make more music, act, write a book, a musical, do some film scores, buy/rent a home farther away from LA.
In five words, how would you describe yourself?
Intense, creative, versatile. . .
Before I go, are there any other interesting things about Holly Brook people should know?
You probably should know that my first big acting role was the big bad wolf in the three little pigs when I was in first grade hee hee
Holly Brook, Thank you for your time!
