August 7, 2012

A wise woman once sang, “You live, you learn.” It’s a mantra that continues to serve Alanis Morrissette well, allowing her to sustain a career long after most of her alterna-rock peers have thrown in the towel. Three weeks before the release of her eighth album, Havoc and Bright Lights, we talked with the singer, songwriter, actress and businesswoman about everything her fans oughta know.

You’ve been on TV this summer. The video for “Guardian” has been getting some airtime, and I stumbled across a few Weeds reruns recently. You were playing a veterinarian, and you were great.

Thanks! That show was really fun. I felt like I was finally required to use my chops.

I was bummed that you didn’t wind up with Andy Botwin.

I know. Me too.

You did marry Mario Treadway, though, and you now have a son together. Does happiness have an effect on your songwriting? Does it make things easier?

I’ve always felt that passion creates things. If I’m passionately pissed off or passionately infatuated or passionately loving something or passionately wanting to be part of a movement or passionately wanting to comment on societal moments, that’s what writes articles. That’s what writes beautiful songs. That’s what paints gorgeous paintings. For me, I’m such a passionate person that I never have to worry about the inspiration going away.

When you were writing these new songs, what sort of passionate things were floating around your head?

I wanted to comment on being an alpha woman in the face of patriarchy, misogyny and chauvinism, and what it’s like to be a woman in 2012. Where we are, where we’re going… that’s all in a song called “Woman Down.” And I wanted to write about wanting to safeguard my son’s safety and freedom at the same time, as well as offering that to my own self. It’s hard not to look at the discrepancy between how loving I am with my son and how hard I can be on myself. Being a mom has really inspired me to be kinder to myself.

So you didn’t struggle with any writer’s block this time around?

No, I think writer’s block just means you need to be watching a movie or eating a sandwich somewhere. Whenever I feel like, “Oh, nothing’s coming,” I realize I’m probably just supposed to be taking a bath or something.

Do a lot of your song ideas arrive at inopportune times, like bath time or bedtime?

Yes, and the most inopportune time is usually at night — in the middle of the night. I have an iPhone, pen and paper by my bed. I don’t have any control over where or when the inspiration hits. I’m just a humble servant.

You’ve already done some touring behind this album. What’s it like to finally play these songs live?

Really great. We’ve been opening the show with “Woman Down,” and… just… oh my god, so awesome. It just sets this gorgeous precedent of “THIS is what we’re gonna be talking about,” and the show moves on from there. The songs, even though they’re taken from different records over the last seventeen years, all feel like perceivably compatible cousins. One song leaves into the next color, the next flavor, the next emotion. It’s like, “Oh, I need a break from that fever pitch, so let’s do a little ballad,” or “That was dark, so let’s get light again!” It’s just navigating the energy. I think that music is color. It’s about painting, and not having the show be all dark purple or all black, you know? It’s gotta have a little primary color action in there, too. But equally, if it was JUST primary colors and everything sounded like “You Learn,” that wouldn’t be fulfilling for the diminished, augmented part of me. So I have a lot of itches that need scratching throughout the whole show, and the setlist winds up being a very interesting journey.

More touring is coming up, too. Any places you’re looking forward to?

Brazil, which is one of my favorite places on the planet. We’ll be touring North America in the fall, and we’re going back to Europe again. Then there are places around the planet that I’ve never been to yet, like Russia and Egypt. I’d love to do shows there. Whether we’re gonna do that or not, I have no idea. But, you know, I’ll talk to my agents and say something, “Ok, I know there’s no stage in Beirut, but we’re gonna build one!” And we did.

You’re releasing the album through a new label, Collective Sounds. After leaving Maverick, what convinced you to work with another record company?

The new paradigm. For so long, it was 80/20, right? By that, I mean it was 80% for the record company, 20% for the artist, and any squeaky artist that squeaked about the wheel was seen as an ingrate, you know? It was a challenge for a long time. But now, the new model is win/win. It’s a partnership; it’s 50/50. You work with a record company for a limited amount of time and it lasts for one record cycle, which is just less terrifying. Back in the day, signing with a record company felt like you were getting married to a person who said, “Even if I hit you and punch you, you cannot divorce me.” We’re no longer in that climate, thank christ.

It feels like every time you put out a new album, the paradigm has shifted again, and you have to acclimate.

Yeah, but I’d rather do that then think, “I’ve been in an abusive relationship for 14 years, where they breach contract because they know you’ll never fight them about it.” So I’d rather have to do much more work — more heavy lifting — by myself, but have a conscionable, real partnership in front of me.

Do you actually like the business side of your music career, or do you wish you could focus on the creative side all the time?

I like it. I actually really enjoy using that side of my brain. It can be exhausting, but it’s way more fun now, because of what we just talked about, with things being a partnership. There’s actually some creativity and some real people that I can bandy things about with, as opposed to just fighting all the time.

...

[Edited 8/26/12 11:30am]

Track List:

''Guardian''
''Woman Down''
''Til You''
''Celebrity''
''Empathy''
''Lens''
''Spiral''
''Numb''
''Havoc''
''Win and Win''
''Receive''
''Edge of Evolution''

The release date is 8/28 in the U.S.

North American Tour

Dates:

8/25/12 Montclair, NJ – Wellmont Theatre
8/26/12 Huntington, NJ – The Paramount
8/29/12 Atlantic City, NJ – House of Blues

9/24/12 San Diego, CA – Humphrey’s
9/26/12 Pomona, CA – Fox Theater
9/29/12 Las Vegas, NV – Desert Breeze Park Main Stage – ‘KMBX Bite of Las Vegas’

10/2/12 Big Sur, CA – Henry Miller Library
10/4/12 Vancouver, BC – Center for Performing Arts
10/5/12 Seattle, WA – Moore Theater
10/7/12 Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom
10/8/12 Boise, ID – Knitting Factory
10/10/12 Denver, CO – Paramount
10/12/12 Minneapolis, MN – State Theater
10/13/12 Chicago, IL Riviera Theater
10/15/12 Toronto, ON Sound Academy
10/16/12 Montreal, QC Metropolis
10/17/12 Boston, MA House of Blues
10/19/12 Waterbury, CT Palace Theater
10/22/12 New York, NY Terminal 5
10/23/12 Silver Spring, MD The Fillmore
10/25/12 Atlanta, GA The Tabernacle
10/26/12 Nashville, TN Ryman Auditorium
10/28/12 Houston, TX – Bayou Music Center – ‘The Mix 96.5 Bosom Ball’ radio show
10/30/12 Austin, TX Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater

11/1/12 Phoenix, AZ Comerica

Album leaked about 10 days ago, very early, thats what happens when us dates and other territories vary

Alanis Morissette on Baby Brain and Why Anger's a Good Thing

August 26, 2012

Seventeen years on, Alanis Morissette continues to feel the effects of a certain Jagged Little Pill. "I have full PTSD that I'm still working on," admits the rocker, 38, of the 'wild' fame that came with that smash album. "I've done hours of therapy to process everything."

Her first disc in four years, Havoc and Bright Lights, reflects that journey, along with the fulfillment that has come with marriage to rapper Mario "Souleye" Treadway and the arrival of their son, Ever, who's 20 months old. ‚"He's "the apple of my heart's eye," she tells us from Florence while on tour.

Do you sing to your son?

I make up new lyrics to well-known lullabies. Mostly because I don't actually know a lot of the lyrics.

You recorded your new album shortly after giving birth. Was the whole experience a blur?

I'm still in that fuzzy zone - I'm not sure that baby brain ever really goes away! I wanted to write the record and be available for breast-feeding, so I built a makeshift studio in our house. Basically, whenever I had a break, I was with my son.

What inspired the album's darker songs?

There are many ways to get away from feeling things, and usually they're addictive. The song‚ "Havoc" is about the recovery journey from those addictions and about falling off that recovery, and "Numb" is about the reasons behind my reaching for the drug of choice, whether it's a substance or a person. I'm curious about the bravery [it takes] to heal and grow.

How does one balance rock stardom with motherhood?

A village is needed. I think it's irresponsible when celebrities imply they're doing it all themselves. My son has aunties and uncles around all the time, and my husband is my hero. He's really full-on. I couldn't do it any other way.

Do you and he do date nights?

Yes; we just put it in the calendar, and it's mandatory. We have an understanding that when we're on our dates, we can't talk about work. We can talk a little about being parents, but we keep it mostly about us and being best friends.

What are your Sundays like?

When I'm off the road, my husband and I recharge our batteries. It's a day of deep rest and connection with the spiritual, and that can be anything - going for a walk in nature, being in silence, burning incense.

What personal item is a must-have on tour?

I need to have my blankie. [laughs] I've had one my whole life. The Barefoot Dreams bamboo blanket is the softest on the planet. If I lost it, I'd be like a 2-year-old screaming for her Binky.

Which song do you never get tired of performing?

"You Oughta Know." It's a great vehicle to channel through any rage or pent-up energy from that day.

Is it frustrating that some people still think of you as "angry Alanis" because of that song?

It's a joke to think that anyone is one thing. We're all such complex creatures. But if I'm going to be a poster child for anything, anger's a gorgeous emotion. It gets a bad rap, but it can make great changes happen.

http://www.parade.com/cel...brain.html

lastdecember said:

Album leaked about 10 days ago, very early, thats what happens when us dates and other territories vary

Did you listen? I only heard "Guardian" which is the 1st single.

I loved her last album Flavors of Entanglement, but I'm not feeling this new one. There are only about five songs I really like and the rest aren't very memorable. Maybe it will grow on me, but I'm kind of disappointed. My favorite is 'Til You.

[Edited 8/26/12 12:34pm]

I like her work with Guy Sigsworth so I'm going to be buying this.

one thing I noticed from the album preview though is her voice sounds really different on some of the songs, it's as if she's had a cold while recording it. (which I kinda have a thing for)

Identity said:

August 7, 2012

A wise woman once sang, “You live, you learn.” It’s a mantra that continues to serve Alanis Morrissette well, allowing her to sustain a career long after most of her alterna-rock peers have thrown in the towel. Three weeks before the release of her eighth album, Havoc and Bright Lights, we talked with the singer, songwriter, actress and businesswoman about everything her fans oughta know.

You’ve been on TV this summer. The video for “Guardian” has been getting some airtime, and I stumbled across a few Weeds reruns recently. You were playing a veterinarian, and you were great.

Thanks! That show was really fun. I felt like I was finally required to use my chops.

I was bummed that you didn’t wind up with Andy Botwin.

I know. Me too.

You did marry Mario Treadway, though, and you now have a son together. Does happiness have an effect on your songwriting? Does it make things easier?

I’ve always felt that passion creates things. If I’m passionately pissed off or passionately infatuated or passionately loving something or passionately wanting to be part of a movement or passionately wanting to comment on societal moments, that’s what writes articles. That’s what writes beautiful songs. That’s what paints gorgeous paintings. For me, I’m such a passionate person that I never have to worry about the inspiration going away.

When you were writing these new songs, what sort of passionate things were floating around your head?

I wanted to comment on being an alpha woman in the face of patriarchy, misogyny and chauvinism, and what it’s like to be a woman in 2012. Where we are, where we’re going… that’s all in a song called “Woman Down.” And I wanted to write about wanting to safeguard my son’s safety and freedom at the same time, as well as offering that to my own self. It’s hard not to look at the discrepancy between how loving I am with my son and how hard I can be on myself. Being a mom has really inspired me to be kinder to myself.

So you didn’t struggle with any writer’s block this time around?

No, I think writer’s block just means you need to be watching a movie or eating a sandwich somewhere. Whenever I feel like, “Oh, nothing’s coming,” I realize I’m probably just supposed to be taking a bath or something.

Do a lot of your song ideas arrive at inopportune times, like bath time or bedtime?

Yes, and the most inopportune time is usually at night — in the middle of the night. I have an iPhone, pen and paper by my bed. I don’t have any control over where or when the inspiration hits. I’m just a humble servant.

You’ve already done some touring behind this album. What’s it like to finally play these songs live?

Really great. We’ve been opening the show with “Woman Down,” and… just… oh my god, so awesome. It just sets this gorgeous precedent of “THIS is what we’re gonna be talking about,” and the show moves on from there. The songs, even though they’re taken from different records over the last seventeen years, all feel like perceivably compatible cousins. One song leaves into the next color, the next flavor, the next emotion. It’s like, “Oh, I need a break from that fever pitch, so let’s do a little ballad,” or “That was dark, so let’s get light again!” It’s just navigating the energy. I think that music is color. It’s about painting, and not having the show be all dark purple or all black, you know? It’s gotta have a little primary color action in there, too. But equally, if it was JUST primary colors and everything sounded like “You Learn,” that wouldn’t be fulfilling for the diminished, augmented part of me. So I have a lot of itches that need scratching throughout the whole show, and the setlist winds up being a very interesting journey.

More touring is coming up, too. Any places you’re looking forward to?

Brazil, which is one of my favorite places on the planet. We’ll be touring North America in the fall, and we’re going back to Europe again. Then there are places around the planet that I’ve never been to yet, like Russia and Egypt. I’d love to do shows there. Whether we’re gonna do that or not, I have no idea. But, you know, I’ll talk to my agents and say something, “Ok, I know there’s no stage in Beirut, but we’re gonna build one!” And we did.

You’re releasing the album through a new label, Collective Sounds. After leaving Maverick, what convinced you to work with another record company?

The new paradigm. For so long, it was 80/20, right? By that, I mean it was 80% for the record company, 20% for the artist, and any squeaky artist that squeaked about the wheel was seen as an ingrate, you know? It was a challenge for a long time. But now, the new model is win/win. It’s a partnership; it’s 50/50. You work with a record company for a limited amount of time and it lasts for one record cycle, which is just less terrifying. Back in the day, signing with a record company felt like you were getting married to a person who said, “Even if I hit you and punch you, you cannot divorce me.” We’re no longer in that climate, thank christ.

It feels like every time you put out a new album, the paradigm has shifted again, and you have to acclimate.

Yeah, but I’d rather do that then think, “I’ve been in an abusive relationship for 14 years, where they breach contract because they know you’ll never fight them about it.” So I’d rather have to do much more work — more heavy lifting — by myself, but have a conscionable, real partnership in front of me.

Do you actually like the business side of your music career, or do you wish you could focus on the creative side all the time?

I like it. I actually really enjoy using that side of my brain. It can be exhausting, but it’s way more fun now, because of what we just talked about, with things being a partnership. There’s actually some creativity and some real people that I can bandy things about with, as opposed to just fighting all the time.

...

[Edited 8/26/12 11:30am]

Smart woman.

automatic said:

Target will have an exclusive version of the album with 3 bonus tracks : "Big Sur", "Guru" and "Permission."

Haven't checked it out yet, is it any good? "Guardian" is pretty enjoyable.

Got my 2-disc set in the mail about 5 days ago

Oh, and it's perhaps not quite as good as "Flavors of Entanglement", which was a phenomenal record. But it's still very, very good.

^I bought it too. I really like it, for me it's better than Flavors.

Ordered the deluxe from Target. Should be here next week or sooner...