March 02, 2015
Publication title: tulsaworld.com, vol. -, Iss. -, pg. –
Place: Unknown
Writer: Jerry Wofford
Sarah McLachlan: Expect emotional roller coaster at Brady Theater show
Singer/songwriter Sarah McLachlan is known for her ability to deeply connect with fans through her lyrics and music, but it’s never easy for her to put emotion to paper.
Now, life gets in the way. But when she started in the late 1980s, the hit singer wanted to do just that: Sing.
“I never thought of myself as a songwriter,” she told the Tulsa World. “That was never really a desire for me. I was perfectly happy singing other people’s songs.”
This week, McLachlan will take the stage at the Brady Theater to sing her songs, many of which were huge hits and are still a deep part of our pop culture. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tuesday and tickets start at $59.50, available at bradytheater.com.
She talked about how her songwriting has changed, watching members of her audience get nervous when she makes eye contact with them and the difficulty in writing her latest album, “Shine On,” her first new album since 2010.
Tell me about the album. It seems like it was a deeply personal undertaking for you.
Well, they always are.
That’s a good point. How did this one stand out from the earlier ones for you?
I suppose the luxury of a little bit of wisdom; being older. The flip side of that is I’m wildly distracted by all these responsibilities that I have — like kids and schools and that kind of fairly big things that are constantly distracting me and taking me out of being centered and grounded — which is where I need to be when I write. It’s always so extremely cathartic to write, for me. All my records are personal and this is just a snapshot into times and places — emotional places I’ve been wandering through. If I could say anything it’s that some of the songs are more direct than they’ve been in the past.
Did you feel more freedom to write?
Yes, and I guess that’s what comes with age and more importantly that I really felt like I had something to say. It was a simple story and it was strong enough on its own that I didn’t need to cloak it in a bunch of different personalities and a bunch of parallel universes. There are a couple songs that are just like, “This is what happened. This is what I did. This is how I feel.” It’s quite liberating to talk freely about that stuff.
And to be able to concentrate and put all those emotions into song was also an especially cathartic process for you.
Absolutely. And the ultimate is to be able to play them live after that.
What’s the live show like now for people who haven’t been to one?
I think it’s quite fun. It’s interactive, an emotional roller coaster. The songs are what they are, if you’re familiar with my music. I try and create an emotional arc that takes you on a journey throughout the show. Also in my hopes of creating less of a barrier between my fans and myself. We have a question-and-answer thing that I do. I also invite folks on the stage and hang out; I brought my living room with me basically. I’m sitting in my living room right now and it’s really empty because it’s all on set carts waiting to go on a truck for the first show in San Antonio. But it’s fun because I get folks up and I go over and talk with them. It’s like breaking that fourth wall. For me, when we’re making music and playing live, it’s the closest thing I know to church where you’re being part of something bigger than yourself and you’re connecting people in a beautiful way, you know?
I imagine when you’re up on stage you can see several of the rows and see their reactions to the songs you’re singing. Do those surprise you sometimes?
Quite honestly, my vision is going so I can see people, but I’m kind of thankful I can’t see them that well. If I look into someone’s eyes and I connect with them like that, I’m gone. My focus is gone. I can’t remember where I am, what I’m singing, because I just get pulled into their world. So I have to be conscious of that. So I try to look where people aren’t looking at me, but they’re looking at me all the time! (laughs) Once in a while I’ll see a husband nodding off, which is just funny for me. “Oh, he got dragged here. This is not his first choice for date night.” But mostly people are intent. I think that would be the best way to describe it. They’re watching it and taking it all in. On occasion when I’m not singing — because when I’m not singing I can look at people — we make eye contact and I’ll smile at them and they’ll just go ashen-face. “She’s not smiling at me, is she?” “C’mon! Lighten up! I’m having a great time, aren’t you?!” I think it’s almost intimidating for people.
How did songwriting start for you when you were younger? Did the playing come first?
I never thought of myself as a songwriter. That was never really a desire for me. I was perfectly happy singing other people’s songs. I just loved singing. Really when I started writing in earnest was when I got a record contract. They brought me out to Vancouver and said, “Write some songs.” I’m like, “OK (laughs) no pressure!” I fumbled through it and tried to figure out … I looked at all the musicians that I loved and respected and sort of tried to dissect what they did and find my own way through it.
Were you surprised at what came out the other side?
That’s part of the joy — it’s painful but also the joy of writing is when you do come across an idea and you’re able to flesh it out and make something beautiful with it. For me, that discovery is so, so lovely. I usually don’t set out with a specific goal in mind: “I want to write about X.” It’s more, “I have no idea what I want to write about,” and I’ll just start playing and singing and sometimes lyrics will come out and I’ll go with that. If there’s a line or something that says something to me, then I’ll mine that out: “Well, why did I say that? There must be something behind that.” Then just try to flesh it out.
Has the process become easier over the years for you?
No.
Really?
Well, it hasn’t because I’m very distracted in life, generally. I have two small kids, I run a free music school, so I wear a lot of hats. My brain shifts gears slowly. So it’s hard for me to steal away a good chunk of time where I can sit and write and focus on that. In that, I have this ability now to write for five minutes because that’s basically the time I have at the piano before it’s, “Mom, I’m hungry” or “Do I really have to hear that song again, Mom?”
