Will Stratton - A Singer-Songwriter's Destiny

You started recording music at twenty, and now, at 27, you're releasing your fifth album. How do you look back on those early years now?

A couple of words about that first record - truth be told, I recorded it when I was seventeen or eighteen, but it took a couple of years for it to come out. I'm not saying this to brag about how young I was, just to clarify that I've been putting out records for almost a decade now, so I'm not quite as absurdly prolific as it might seem. It was easier back then, because everything was new to me, and it was easy to write those first songs without feeling like I was repeating myself.

Where would you place yourself now compared to your expectations when you started making music?

I've always had high expectations for what music is capable of, but as for who I am and where I've been, I just feel grateful to be able to make music, whether it's my full-time job or something I do in my spare time. When I was young the music industry was just really starting to crumble, so I thought I'd be able to make a living recording music, making soundtracks, etc. That didn't happen, but the more active I stay, the more rewarding it is to make music purely for the selfish reason of loving it, rather than the selfish reason of supporting myself.

Can you briefly summarize the story behind "Gray Lodge Wisdom"? How much of this record was written during your therapy?

Well, I had cancer, and at first I went through four rounds of chemotherapy, and then I had a couple of fairly serious surgeries. A song and a half were written before the treatment, but the rest during and after, and I threw away several other songs that I didn't think met the standards I'd set for myself. The thing about being on sedatives is that they really dilute your sense of reality and, among other things, what makes a song good or bad. So as soon as the effect of the medication wore off, I decided I didn't like some of the pieces after all.

You were already thinking about “Gray Lodge Wisdom” just a few weeks after the diagnosis. It's really moving that you wrote such an inspired, touching album during such a difficult time. Did the spirit of the songs change after you recovered and actually recorded them?

I have to say the songs were more exuberant and upbeat at first, and then I tried to turn them into something a bit more complex. I recorded demo versions of most of the pieces six or seven times before I was ready and healthy enough to work on proper studio versions. The fog of medication I found myself in during much of my treatment wasn't conducive to the creative clarity I need to make music that satisfies me, so I just kept obsessively recording and re-recording the tracks over and over until I found a good rhythm and tone.

I read that the album title comes from Twin Peaks. If I'm reading your words correctly, the “Gray Lodge” is meant to be the “limbo” situation, or the “Purgatory,” that you experienced while convalescing in the hospital. The album cover is also very reminiscent of Twin Peaks. Is there a deeper connection between the TV series and your record, or your personal experience in recent years?

Actually no, aside from the fact that I was convalescing in the region of the United States where Twin Peaks was filmed. I always have this urge to romanticize my personal events, or to mythologize my life, and this was one way of doing it. I was rewatching the series at one point during the treatment, and the ideas of the “White Lodge” and the “Black Lodge” interested me, so why not a “Gray Lodge”?

One difference between “Gray Lodge Wisdom” and your other records is its conciseness. Eight tracks, just over thirty minutes of music. Is that also some kind of artistic statement?

No, I just wanted to put this album behind me, and I didn't want to release any songs of lesser quality.

You don't seem happy about being labeled a “folk musician,” but if I told you this is your “Five Leaves Left,” would that please you?

Of course it would. It's not my favorite Nick Drake record, but it's one of the best.

You asked some friends for help, particularly with the string arrangements, even though you have a degree in Music Composition, if I'm not mistaken, and you did in fact write them yourself for one of the songs. Why did you feel this particular need?

Honestly, I wanted the help of some composers because I wanted to see what potential they saw in my music, and I wanted to learn from their arrangements. My energy was sapped by the treatment and I wanted this chapter of my life to be over, and asking for help from these composers I knew and admired seemed like a good way to get things done. I think I lean a bit too much toward minimalism when I write an arrangement, so it was good to see some truly lavish examples of other people's ideas.

You seem to be getting particular attention in Europe, rather than at home. You're on tour right now across most of the continent – apart from Italy, unfortunately – and your record is released here by a label, while you self-release it in the United States… Do you think that's a coincidence? Do you have relationships with European musicians?

I'm pretty convinced it's just coincidence. But to be honest, I think it's more enjoyable working with European promoters and audiences, and the treatment American musicians get here is better than what we get back home, most of the time. So maybe at this point in my life I just feel more like spending time touring here than in the United States. There are a lot of European musicians I love, too many to name, really. But I don't feel any difference in affinity compared to my American peers.

We know you're a very prolific artist. So what will your next record be like?

I have no idea. I know I'm going to buy a synthesizer… But I don't know if that's a sign of a new direction or not.

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