Lynne Fiddmont
Interview 9 February
2007
Interviews Menu interviews
Name Lynne Fiddmont
City
Los Angeles,CA
Age
MidLife (smile)
Style Urban Jazz/Soul
Tell me about
yourself, where you from, background, family
I come from a large,
musical family, born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri. I went to Boston University,
graduated with a Public Relations degree.
Then I pursued my true love, music at the Berklee School of Music.
Do you still
live there, if not where are you based.
No, I live in
Los Angeles now
What are you
working on now.
Being a
songwriter, I’m always thinking about my next song, but also, I am going to go
to Japan with Stevie Wonder this week for a short tour.
Do you have a
CD out or when can we expect it.
Yes, My CD,
“Flow” is available now online@ CDbaby, Amazon, and ITunes . Also, it’s available at some retail
stores such as, Amoeba music, in LA and Dusty Grooves in Chicago. Soul Brothers Records has been very
supportive in the UK as well. The reviews have been incredible and I’m excited
to share it with a worldwide audience.
How’s it going
down – what tracks can we look out for/do you like
It is an
independent release on my own label, MidLife Records. My favorite tracks change each week.
Last week it was the acoustic version of Flow, (available for download on my
website, www.lynneonline.com)
Now, in honor of Valentines Day and love in general, my favorite is Cupid, a
romantic love song, which is my weakness.
Did you write
the songs.
Yes I wrote all
of the songs but one, No Regrets
which is a classic written by Harry Tobias.
I wrote some of the the songs myself and had the privilege to co-write some of the songs with some incredible
writers like Ready Freddie Washington, Andrew Ford Tim Carmon, Wayne Linsey and
James Raymond.
If so tell me
about the writing process.
It’s different
with each song. Sometimes I sit
at the piano and play until something feels good. It must feel natural and not forced. Then, I may make a copy of it and
drive around and hum until something sticks in my mind. Then I create a story around that. Other times, another songwriter gives
me a rough track and I write the melody and lyrics to what they have already
started. Take Cupid for
instance. Andrew Ford gave me a
rough track of the music that he and James Raymond created and I loved it. We fiddled with the changes until we
both felt like it was the most natural chord progression. Then my role was to create a melody
and lyrics to fit the music.
And production?
Well again,
each song calls for something different.
If I’m producing alone, I just keep fiddling with it until it feels
good. I usually get live
musicians to play with the music I have already recorded on Pro Tools. I get them to play a bunch of ideas
which is always more than I need, then I edit-edit-edit until it suits my
taste. When co-producing, again
I’ll use Cupid as an example, Andrew Ford and I co-produced the track. We agreed that it needed live
elements to supplement the original tracks, so we got John Roberts to play
drums, Andrew played bass, Tariqh Akoni on guitar, Tim Carmon and James Raymond
on Keys, my brother, Keith Fiddmont to do some keyboard overdubs, and Lamont
Van Hook to do some vocals. Then
we fiddled with it until it felt good.
What
instruments do you play.
I play congas
and other percussion, and piano
Where is it
obtainable from.
I took an
interest in percussion while in college.
I went out and bought some conga drums and learned how to play. It really became real when I got the
gig with Joe Zawinul and he had me playing percussion, keyboards, and singing. As a child, I took piano lessons and
hated every second of it, but when I went to Berklee college of Music, I got
more serious about the piano and found it very valuable as a writing tool.
Tell me about
your style, what you do and what do you add to the rest of the stuff out there
My style, hmmm…
It’s smooth, jazzy, soulful, mature, emotional and some say a little sexy. Simply put, I’m a mixture of all the
influences I grew up with, Jazz, R&B, Latin, Gospel and Pop.
Whats your show
like, what gigs are you doing.
My show is fun
and musical. I have a great band
and we take the songs on the CD and adapt them to be more live friendly. We have breakdowns, solos, sing
alongs, and a lot of fun. We
just played at a private affair for Warner Brothers Consumer Products
International and we have some local club dates coming up in March after I
return from Japan with Stevie. Then,
finally I will make it back to my hometown, St. Louis and some clubs on the
east coast.
Do you use the
same people live as on your recorded material.
Some of them. My band is relatively small, but when
doing the CD, I used a variety of musicians depending on the style of the song
. Also, If you check the
credits, there are some phenomenal players on the CD. I wish I could have them
all the time, but they’re all so busy, maybe one day soon.
Do you write
your songs, if so what do you draw from.
Yes, All but
one of the songs are original. I draw from real life, some of my own
experiences, my imagination, other’s experiences, the mood of the music,
television, etc… I may see a man on the street with a certain expression and I
may create a scenario based on what I think he may be thinking or going
through. It’s pretty random.
Tell me about
the team of people around you.
Well, my
manager is Myron Bernard who tries to keep me focused on doing the things that
will create opportunities to further my career as a writer/produer/artist. Lena Ringstad is my
photographer/graphic designer. She
creates and maintains my image which also addresses the PR aspect of creating a
persona. Also in PR is Regina
Davis, who monitors interviews and media relations. My mother, Alverne Hood is one of the
executive producers. Being a
savvy business woman, she consults with the entire team and provides valuable
insight. And of course the very
talented musicians that I’m fortunate to call family.
What's it like
getting yourself heard, and getting stuff down as an independent.
Well we know
it’s an uphill battle, but it has gotten better for the independent artist, thanks
to writers like Gail Mitchell, who exposes us to great talent through her
articles in Billboard Magazine. Also,
Chris Rizik who does a great job as a soul music advocate at SoulTracks.com,
and of course Scott Galloway who is a true music historian and incredible
writer.
Who are your
influences, currently and from back in the day.
My favorite was
always Stevie Wonder. I also
loved George Duke, Bill Withers, Stanley Clarke, Chaka Khan, and so many
others. It’s funny that I have
had the privilege of working with all of them.
Who else have
you worked with
It’s probably
easier to say who I haven’t worked with, but I’ll name a few. India Arie, Phil Collins, Joe
Zawinul, Anita Baker, Kenny Babyface Edmonds, The Crusaders, Patti Austin,
Patti Labelle, Natalie Cole, Kenny Loggins, and a whole lot more, thank God.
What else have
you done, how have you got where you are now.
I’ve done a lot
of recording, touring, and television specials, as a backing vocalist. Now I’m changing gears and moving
more into producing, writing and arranging, not only myself but forother
artists as well.
Has music
always been in you from an early age
Yes, as I said
earlier, I come from a family of musicians and actually, music was kind of
taken for granted. I thought
everyone sang and I didn’t think that I sang particularly well because
listening to my aunts and uncles sing, I considered myself very average.
Are you in it
full time.
Yes, I’ve been
full time for twenty two years, again thank God.
What other
independent artists are you feeling.
I absolutely love Frank McComb, Rahsaan Patterson,
Layla Hathaway and Me'shell Ndegéocello, just to name a few.
What’s the
scene like where you are.
Here in LA, we
have our share of great talent. The
problem is there aren’t enough clubs to support the amount of talent here. I would love to have more local
venues here in LA.
What is your
following like locally.
I have a good
fan base in LA that I’ve been building for several years through the club
circuit, however the majority of my air play has been in other cities,
primarily in the Mid West and on the East Coast.
What do you
know about other markets, UK, Europe, Japan etc.
I know they
have a more developed taste for Soul and R&B, especially the UK. They have embraced me from the
beginning. They tend to support the music and the artist more perhaps because
of the oversaturated pool of artist. I’ve been there as a support vocalist many
times, but I would love to tour all of these places doing my own music.
How do you see Soul
Music right now.
I think soul
music has undergone a lot of challenges because of a lack of radio space due to
the emergence of hip hop, but with satellite radio and diehard fans of soul
music, I believe it will make a space for itself again. I hope we begin to create more space
for more types of music and return to the days when individuality was a good
thing.
What are your
ambitions
I want to go on
Oprah (smile) I do really, but
aside from that, I’d like to expand my writing and producing opportunities. I’d love to have my music as a movie
theme song. I want to make money
while I sleep.
Whats happening
next
Well, today we
start rehearsal for Stevie Wonder, which will take up quite a bit of time. I’ve
been invited to perform on the next Wayman Tisdale Smooth Jazz Cruise so I’m
tuning up the live show. Who
knows, maybe I’ll be in your neck of the woods soon. I’ve also got a few new songs in the
making and a few vocal arrangements that I do from hom on my Pro Tools set up
and at the same time I continue to live my life as a parent. Busy Busy Busy
Is there
something adventurous you might like to do
but haven’t yet with your music
I’d like to
experiment more with world music.
What do you
enjoy most about what you do
The creative
process, getting inspired and seeing it come to fruition.
What other
things do you like to do.
I love nature,
sports, dancing, outdoor cafes, and acting silly with my kids.
A few random
one word things:
Favourite
artist
Stevie Wonder
Film
My Life As A
House
Actor/Actress
Forrest
Whitaker
Food
Collard Greens
and Corn Bread
Drink
Red Wine
City
Praque
Country
Italy
Holiday
Vacation
Home with
family
Sport/Team
Right now, the
Indianapolis Colts
Anything else
you’d like to say
I’d like to say
how blessed I am to have my 99 year old grandmother still alive and very much
alert. Her name is Lillie Burke
and she will be 100 on August the 7th 2007.
I love you Grandmother! And thanks to everyone who has supported me
in my solo endeavor. Good luck and thanks for your time. Thanks for
asking. Cheers!
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