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Alyson Greenfield

By nickrymer - Posted on 02 June 2010

A while back we got to do an interview with Alyson Greenfield, a multi-talented musician. Greenfield grew up in Ohio, spent some time in Alabama and in now currently living in New York City. She can be found all over the internet (just put her name into youtube), her two sites are alysongreenfield.com and dearlilithfair2010.wordpress.com.

If you are in the New York area there are a few places to catch here this month-
6/13/10 - Governor's Island, NY- Eclectic Stage at the Figment Festival on Governer's Island
6/18/10 - 248 Mercer Street New York, NY - Folk Noise at Think Coffee
6/21/10 - 1000 5th Avenue New York, NY - Metropolitan Museum of Art as part of Make Music New York
6/27/10 - 125 5th Ave Brooklyn New York - Southpaw

Here are the 10 questions we had for Alyson Greenfield.

1. Where did the idea for Dear Lilith Fair 2010 Come from?
The idea for Dear Lilith Fair 2010 essentially came from friends. One friend had encouraged me to start a blog because I create songs so often. He suggested I have a forum where I could share a lot of the music I create even if it is not polished in order to help create more of a community around my music. One night at dinner I asked some other friends what they thought of the idea and they said they thought it was good, but that I should have more of a point to the blog besides just sharing my music. The next morning I woke up and had a "Eureka!" moment when I remembered hearing about the return of Lilith Fair. Many of my female singer/songwriter friends and I had discussed how cool it would be if Lilith Fair existed NOW when we were performing. Here was my chance! I thought, "I'll start the blog with the goal of getting on the Lilith Fair tour!" I could have tried this type of thing with any big festival, for example Lollapalooza or Bonneroo, but I really feel like I have a connection with, and would fit the bill for Lilith Fair, which is why I decided to put so much effort into it.

2. The lyrics for "Dear Lilith Fair" start with:
I didn’t go to you,  when I was in college or in high school, That’s when you were all the rage, with girls like me– hey, hey, hey!

What do you remember about Lilith Fair and what do you want to get out of it in 2010?
I remember being completely aware that Lilith Fair existed, but at the time I was seeing many of the performers on the tour (Sarah McLachlan, Indigo Girls, Jewel) in their own concerts where I lived, so for some reason I didn't get around to going to the actual festival. What I would love to get out of Lilith Fair in 2010 is to play one of the dates as an artist! Many of the performers who are on the tour have inspired me as a singer/songwriter and it would be amazing to get to play alongside them and rock out at the festival!

3. There are a many references on the site about being a part of Madonna’s entourage (I love the story about playing Chris Martin’s Steinway piano), how did you become part of the entourage and what did you do as part of the entourage?

I got a call from a tutoring company I had sent my resume to a little bit after I had moved to New York. They told me they were interested in interviewing me for a position home schooling a 4th grade son of a prominent personal trainer. They told me I would be traveling because the personal trainer was training Madonna on her Sweet and Sticky Tour. After a few interviews (the final one which was sitting on work out blocks in Madonna's home gym in NYC), I got the job. As part of the entourage's entourage, I home schooled Madonna's personal trainer's son, and as mentioned on my blog it wasn't exactly what I thought it might be. But it was quite an experience, and it gave me a glimpse into a whole other world.

4. Earth - Fire - Wind - Water - Heart! I know song writing is a hard process that is difficult to explain, but where did the song "Captain Planet" come from?

A lot of times songs ideas just come to me which is nice. I don't actually have to think about the original inspiration-- it just arrives. I had recently gotten out of a relationship and some of my friends were talking about how it was toxic. After a conversation with one of my friends I began to sing about Captain Planet. I just had this image of the superhero cartoon I used to watch in elementary school trying to make things in the environment clean and good. The lyrics you mentioned come from the fact that Captain Planet could only come to existence through the community of the characters who had the rings "Earth, Fire, Wind, Water, Heart." I remember the flowing streams and the sun and the people working together to help save the environment. As cheesy as it was, I enjoyed watching it and for some reason the images of Captain Planet came to me when I was trying to think about giving myself a clean slate for my own mental emotional environment.

5. Before moving to New York, you lived in Alabama. Your debut CD is even called "Tuscaloosa". Many people think they know what the South is like without ever having been there, did you find anything in the South that you never expected to find?

Pretty much everything. I had never spent much time in the South at all. It was such an experience. Obviously it did affect me enough to name my first LP "Tuscaloosa." Those crepe myrtle trees creeped me out and looked like bones and I felt the presence of ghosts. The other thing that was different was being Jewish in Alabama. There weren't many Jewish people in Tuscaloosa and people would always be asking me questions about the religion as if I was some sort of expert. A lot of times I didn't even know the answers to the questions since I am very reform.

6. When did you get your first guitar and when did you write your first song?

I got my first guitar at 14, but more importantly to me I got a piano when I was 9. I begged my parents for 3 years to take piano lessons and get a piano in the house. I was obsessed with pianos. I was so in love with them. I wrote my first song at age 11. And the first song I wrote with lyrics and piano music that I still remember was at age 12.

7. I know you play guitar and glockenspiel (Gangsta’s Paradise is amazing) how many instruments do you play? Which one do you enjoy the most?

I probably enjoy playing the piano the most. When I play the piano I feel so at home. It is so comforting. I also play guitar, synths, glockenspiel, chord organ and I experiment with drums, melodica, banjo, and autoharp (when I can get my hands on them since I don't own them).

8. You have had many jobs, former Board Member of the Chicago National Organization for Women, high school teacher, and Tolerance Educator, tutor, tour manager, when did you realize you wanted a career in music?

At the end of my time in Alabama I was really getting the bug to perform. I had gone to New York to play some gigs and record my "Tuscaloosa" album and every time I would come to New York I would just feel at home. When I was finished with grad school I decided I wanted to move to New York and really pursue music as a career.

9. What drives you to keep on writing songs and going out on stage to play them?

Writing songs is part of living to me. Way before I ever performed in front of an audience I was writing and practicing my own songs because I had to. The more I go out on stage and play my songs, the more I like it. I love the live feeling of being in a space with other people and sharing a process that I love. What drives me to keep doing it is that I have to and I want to and it feels good! I like to share and connect. That's the most important thing. Writing songs helps me deal with difficult parts of life and celebrate life, and performing songs helps me connect to other people and put some of myself out into the world.

10. This may be the hardest question of all, what are your three favorite albums? Most peoples top three are ever changing with the moment, but right now at this point in your life, top three.

Oh man! This is a hard question. These are the 3 Albums I have been listening to a lot lately:

1. Bat for Lashes- Fur and Gold

2. Ratatat- Ratatat

3. Amanda Blank- I Love You

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