INTERVIEW: Lovina Falls talk new single, theatre influences, and 90’s Boston music scene
Songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Valerie Forgione knows how to weave worlds from melody and rhythm. The former vocalist of 90s alt-rock band Mistle Thrush spent the majority of two decades behind the curtains of Boston’s music scene, writing music for theatre productions, indie films, and podcasts. In the past few years, Forgione has returned to the mic with “baroque-pop” project Lovina Falls, whose unique sound defies genre and echoes with deep emotional resonances.
Last Friday, “Light and Low,” the third single of Lovina Falls’ upcoming album, was released, following “Tragedy” and “Ellery Way.” The track is haunting and hypnotic, yet also danceable in its upbeat synths and percussion. These dissonances point to the song’s larger message about the uncertain state of the world. Eager to meet the architect of this sonic near-paradox, I sat down with Forgione to discuss this new single, the unreleased album, and Lovina Falls.
New England Sounds: “Light and Low” is about forward movement. How has the process of creating this song allowed you to move forward?
Valerie Forgione: The entire experience that I’m having right now with Lovina Falls is forward movement for me. I spent ten years fronting Mistle Thrush. We’re on a long pause, so in the meantime, I’ve written music for theater, plays, indie films, and podcasts. But I wasn’t doing what I love, which is writing music and performing and singing. It’s been scary to get back into it after not doing it for a long time, because so much has changed. I’ve been saying to myself, “This is a challenge. Don’t be afraid of it – embrace it and make the change you’re looking for.” That was the beginning of the motivation for “Light and Low.” As I started writing it, I realized it was [also] a good analogy for what’s happening in the world. A lot of people are taking risks to put themselves out there and live authentically. The concept of the song evolved to that idea: just move forward. Don’t go through it angry if people don’t understand what you’re doing, because you’re doing it for yourself.
NES: How has your time writing music for theatre and film influenced your musical storytelling in Lovina Falls?
Forgione: Oh, hugely. I don’t think I would have had the confidence to do this had I not spent a dozen years writing music for theater. What’s really cool about theater is you get to design a song or music based on a feeling. This really forced me to look at different instruments, to approach music completely differently. I watched YouTube videos to learn how to play the cello and banjo. It opened up my mind to possibilities.
NES: Tell me about the process of writing “Light and Low.”
Forgione: The song actually started with a little harpsichord riff I played one night. I wrote the riff, then a bass part, and then drums; I construct a song that way. When I first record, I just make up the lyrics as I go along, like word therapy. Whatever’s in my head comes out of my mouth, and a lot of times those [words] stick for the lyrics. Sometimes I go back and reread them and think: “No one’s gonna have any idea what I meant here.” But lyrics to me are meant to tell a story in a way that relates to the person listening to it. I can say, “I went to the store and had a cup of coffee,” and that’s clear. But if I say, “I’m looking down the stairs and thinking about the alchemist of time,” you might not know what that means. But you could define that in a way that relates to you. I write to express my own experience, but leave room for the listener to do the same.
NES: During live performances, Lovina Falls is now a seven-piece band. How does this additional layer of collaboration impact the music?
Forgione: When I finished the album, I realized that I wanted to perform these songs. So I called up a bunch of my amazing, talented friends. What’s neat about the live experience is the way that each individual performer collectively interprets the music and reimagines it. It’s as if I write the plot for a story, and then they come in and flesh out the characters. During the recordings, if I think, “this part gets big and monstrous,” then during the live show they make it just enormous and beautiful. It’s way better than anything I could imagine. It’s almost like the recordings are a sketch of what it could be live.
NES: You said that you would love your songs to fill “a small hole” for someone. Can you tell me about a song that has done this for you recently?
Forgione: Last night, I was listening to Glenn Gould play Bach. He’s very mathematical in the way that he approaches the piano, and it’s very visual to me. Through his piano playing on this particular piece, I envisioned little ice cubes falling from the sky and landing in perfect patterns. I was feeling anxious, and this visual gave me a strong sense of peace. The math of the music put my head back in order. That’s what I’d like to do for someone else whether it be a tone, note, melody, or drum beat, anything that helps to fill the empty spaces and refocus.
NES: “Light and Low” is the third single on your upcoming album. How are you shaping the album’s overall sound?
Forgione: I have around 30 songs right now. The question is, which songs go on the album? Which ones go together? It depends on what’s happening. I’m upset at how things are going in the world right now, and I can’t help but feeling doomy about the future, and so I think that’s influencing the construction of this album. I’ve got maybe seven songs right now that are definite, and I’m hoping to have nine or ten ready by the time the summer’s done. But I’ll be putting it together right until the day before the record release.
NES: As a regular performer in the Boston music scene since the 90s, how has the local community impacted your creative life?
Forgione: Back in the 90s and early 2000s, there were more shows, there were more clubs. It was a huge community with a lot of opportunities. Nowadays, there’s fewer bands that play live. The sense of community is much stronger, but the influence is a little different because it’s a smaller group, so there’s less cross pollination of styles and people and experiences, but it’s just as great for different reasons. One of the most refreshing things coming back into it after so long is to see how kind and welcoming everybody is. In that respect, you feel like you’re a part of something bigger than yourself.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Featured image by: Joan Hathaway
