The Shannon Lay Interview
Tell me about growing up in Redondo Beach, CA in the early 90s. What was your childhood like prior to discovering music? I understand you started playing around the age of 13, what initially fascinated you about learning to play the guitar? Was this something that was relevant in your household growing up? Do you have any siblings?
Growing up in Redondo was incredibly wholesome. I was always outside, at the beach, at the mall, being active and surfing or skating or playing. It was a great environment. My home life was pretty tumultuous so I was with friends a lot. I had a lot of energy so I was always playing sports or running around town. When I stopped playing sports I turned to guitar as an outlet. I didn’t come from a musical family but I was drawn to the challenge of it. There was a great little music shop (that was recently torn down unfortunately) and it was the perfect place to learn the basics. Guitar excited me off the bat, it’s one of those incredible brain games that really gets things moving. I have a half sister on my biological dads side, we’re not very close but we keep in touch. As far as my upbringing goes I was an only child. Just me and my mom for most of my life.
Who were some of your influences early on? Where would you go to see shows in your community and what groups/performances stood out to you the most during that time? What would you and your friends do for fun back in the day? What led to the decision to pack up and move to LA around the time you were 17? When did you make your first public debut as an artist playing in the public and what was that experience like for you?
The first time I got that “everything’s going to be ok” feeling was when I first heard X. South Bay punk is legendary and I really loved the melodic nature and depth of X. The velvet underground was another big one. They really showed me how cool it was to be weird. I never really knew where I fit in so uncertainty became part of my journey really early on. The velvets never felt certain, it’s music that walks through the chaos of life knowing full well it has no idea what’s coming but it doesn’t really care, it’s free to fall down and rise up. My first show that I chose to go to was Ben Kweller and The Unicorns. Ben Kweller has some amazing tunes that I still love to go back to. When I started driving around 15/16 I would come to LA and go to these really fun dance nights. Tiger Heat and Spaceland were my favorites. Lots of 90’s dance and pop punk disco beats. I had a fake ID and it really let me see LA in a cool way. When I moved to LA after a failed stint at community college I started going to the Echo and the smell and I joined my first band, facts on file. The first time I ever played live was at the airliner in 2009. I remember I didn’t move an inch! Just stared down at my guitar hoping I didn’t screw up. As I get older and I get to know myself more I’ve reflected on just how jarring being on stage is for your nervous system. It essentially feels like a life or death experience to our primitive bodies. So now, 12 years into being on stage I’m starting to get more comfortable and able to acknowledge the stress I feel in that situation without letting it take over (most of the time haha).
What was your first move, or goal when landing in LA around that time? How did joining Facts on File come about? How did you initially meet your bandmates and what were your first impressions of them? When and where did the group first get together to rehearse and what was the chemistry like right off the between everyone?
I wasn’t good at school so my goal with moving was to just try something different. At that point the school system had left me feeling pretty down on myself. College seemed so mandatory when I was growing up but it really is just another skill and I just didn’t have that skill. So I entered the world with this idea that I was kinda dumb and it totally impacted my confidence. When I started playing music it definitely lifted my spirits. Facts on file was a great introduction to playing in bands. I actually found them on Craigslist. They were looking for a guitarist and keyboard player so we met up and hit it off! Molly and Joseph where super supportive and easy going. We practiced at downtown rehearsal in LA. It’s a classic spot. Giant building with 4 floors of nothing but bands bangin away. They were both about 10 years older than me but they made me feel like an equal right off the bat. I’ll always remember that time really fondly.
Shortly after the band morphed into Raw Geronimo. Can you tell me about that transition and how this came to be? The band would go on to release a few records on labels such as Lolipop Records and Neurotic Yell Records. Can you tell me about writing and recording some of those such projects such as “Dream Fever” and the few 45’s the band put out around that time?
Facts on file was very light on shows and touring so when I wanted more action Raw Geronimo came around. I met Laena through my manager at Sqauresville, a vintage store in Los Feliz that I worked at for many years. Raw Geronimo was quite active with shows and touring so I jumped right in and left Facts on file. Raw Geronimo was Laena’s brain child so I was just in the back seat along for the ride. My confidence was slowly notching up and I remember liking recording a lot. “Dream Fever” was full of songs we had played live a lot so recording was really fun. I still felt a bit restless and unsure, as one does in their early twenties, but I was having a lot of fun when I wasn’t being too harsh on myself which I’m very very good at.
The band later changed their name to Feels and released three Lps on labels such as Lolipop Records, Castle Face and Wichita Recordings. Outside of music, where were you in your own personal life around this time? You left home at a pretty early age to pursue music and make your own path. Did you feel like you set up a good foundation to do this while particpanig in these other groups?
Around this time I was doing some emerging. I had proven to myself that I could hack it in the world doing all the human things, paying rent, eating, laundry. Like I mentioned before my home environment growing up was really chaotic so getting out on my own allowed me to level out and get to know my own energy. I was having a lot of fun externally, but internally I was struggling. I remember my inner voices being so so cruel. No amount of preparation could keep that dialogue at bay. I like to be there with that version of myself as I’m growing now. I always include her in the fun I have on stage and the love that gets directed towards me from fans. That younger me would always dismiss complements, convinced I had completely made a fool of myself in most situations. Even thinking of those times now it breaks my heart how harsh I was on the inside. And it was doubly hard because to anyone who knew me then I was joy incarnate. You never know what’s going on inside someone’s head.
It was around this time you made your (self-released) solo debut with “Holy Heartache” in February of 2015. Were you living in the Echo Park area around this time? Can you tell me about writing as well as recording that record? What was that initial experience like stepping out on your own? I understand you worked with Brian Cosgrove on this project, correct?
Yes I was living in echo park at the time. That house was amazingly inspiring. It was 4 musician and we had a practice space in the backyard. My whole solo career started with me seeing Jessica Pratt open for Kevin Morby at The Echo. It blew my mind watching her captivate the room with such elegant simplicity. I booked my first solo show for 3 weeks later and got to work practicing the songs I had amassed on my own over the years prior. Holy Heartache was a collection of songs I had laying around since high school. These were songs that I didn’t think had a place in the world and all of a sudden they did. Brian Cosgrove was my roommate at the time and we recorded that record together in the practice space at the house. It was very much the beginning of something. I remember feeling purpose like I’d never felt before. There was a new found urge to share my perspective. That first solo show was at Hyperion Tavern in LA. I remember being so nervous I swore I would never do it again. I’m so glad I stuck with it, playing solo feels so good.
What was the overall vision you had in mind for this album? Quick and stylistically prolifically, you released your follow album in the same year! What can you tell me about creating “All this Life Goin Down”? Would you mind giving a brief background to some of the songs that are featured on this record? At this point you’ve established your place as a solo artist and all the while still participating in groups. How did you balance all this during that time? Is it a “strike the iron while it's still hot” kind of mentality?
“All this life goin down” was an opportunity handed to me by Brian Lee Hughes of Do Not Disturb records. He’s a dreamer and a dream maker. He invited me to create an album so I got to work. I recorded that record with Jeffertiti Moon in his garage studio in Echo Park. I can close my eyes and be back in that room. It was an amazing moment of forward movement. I wrote that record while at home in that same echo park house. It was a combination of older songs and newer songs. It all happened really naturally. The songs feel like messages from my higher self. At the time I didn’t comprehend what it meant to find comfort in fear or be held in the warmth of your heart. But it also captured my life at the time. “Backyard” is about the yard of that echo park house. “Parked” is about a confusing love affair that is all too relatable. “All this life goin down” was the first time I ever heard my voice on vinyl, I couldn’t help but cry as I sat on our lumpy, red velvet couch hearing my voice come through the speakers.
With the release of “All this life goin down” I was playing more solo shows around town and at one of those shows I was approached by Kevin Morby. He liked my set and invited me to make a record. He mentioned he was starting an imprint with Woodsist and so I was off and running again. “Living water” was recorded with Emmet Kelly in his home in Silverlake. I wrote the record on the road while touring with Feels. Traveling has always been inspiring for me. I like to write poetry on the road and then come home and put music to it. While recording “Living Water” I met stand up bass player Devin Hoff and a lifelong musical bond was formed. Laena also played violin on that record. With the release of “Living Water” I found myself opening for Kevin Morby just as Jessica Pratt had a few years earlier. I knew I was doing something right. That time was definitely a strike the iron while it’s gone moment. I felt intense urgency to make the most of these opportunities I was being given.
In 2019 you joined the SubPop family with releases such as, “August”, “Live at Zebulon” and most recently, “Geist”. What has it been like for you working with the legendary Bruce Pavitt and all the folks over there? I don’t mean to skim over these works, but what have those experiences been like writing and recording those three records and leading up to the pandemic? How much has changed in your life since first moving to LA and pursuing your love and passion for music?
SubPop has been awesome. They’re the best cheerleaders in the world. With the release of “August” I was able to quite my day job and devote my life to art and music and that decision has been so supported by the universe. The more I lean into my gifts the more I am asked to use them. It’s been an incredible experience. The pandemic had strangely perfect timing for me. I had finished the touring cycle with August. I had been playing in Ty Segall’s band. I was leaving feels. And all of sudden everything stopped. With this forced pause I was able to reflect and do some major internal work that I don’t think would have been possible without such an intense break. My foundations weren’t solid and I completely fell apart. And then I began to rebuild. From that came “Geist”. It was a shift from “I need to prove myself” to “I need to trust myself”. “Geist” has massive themes of self discovery and all the discomfort that comes with letting your true self be seen and uncovered. I’m learning to recognize my conditioning, to honor my pain without letting it run the show, to have more compassion for myself and to reach for kindness rather than judgment or shame. In short everything has changed since I first moved to LA. I really saw a difference when I started doing the internal work. It shifted the way the world met me every time I walked out the door. It changed the way I make music and play music. I have a renewed appreciation for all the things I get to do. It’s been and incredible journey and I’m just getting started.
I understand you left Feels In January of 2020. What initially led to this decision? You also play with Segall’s Freedom Band. How did this come about and what's it been like playing with him? How did the pandemic impact your life both as an artist as well as a person? How did you manage to stay positive and optimistic during this time?
Leaving Feels was a decision that felt really correct at the time. I didn’t fully understand why but I knew my time was coming to an end with them and I wanted it to be a clean break rather than a slow messy spiral. Ty Segall has been a longtime friend and supporter of my music. We recorded “August” together and I’ve always loved watching his musical adventures. He’s endlessly inspiring. When he asked me to play in freedom band it was a no brainer. I toured with them for the record “First Taste” and I learned how to play bouzouki which was really cool. I played bass, acoustic guitar and bouzouki with him. We were supposed tour for 2020 but the pandemic hit and he went back to the original line up when things got moving again. I loved that challenge, I learned 6 of his records. My brain was insisting I couldn’t do it the whole time and it felt really good to prove myself wrong. The pandemic was actually very validating for me. I also want to acknowledge what a shit show of suffering it was for everyone but I found a pocket of peace within the chaos. I had cut ties with Feels and I had even ended a relationship and all of sudden I knew why.
I had to get to work and clean house so to speak. As I mentioned I was able to fall apart completely. My ego was shattered for the first time and that’s a really jarring experience. I don’t think I could have gone out as usual and pretended like everything was fine at that time. I was not fine. But within the rubble I started to see these little sprouts of what was to come. This new foundation was being built and it was much stronger than before. Therapy kept my spirits up, FaceTime karaoke, Instagram live shows, writing Geist, ordering a new guitar with my stimulus payment. I found all of these parts of me that needed to rest. I realized I didn’t love being gone all year touring. I realized I needed a stable home. I needed more time for myself. Knowing those things has given me so much strength and I can’t believe how long I went pretending I could keep up with everyone else. I’m so excited to learn more about honoring my unique energy levels and shaping my experience to suit them. If you feel burnt out slow down and make adjustments. It will be uncomfortable sure, but I’ve never experienced anything that was more worth doing. It’s ok to have needs.
As I finish this interview you are towards the tail end of your fall tour. What has that been like for you to finally get back out on the road and essentially pick up where you left off, if not to completely start over? Is there anything else you would like to further share with the readers?
Touring again has been great! My new motto is quality over quantity. As I move forward environment is key. I want to play in more unconventional spaces and really create an experience for everyone. I absolutely love seeing how far my music has gone, it’s the coolest phenomena. In a lot of ways I do feel like I’m starting over but I also love how much I’ve done already. All those years of urgency have allowed me to be more tranquil now. I have a lot of appreciation for everything I went through. Lastly if you are struggling right now, I want to encourage you to meet yourself exactly where you are. There is medicine in every moment and the key is to turn towards those parts that are hurting rather than pushing them away. That pain needs your love the most. You are not alone.
