We first heard of Hungry Lucy in September 2003 when we purchased a five CD, eighty-five song set entitled "The State Of Synthpop 2003" from A Different Drum. "Her Song" grabbed our attention immediately. When working on the MP3 download page we posted last month, we also discovered a song entitled "Stay" that really grabbed our interest. This month, we have the pleasure of a talk with Hungry Lucy's War-N Harrison, about ghosts, videos, perky goths, and having a bad memory...
AeschTunes: Where did the name "Hungry Lucy" come from?
War-N: The name comes from the "given" name of a ghost that haunted a house in New York. She had died of Scarlet Fever while her boyfriend (Alfred) was away at war. Unaware that she had died, she would wander the halls of the house moaning of hunger ... unable to eat. This story is also the inspiration for the song "Alfred" from our first CD, Apparitions.
AT: Who are some of your shared musical influences?
War-N: Probably the most apparent are Bjork, Lamb, Madonna, etc. Individually we have so many more. I am influenced by everything I hear though ... a production trick from a Missy Elliot song, a vocal effect from a Marilyn Manson song ... it's all about creating good music (we hope) :)
AT: In your bio, you mention that the band came together when War-N needed a vocalist for a track on a Depeche Mode tribute album. How did he get involved in the tribute album originally?
War-N: I had been in several other bands/projects prior to Hungry Lucy and worked with the German label COP International. They had requested a DM song from my solo project at the time (Fishtank No.9). Christa and I had become friends at that point so I asked for her help with vocals. I always prefer the sound of female vocals to male ... at least to my vocals! :)
AT: I've seen comments about the band that describe your sound as "perky goth". Do you feel that this is an appropriate designation? What does the term mean to you?
War-N: It's always tricky with labeling your own music. We jump across genres so frequently that the descriptions tend to fit better on a song by song basis. My tendency is to let reviewers label it, and then I'll adopt the description from them! Although I can't remember specifically where "Perky Goth" came from it does sum up a lot of our work ... he lighter side of goth perhaps. Lyrically some of the themes are rather dark, but the melodies and supporting music kind of lift it up a little.
AT: You have several songs available for free download on Amazon.com. One of these is a megamix of tracks from your first album. What made you go with a megamix of tracks rather than selecting one or two individual songs?
War-N: I did this originally to kind of demo the whole CD without giving too much away. I wanted people to be able to download one song, but get a sense of the entire album. Some of the cross fades were a little bit "train wreck" ... but hey .. I never claimed to be a DJ! :)
AT: What songs are included in the megamix?
War-N: "Blame", "Bed of Flames", "Grave (Digger Mix)", "Alfred", "Bound in Blood (Waltz Lullaby)" ... all from the debut CD, Apparitions. Confession: I had to go back and listen as I can't remember back that far ;P
AT: Additionally, there is a studio recording of the live arrangement of "Stay." A comment was posted on that page that refers to film projections during the live performances of the song. Can you tell us about this?
War-N: Both Christa and I are interested in the visual arts. Christa quite is an accomplished photographer as well. Since there are just the two of us on stage, we felt there needed to be another visual element for our stage show. So we took each song and shot and edited together ambient videos for each one. Not full-on music videos, but kind of a background visual support for the song, either demonstrating it's meaning or simply accentuating the vibe of the song. These are projected onto a screen at the back of the stage during the show. We get a lot of compliments on the videos and I even catch audience members in a trance staring at the screen ... the subliminal messages are working ... just kidding! ;P
AT: What kind of images do you use? Are they "pure" images (ie, direct photographs) or "manipulated" (with assorted kinds of effects added)?
War-N: The type of imagery varies from song to song. We try to capture the essence of the song. For example the song, "Stay" is about missing somebody after either they (or the narrator) has left. For that one, the base of the imagery is an overhead shot of a highway at night layered with various other "distant" and travelling images. We typically use layering and various visual effects and play with the speed, color and contrast values to add some more interest and enhance the mood. We also stay away from any "performers" in the backing video to try to maintain the background feel.
AT: What kind of equipment do you use for creating the visual portion of the show?
War-N: We don't use anything terribly "pro". We use a Canon GL2 camera to shoot everything and then capture the footage to PC and edit in video editing software and burn the result to DVD. The GL2 has a full frame mode which gives a nice "filmy" look and eliminates the interlaced look that most videos has. We use an inexpensive, yet suprisingly rugged, Apex DVD player and an Epson 51c projector for the actual shows. If the venue doesn't have a decent surface at the rear of the stage we have a "very home made" screen made from a few lighting stands, PVC pipe and a modified white bedsheet! :) If the stage is deep enough we project from behind the screen so we can leave the projection undisturbed.
AT: Do you consider these projections as an extension of the music, or as a separate entity altogether?
War-N: Totally ... we are both about creating, so why limit it to the aural arts? Visual arts are so powerful and when you marry them to music ... goose bumps can result. We like goose bumps ... so I'd have to consider the visuals an extension of the music.
AT: I believe I saw something on your site at one point about a possible home video project. Is a "video album" a possibility (where a collection of songs are created specifically for visual accompaniment and released only/primarily in that manner)?
War-N: While we have no solid plans, we hope to release a DVD of either new videos with more focused interest (i.e. typical music videos) or our live backing visuals ... or some combination of the two. I never felt that that backing visuals could stand on their own, but many people have expressed interest in a DVD of the backing visuals. Anything we release will still focus on pre-existing songs ... the songs will come first. Now that you mention it though, it might be a cool idea to have the visuals inspire the music instead of the other way around. All very early for that process. Priority #1 right now is to finished the next CD.
AT: Are you currently working on a follow-up album to "Glo"?
War-N: We are currently working on the next CD, "To Kill a King", that should see the light of day mid-2004. We have finished writing and just started the recording process. Stay tuned to www.HungryLucy.com for updates
AT: A "free" question - what would you like to tell the readers of this newsletter, about the band, yourself, life in general...?
War-N: I would just like to invite everyone to our website and check us out. We have plenty of music to listen to, a few videos to watch (more on the way) and an online store to buy CDs, T-Shirts, etc. We also have a fairly active "Shoutout" section on the website where people can share their opinions on Hungry Lucy. We truly appreciate our fans. Being able to create something and have it appreciated by so many people is a privilege, not a right. It should be treated as such!