The Beauty of Simplicity: An Interview With Melanie Radford

Design by Sophie Parrish, Photography by Emma Chopin

By: Sophie Parrish

Boise-raised, Seattle-based bassist Melanie Radford is the embodiment of artistic duality. Radford joined Built to Spill over five years ago and in her time with the band she’s only strengthened their legacy as one of the most innovative and vibrant indie-rock bands of all time. Radford, herself, is a powerhouse, having a life-long relationship with the bass that has only strengthened itself with her several creative endeavours. In recent years, Radford has established a power trio of her own called Blood Lemon. Mixing an amalgamation of instrumental and vocal harmonies, the trio is sonically driven from a love of collaboration. Blood Lemon’s EP Petite Deaths was released in January of this year and guides the listener through an atmosphere of introspective reflection shaped by a relationship between nature and the narrator. The EP takes on a new perspective from their previous self-titled album Blood Lemon, as the trio navigates emotionality with an ease of intentionality and makes strides in their atmospheric storytelling as they prove the beauty in simplicity. In a few short weeks, Blood Lemon will tour a few select cities spanning the midwest to the east coast. In preparation for their fall tour, I had the opportunity to sit down with Radford before she opened with Built to Spill for Modest Mouse at Boston’s MGM Music Hall. 

Image from Julianna Rose

How would you describe the transition from the Boise to Seattle music scene? 

I mean, it’s been fun. Boise is really nurturing. It was a cool spot for me to know how to be in a band, to learn how to be in a music community. To learn how to write songs and encourage people to expand and get weird. Moving to Seattle is just more of a professional foot forward for me.

For sure.

And there’s just more gigging opportunities and people to collaborate with, y’know it’s a bigger city. But it does have its pockets, like music scene pockets. I found the indie rock scene there and they have a heavy music scene. And it’s incredible. It’s one of the reasons why I moved like some of my favorite heavy bands are out of Seattle. 

Lisa and Lindsay, your other bandmates, still live in Boise right? What is that like?

It’s definitely challenging but I think it’s been good for us to refocus because now every time we get together it’s very intentional. We actually had a writing retreat and they came down, Lisa and Lindsay, and they stayed at my apartment for a week and would go and write and then we would practice and write more and practice. It was really nice. I haven’t had time like that in a long time.

That’s beautiful.

Yeah, so it’s just, you know, you have to be a little more intentional in getting together. So we can’t have rehearsals every week like we did in the past. But I just feel like that’s the direction I’m going anyway with music. It’s just working with people who have the chops to do that.

How did you three meet?

We met through the Boise music scene. It was like a big fundraiser show where a bunch of women and fans from the Boise scene would get together and do cover sets. Like they would start fake bands. That’s really how I met them and started playing with them. But I always looked up to them. Lisa was in this band called Finn Riggins, and they were kind of a big Boise band when I was young. So I always kind of looked up to Lisa growing up and then I found out that she wanted to start a band and so we did, which was really cool. So it’s a full circle moment. 

What was it like to record the EP with Dave Catching? What was that decision like?

Our manager, Dan, worked with some people who work at Rancho De La Luna and he just kind of suggested the idea to us and we were kind of like “I don’t know, it seems too fancy.” But Built to Spill played a show a couple of years ago at Pappy & Harriets  in Joshua Tree and since we were in town, I went with Dan and we visited the studio. Dave was so easy and cool to talk to that it immediately wiped that misconception away from me. I was like “no, this is, you know, it is nice. It’s good quality but it’s not unattainable, it’s comfortable.” I had a really good feeling about playing at that studio and recording there. It didn’t feel like it would be too far off of a decision for the band. We needed help with recording and getting those heavier, fuzzier tones. We know that Dave would be the dude for that. It just kind of all fell into place there.

Where did you record your first album? Who produced it?

We recorded it in Boise with our friend Zach House. He had us in this studio in his basement and then he had all of these wires that would go out to a barn in the back. Full bands would record in the barn and then we would go back in the basement. It was kind of cold when we did it, we recorded in January or February and I just remember bundling up like crazy and then going out and recording and going back in. He was just a really good friend and he did a couple of other recordings for bands in Boise and we just thought he did a really good job and wanted to work with him. He’s awesome… And now here we are.

How do you feel location impacting your songwriting or style?

It just feels so different. I think for me, I feel a lot more comfortable in Seattle. You know, politically, of course. I feel more comfortable with the climate also. I know people have this misconception of cities, you know, like “it’s a really intense place to live” but it’s really taken out the intensity of life for me. Seattle is a pretty temperate place. Everyone there is really sweet and I feel like I’ve been able to be a calmer person in Seattle. That has really affected my songwriting now, it actually helped me record my solo record which will be out next year. It feels like I just am able to be more focused.

What influences can you attribute your art to?

I’ve always said like a lot of classical rock bassists were my beginning. So bassists like John Entwistle, Geddy Lee, and John Paul Jones. Later, I started getting more into jazz and looking at the bass as like a solo instrument. So I got into Esperanza Spalding and Jaco Pastorius, you know bassists that were kind of trying to put the bass at the forefront of things. At the same time, I’ve been really influenced by a lot of very simple songwriters and like slowcore kind of music. So what has kinda become my goal is just finding ways to blend that all together. I think it’s important as a bassist to find soloists who are genuinely really good at their instruments but then also learning how to be a tasteful bassist is huge. Later in life, my biggest influences for bass have been people like Tom Blankenship from My Morning Jacket. Just like bass players who are really versatile and can do exactly what the song calls for and not be too busy. 

I know you’ve talked a lot about the beauty of simplicity, how do you see that coming into play with this new EP?

I was trying to think about what the song really needs and lean into simplicity. To be purposeful with it, just because you can doesn’t mean you should. I feel like I’ve been able to do that a lot more in Blood Lemon. It’s so different from Built to Spill; Built to Spill is pretty technically crazy and really involved. So, it’s a very different kind of experience playing with Built to Spill and Blood Lemon because in Blood Lemon we kind of focus on simpler songwriting and then we’re really intentional with it. Whereas in Built to Spill it’s more like a jam session, like these really intricate passages. So it’s about finding that balance. 

Have you ever gone through any artistic dry spells?

Yeah, I definitely have gone through a lot of artistic dry spells. I feel privileged as a bass player when I go through those dry spells that I can just kind of lean back and just be a support. You know? I feel like that’s been like a big part for me is when you’re not inspired, you can still lean back and just focus on your craft, if that makes sense. So a very huge part for me was leaning back and learning how to really play and learning other people’s music. I feel like it isn’t until very recently that I feel more confident in expressing myself in a much more distinct way. 

How do you feel that your style has evolved between playing in Blood Lemon and Built to Spill? How do you balance the different styles?

I like to play characters. I play one character in Built to Spill and another character in Blood Lemon. I try to kind of dress differently when I perform for those two bands. We actually did a couple of tours where I opened for Built for Spill, a double duty. It was a lot. I very intentionally changed my outfit for every show because you have got to get into the zone. I feel like in Blood Lemon I can be much simpler or darker and much more emotionally serious. 

How else do you find inspiration?

I’m really into nature writing. Do you know who Mary Oliver is?

Yes, absolutely. She’s my favorite.

I really love her and she’s been something I’ve been diving a lot into with lyric writing but also in creating an atmosphere and how that atmosphere makes you feel. I want to make music that feels like her words. I love her so much and I have a deep appreciation for her environment. So yeah, I take a lot of inspiration in different mediums. Also visual things, right now, I’m kind of obsessed with old Catholic iconography. I just find that it has this gothic darkness to it, but you know it also has a lightness and spiritual sense. It gives you a feeling of calm. So I’ve been trying to get inspiration from imagery and finding other forms of art.

This is a big jump here… I know you played at a Bernie rally in Nampa earlier this year.

I’m actually from Nampa! After I graduated high school, I moved. But yeah, Boise is actually really cool, it’s a blue dot in a red state.

How do you see politics interacting with your songwriting?

I think it’s actually been a struggle for me. Our first album was very politically charged, it was inspired by Trump’s presidency. And now it’s like, you know, our newer stuff now isn’t as politically motivated but it’s really emotional. I kind of feel like I’m in a weird space right now asking myself if I want to keep writing things that are politically motivated. Just because, not that I don’t believe in it, but just because it’s what everyone is talking about right now. And it’s our everyday life, it’s really scary. I don’t know how to do that and be helpful without constantly bumming people out. Because it’s everywhere, everyone’s freaked out. There’s something with catharsis that we need though so where’s the balance? 

Exactly and that’s a great question to ask, where is the balance there? I think it’s so important, especially right now, to make art that is outwardly political and that can be hard too, to be stuck in these echochambers. 

Do you feel inspired by politically motivated songs?

I think I do. I have a really hard time, specifically with visual art like films, when there is no acknowledgment of the impact of Trump’s presidency on everyone in this country right now. I really think that if you’re going to make art that’s political, it needs to be clear, not wishy-washy or ‘up to interpretation.’

Yeah, I guess, that comes back to how, with art in general right now, how hard it is to keep contributing but how there is NO room for ambiguity anymore. Like you’ll see on stage, I have a sticker on my amp that says “Fuck ICE.” When I put it on, there was a moment where I was like ‘should I not be doing this?’ But I just don’t think that there’s any room to not say anything with what’s happening. I think that the answer is that bottom line there is no room for ambiguity. 

Yes, 100%. I think all art is inherently political and we need to be very clear in our art.

What do you think about artists that are kind of basing their music around just having fun?

I’m not sure. I think that if you’re a bigger artist or someone with a platform then you absolutely need to be using it. Even if not in your music then on social media or when playing live shows. To not acknowledge it on the stage has always been so crazy to me when so many young voters are in the crowd. Kind of thinking about politics in music here, do you feel the Riot grrrl essence with you being in Seattle now?

I think in the Seattle area it’s easier to find community. Like going to Ballard and the Sunset Tavern, there’s always people that know each other. There’s this venue, Add-a-Ball, that’s in Fremont. It was this vintage arcade, pinball place. It’s been around for a while but they just opened an all ages venue. We played a show with another band there last year and it was really cool to see a whole community pack that place out. All ages, even kids, were moshing. That’s how it should be.

What does touring do for you as an artist?

It makes me tired of course but it’s the best job ever. I’m really really lucky that I get to be employed by Built to Spill and that Doug believes in me. Touring for everyone is a huge exercise. It’s self-restraint and taking care of yourself, not everyone’s good at it and I had to learn how to be good at it.

Do you feel like you are now?

Yeah, I don’t drink at all. I try to eat healthy, I stretch and do exercises before every show. I had to really learn that because there were earlier tours where I just ran myself into the ground. 

I’m learning that all of my favorite artists are sober, which is such a great thing especially for touring. 

If you’re passionate and dedicated to it, hell yeah, it’s the best way to tour. Everyone kind of comes to that realization and it’s cool when everyone wants to be a professional too. The thing is that this is a job and when you’re in a crew of people who really understand that but still want to support each other and have fun in different ways, that’s the best. I think it could be really really hard but if you do it right, and you have the restraint, you can make it really fun for yourself.

What’s your favorite show you’ve ever played?

The first show that comes to mind for me is when Built to Spill played in Asheville, North Carolina and Blood Lemon opened too. It was a double duty show and the crowd was awesome, they’re always awesome in Asheville. We played “Carry the Zero” at the end and Doug broke a string in the middle of the second verse and he didn’t bring a backup guitar so he had to turn around and Teresa and I just had to keep jamming. So we kept playing the second verse through and the whole crowd sang every single word. While he was restringing the guitar, they sang every word until the very end when the guitar finally blasts in and we just jam at the end. It was perfect timing that he was able to come in at that moment. It was really magical and I just remember everyone looking around like “dude, this is really fucking happening.” It just felt cool to have the crowd have our back and then people flipped out with the guitar solo at the end. There was just so much joy. I feel like all of my favorite shows are the ones where the crowd exudes just as much joy as we do. It’s really really special, I’ll never forget that show.

Image from Blood Lemon

You can catch Blood Lemon at Middle East in Cambridge on November 6th!