Aly Spaltro started recording and performing as Lady Lamb the Beekeeper in Brunswick, Maine in 2007. Her self-released albums quickly garnered a lot of attention thanks to her hyper-literate songwriting and complex arrangements. In 2010, she moved to Brooklyn and released her acclaimed album “Ripley Pine” in 2013. She’s performed worldwide, both solo and with a band, sharing stages with a diverse group of acts from Television to Beirut.
In March, Spaltro shortened her moniker to Lady Lamb, and Mom + Pop Music released her newest album, the fun, moving pop-rock record, “After.” Spaltro and the band finish a two-month tour at The Press Room in Portsmouth on May 13. The Sound recently caught up with Spaltro to talk about casettes, the difference between performing solo and with a band, and what kind of fan mail she receives.
How did moving to New York affect your creative process?
I don’t really feel like moving to New York has affected my creative process beyond having to play quieter without a practice space. I did find parts of my range through having to be conscious of how much noise I’m making.
Are you inspired by the city?
I think of living in New York as more of a utility than anything — though I love my neighborhood, I’m not very inspired by the city.
Could you ever see yourself living in Maine again?
My heart is in Maine and I will certainly return one day!
You alternate between being a solo performer and fronting a band. What is the appeal in either approach, and how do you determine which you choose?
I find different appeal to both approaches. I love playing with a band to bring my arrangements to life as they were recorded, but I also find a lot of value in the intimacy of the solo performance. I like that I can play a show that includes both.
The arrangements on your recordings can be quite wild. What is the process like in taking a guitar and vocals-based song and turning it into something more epic and twistier?
The process involves a lot of stacking of instruments followed by subtracting. I really love to work with dynamics and moving the floor out from under all the instrumentation to take things back to (something) bare. Where I feel like the moment could benefit from a more frenetic arrangement, I leave in a lot of the more dense arrangements.
The cover art for Lady Lamb's latest album, After.
Pre-orders of your new album “After” came with postcards that folks could send back to you. What kinds of things have been written and sent to you? Have you found this to be a successful way to connect with people?
I get a lot of emails and letters (and postcards!) and each and every one means the world to me. Most times I find myself in tears at what people say. They’ll send me poems, or words of thanks, or stories about themselves, and sometimes the hardships they have gone through. I feel very fortunate to be supported by such loving and thoughtful people, and it’s my joy in life to write music that helps others through trying times in their lives.
What or who do you find inspiring these days? Whose art knocks your socks off? Is there anyone out there that you’re interested in collaborating with that you haven’t before?
I’m really inspired by a handful of artists these days. A couple I’ve followed for many years, and a couple artists I’ve gotten into recently. I would love to collaborate with Sufjan Stevens, and I have for many years. I’m really into his newest album, “Carrie & Lowell.” I’m also into Chad VanGaalen, Mac DeMarco, and Ty Segall.
Do you enjoy touring?
I love to tour. It’s a very exhausting yet rewarding experience. I love the fact that it forces you to be very present and only handle the day in front of you. I also like that it makes you really take care of your health. You end up treating your body like it’s a piece of gear that you have to maintain. There’s something so wonderful about being hyper-conscious of your well-being.
Do you find the time to enjoy the cities you’re in when you’re not performing?
One of the difficult parts is not having much time to explore because of scheduling. The saving grace about that, though, is that when you do get an hour to see something, you appreciate that much more. The other day we had time to go to Encinitas, Calif. on the way to L.A., and dip our feet in the Pacific. Last night we got to stay in a cabin on a peacock farm in Eugene, Ore. and wake up in the peaceful woods. You really savor moments like that!
“After” was also released on cassette. Is the physical product important to you? How do you feel about downloading, legally or otherwise?
I think physical formats are still important, because I am very thoughtful about the album art and layout and having the lyric booklet. I try not to get too upset about downloading because I realize that it’s where we are at right now, and being bitter about it won’t change anything. It makes me appreciate fans more for buying tickets to come to the show and picking up merch from me, because that kind of support makes it possible for me to continue to do what I love.
What do you miss when you’re on the road?
I miss my cat when I’m on the road. He’s like a little dog; he’s very hard to be away from!
Lady Lamb performs Wednesday, May 13 at 8 p.m. at The Press Room, 77 Daniel St., Portsmouth. Tickets are $13-15 and are available at pressroomnh.com.
Top of page: Maine native Aly Spaltro, a.k.a. Lady Lamb. Photo by Shervin Lainez