| . | 05/21/2009
Interview -Award-winning Singer-Songwriter Laura Freeman Debuts at Joe’s Pub
By: Deirdre Donovan
Award-winning singer-songwriter Laura Freeman made her New York debut at Joe’s Pub on May 18 with her sad and funny one-woman show “Luna Tart Died of a Broken Heart.” A veteran performer, she has become more cherished of late for her persona as Luna Tart, her mysterious alter ego and creative well-spring since 2005. Her show was voted Best of the Fest in Frontera Fest Short Fringe for her Debut in 2008 (Austin, Texas). And her hit album “Luna Tart Died,” came out in the fall of 2007.
I recently spoke with Freeman about her one-woman show, her 5 solo albums, and the sources of her inspiration over the years. Here is an excerpt of our conversation at Applebee’s restaurant in Manhattan on May 15.
Luna Tart has taken Austin, Texas, by storm. Tell me about Luna.
Oh, God! She gets me into places I never thought I would go. I’ve been a singer-songwriter for a long time. And, all of a sudden, in Austin all these very hip young people know who Luna Tart is (She laughs). They don’t know who Laura Freeman is. So it’s funny.
Is she your alter ego?
Yeah, I think so. Or just somebody who needed to be brought to life--and just found me.
You have been singing and writing songs for 2 decades. Before Luna Tart became a fixture in your work, what kind of songs were you creating?
I write children’s music. I wrote a song for every color in the rainbow. When I wrote the color songs I wanted to make it a puppet show. And [puppeteer] Heather Jarry just brought it to life with this beautiful, beautiful set. [In the show] we convince the King of Black and White--who’s banned all colors--that colors are okay. It’s really a hit. A 2 year-old will sit and watch this for 30 minutes. It’s really neat.
You come from a family of musical enthusiasts. Your father listened to classical music, and your mother listened to musicals. And I read that you grew up wanting to sing like Julie Andrews.
In fact, sometimes I sound like her in my kids’ albums, which is hilarious to me. If you listen to my song about math, you’ll notice it is very influenced by Julie Andrews.
What do you like about her voice?
The way she enunciates, she is so crystal clear.
You seem to be equally inspired by Ella Fitzgerald and the whole jazz culture.
I had grown up in a house that really listened to musicals or classical music. But I don’t think I ever heard jazz. [But when] I saw this jazz tape in the 99 cent bin, I bought it on a whim, and I couldn’t stop listening because I never heard anyone [Ella Fitzgerald) sing like that. And it’s sort of funny--but I’m from a small Texas town and you wouldn’t have necessarily heard of jazz.
Were you born in Texas?
I was actually born in North Dakota. My Dad was in the Air Force. But my family is from Texas.
As an artist, you have lived and traveled all over the country, but you seem to have a special affection for New Orleans and
jazz.
New Orleans is just so eye-opening. All the brass—on any given day you would see a brass band parading through the street. It’s really beautiful.
Turning to a serious topic, your mother was killed in 1981. That must have had a big impact on your life and art.
I was 14. I came from a healthy family-centered family. We were very, very close. We were camping and canoeing and sailing and backpacking. So it was this very nice family, very, very normal middle-class family. And then all of a sudden the mother’s just gone. So I was writing a lot of songs about being abandoned.
In 2003—23 years after your mother’s death--you decided to have psychotherapy. I read that the experience turned out to be a healing time for you. Did it also serve as the catalyst for your Luna Tart music?
I wrote Why Cry, the first Luna song, and I was literally crying. And shortly after that song, I wrote Luna Tart Died of a Broken Heart.
To find out more about singer-songwriter Laura Freeman and Luna Tart, visit: Myspace.com/lunatart and http://www.lunatart.com
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