Creator Chats: Jena Pyle & Claire Morales (Saudade Sisters)
Welcome to Creator Chats - a conversation among two groups, bands or people in the music industry. Today we welcome Jena Pyle & Claire Morales of Saudade Sisters.
Jena Pyle: Was it a process to find your voice? What was it like starting out? It’s so powerful when you perform, I love it. It’s one of the things I feel was hard learning curve for me - having the guts to sing. How do you make space for yourself? (On stage and personally)
Claire Morales: Oh that's a good one! I've always really loved to sing in front of people. I've also always been a fan of big, dramatic songs. When I was a little kid I would get up on the fireplace mantle and sing Disney movie music in front of my family. It's very big and bold and exaggerated. I also acted as a kid at the local children's theater, and it's kind of the same deal. So I think that inspired me really early on to think of music as this theatrical experience. I was always the kid who sang too loud in choir (I got asked to sing quieter on more than one occasion). I've always been pretty shy, but music feels like somewhere I can relax and share a lot of feelings and thoughts in a very premeditated and planned way. I think the harder thing for me was finding a genre of music that worked well with my voice. I've always loved your sense of style and your songwriting. Even early on, your songs felt very confident and like they had a definite vibe and direction in mind.
Claire: How did you figure out what kind of music you wanted to make and who were some early inspirations?
Jena: Aw, thanks! That’s awesome to hear, I didn’t ever feel very confident. I always felt like I was “doing something wrong” with guitar/songwriting since I was new to it. You’re the first person who actually told me I was good at guitar, I was like blown away. Everyone had always mentioned me as a good singer or good at ukulele (Layer Cake had ONE song with ukulele). When I was first making music, the direction felt natural because I would really write whatever was on my mind. Whenever I had a problem, I would ask my bandmate Mary if I should talk to the person about it (who usually didn’t really care that much) or write a song about it. She always said write a song, so that’s what I did! So, my inspirations were people that wrote very raw and open stuff. Early Liz Phair 'Girly Sound' is actually so amazing and blunt. My friend Lyndsay showed me that. I loved the sad pop of the Ronettes and knowing her crazy story with Phil Spector makes all those happy love songs a little eerie. Basically, he held her captive as his wife and threatened her if she left. One day she broke the glass door bare foot and ran down the street. Crazy and inspiring.
Jena: What are you looking forward to seeing in the new Twin Peaks? (I'm so excited, just saw another trailer for it.) Which Twin Peaks character are you?
Claire: Oh man! Daniel says I'm the log lady, though she died recently so I bet she won't be in the new ones. I think I'm just most excited to get to see all the characters and the setting again. I always feel that remorse when a movie or book or tv show end, that feeling that you won't be able to explore that world anymore. I found the original series to be super inspiring, just the music and the darkness and the drama. I can't wait to be there again
Claire: If you could visit anywhere in the whole world and make a record there, where would it be and why? And what kind of food would you eat while you made that record?
Jena: Oh my god, great question. For the past few years I’ve been dreaming about Amsterdam. I would pick flowers, eat pastries, go to coffee shops, ride a bike. Foods I’m looking at: Stroopwafel, poffertjes, tompouce, koffie verkeerd, Patat, Hagelslag
Jena: What are your tips for friends with social anxiety who also get invited to parties?
Claire: Avoid parties at all cost (just kitten, kind of). If you can't get out of going, hang out in the kitchen by the snacks. Tell everyone who comes in an interesting fact about the snacks. For example: that dip is really good! Also go to the bathroom a lot to get some alone time. Also: if there's an animal at the house, hang out and pet them when you get tired of talking to people. If you have to talk to people, just zero in on someone and have a one on one conversation. Less overwhelming!