Home Indie Music Interview: ‘Misplaced at Sea’ with Rob Grant, Lana Del Rey’s Ambient Music-Making Father

Interview: ‘Misplaced at Sea’ with Rob Grant, Lana Del Rey’s Ambient Music-Making Father

0
Interview: ‘Misplaced at Sea’ with Rob Grant, Lana Del Rey’s Ambient Music-Making Father

[ad_1]

“Unintentional recording artist” Rob Grant, father of Lana Del Rey, dives into the oceanic depths of his debut album in a candid dialog about piano enjoying, his surprising musical journey, and what being “misplaced at sea” means to him.
Stream: ‘Misplaced At Sea’ – Rob Grant


As I take heed to the music and the underlying story, it’s extra about how the world has misplaced its hope and the way folks in all places are struggling to seek out their means…. This music displays how we really feel in a really troubled world.

Cinematic and intimate, lovely however melancholic, Misplaced At Sea is the soundtrack to a film that doesn’t exist.

Not but, not less than.

Reasonably than arriving alongside a full-length characteristic movie, Rob Grant’s debut album invitations listeners to shut their eyes and embark on adventures of their very own. “This album is supposed to move you, take you on a voyage, an ambient journey the place you simply turn into misplaced within the sound,” Grant says. “I see so many individuals, truthfully, who’re upset and feeling very anxious and, frankly, misplaced. And my music, I hope, brings peace and calm to a troubled world.”

Let the dulcet tones of a young piano wash over your ears and thru your soul; let your coronary heart fill with the heat of delicate strings that glisten and glow, ever so gently within the background; and let a tender, acquainted feminine voice take your breath away. Rob Grant is the captain of this implausible meditative voyage – a pianist and composer, deftly steering his ship by means of the storm.

Lost at Sea - Rob Grant
Misplaced at Sea – Rob Grant

And he’s, for all intents and functions, an unintentional recording artist. Up till now, the music world knew him greatest as a well-known father: Grant’s eldest daughter, Lizzy, launched her first album as Lana Del Rey in 2010. Over the previous 13 years, she has gone on to turn into probably the most celebrated and famend singer/songwriters of her era, in addition to probably the most recognizable voices of her time.

Clearly, expertise runs within the household.

Grant made his unofficial “debut” on Lana’s eighth studio album Blue Banisters, enjoying piano and sharing songwriting credit on the file’s finale “Candy Carolina” – a candy, seductive, and completely enchanting serenade he had improvised at dwelling in Saranac Lake, in upstate New York. So the story goes, Lana heard him enjoying the piano from a room upstairs and got here dashing down; inside an hour, they’d completed writing their first track collectively.

Rob Grant © Chuck Grant
Rob Grant © Chuck Grant

The success of that father-daughter collaboration resulted in Grant sitting in on extra of Lana’s recording classes, which led to extra time in entrance of a piano and a microphone… and through breaks (or at any time when she arrived late), he would press “file” and let the music stream.

Like water.

And jazz.

In most cases, what we hear on Misplaced at Sea is uncooked improvisation.

“It’s truthfully a really mysterious course of, which even I’ve bother explaining,” he admits. “However in the event you put me in entrance of a lovely piano, say a Steinway or a Yamaha, a grand, I’ll simply begin enjoying for you. And ultimately, I’ll come throughout a melody which I like, and I’ll start to construct a track round that. And after I performed at Conway, I performed for about an hour and a half straight. And we took that improv, we took it to London, and I labored with an editor, and we extracted 5 lovely songs from that block of improv. That was not me sitting all the way down to play a three-minute piece; that was gold that was extracted from this thoughts, this hour and a half lengthy steady set. It’s actually fascinating.”



Grant describes Misplaced At Sea as music for a troubled world. The album’s title speaks to his personal visceral emotions across the piano – what it does to him, the way it makes him really feel.

Misplaced At Sea actually is supposed to be hopefully very soothing music the place you possibly can take heed to it and likewise simply turn into misplaced in your personal peaceable ideas,” he says. “That’s what enjoying the piano does for me. After I play, I turn into misplaced at sea. So it’s a extremely lovely idea, which on so many ranges describes my music and the way I really feel, and likewise the backstory for me due to my deep love for crusing within the ocean. I grew up on the ocean… after I play the piano, I’ll typically drift off into this hypnotic state the place I really feel like I’m on the ocean. I’ve sailed all my life, an enormous fisherman. And infrequently after I play the piano, these visions of a glowing distant ocean come up.”

It’s acquired a whole lot of meanings, however I’d say the most important which means is that, for thus many individuals at the moment, they do really feel misplaced, and I hope my music may help them.

Rob Grant © Chuck Grant
Rob Grant © Chuck Grant

Misplaced at Sea is by and enormous an instrumental album paying homage to contemporaries equivalent to Ólafur Arnalds and Max Richter: Grant’s piano enjoying is entrance and middle on each track, with manufacturing credit from such acclaimed abilities as Jack Antonoff, Luke Howard, Laura Sisk, and Zach Dawes.

His well-known daughter even joins on two of the album’s tracks, lending her voice to the fantastically breathtaking title track “Misplaced at Sea” and coming again on the finish to as soon as once more whisk us away on the soul-stirring album nearer, “Hollywood Bowl.”

“‘Misplaced At Sea’ is a deeply emotional and ethereal track,” Grant says. “It combines the gorgeous vocals of Lana Del Rey woven right into a hypnotic piano composition. Lana’s voice is haunting and highly effective. It strikes ghostlike like by means of the track, like mist over the ocean. The track has a deep message of hope… for all of us who really feel misplaced and disconnected in at the moment’s world. [It’s] the rationale I made my album… to share music that may convey some peace and calm to a really anxious world.” The title monitor’s lyrics converse to a way of calm inside a second of turbulence and turmoil:

When you advised me
Search for the north star, then you definately’ll see
Heavenly, I hear
Discovered my technique to the seaside
And there have been waves over me
I used to be misplaced at sea
‘Til you discovered me, ’til you discovered me
Ha-ha-ha-ha, fortunately
Fortunately, fortunately
I used to be discovered misplaced at sea…
Fortunately, fortunately
I used to be discovered misplaced at sea
Rob Grant © Chuck Grant
Rob Grant © Chuck Grant

Grant lists “Hollywood Bowl,” the opposite Lana characteristic, as considered one of his private favorites. “The vocal vary that Lana shows is unimaginable,” he displays. “The piano begins with a fragile melody after which builds to a lovely launch. At any time when I play this piece, I’m blissful. It jogs my memory of my childhood, and the way a lot I beloved to swing. How the upper I went, the extra I felt like I used to be flying. It’s a track that’s full of pleasure.”

A father of three and grandfather of 1, Rob Grant is simply starting his musical profession at age 70 – and the sky’s the restrict. He lately spent three hours recording on the legendary Electrical Woman Studios in New York Metropolis, and has concepts for a second album already within the works.

“I’ve acquired lovely music, which is sitting proper now on my cellphone,” he smiles, a gleaming in his eye. “Nobody’s heard it, nevertheless it’s good.”


Being the daddy of a world icon definitely acquired him within the door, and now that he’s right here, we hope Rob Grant will stick with us awhile.

“Unintentional artist” although he could also be, his imaginative and prescient is inspiring and his music deeply transferring.

Others appear to agree: Misplaced at Sea debuted at #1 on the UK Classical Albums chart and #1 on the US Classical Crossover Albums chart, hitting #2 on the US Classical Albums and New Age Albums charts as effectively.

Atwood Journal sat down with Grant to debate his musical imaginative and prescient, collaborating with daughter Lana Del Rey, and what being “misplaced at sea” means to him. Learn extra in our interview under, and let your self get swept away on this file’s wondrous waves and tidal stream.

After I play, it does definitely have a sure melancholy to it, and that’s what I like… I’d say this album is supposed to move you, take you on a voyage, an ambient journey the place you simply turn into misplaced within the sound.

— —

:: stream/buy Misplaced At Sea right here ::
:: join with Rob Grant right here ::

A CONVERSATION WITH ROB GRANT

Lost at Sea - Rob Grant

Atwood Journal: Rob, it’s so nice to satisfy you and thanks a lot for taking the time at the moment. The place to start? Misplaced at Sea inherently feels so cinematic to me; listening to this, I think about not a file, however actually a film soundtrack. What was the genesis of this album for you?

Rob Grant: Fascinating. It type of goes a bit of additional again, after I wrote a track referred to as “Candy Carolina” with my daughter Lana. And, I had been enjoying the piano, and she or he occurred to be upstairs and heard me enjoying, and she or he got here down and she or he stated, “What’s that? What’s that melody?” And I advised her I used to be simply doing improv, which is what I usually do. And he or she stated, “Effectively, play these chords once more.” And he or she started to sing. After which she requested me if I may create a bridge, which I did. After which inside, actually, I’d say 40 or 50 minutes, we’d written “Candy Carolina,” and that’s the ultimate monitor on her album, Blue Banisters. So from there, I’d go into recording classes together with her at Conway Studios in LA and Henson. And usually, she at all times arrives late. Typically, you’ve acquired these engineers and producers who’re hanging round. I’ll go in early, swoop in, and I’ll inform the blokes to only hit file. And I did that over a sequence of a number of weeks, and commenced to put down all of those very attention-grabbing songs. And I didn’t actually have any intent on the time of making an album. I simply, typically, I simply play for myself. So, I despatched 5 tracks on to Ben Mawson at Faucet Administration in London. And Ben wrote me again immediately, and he stated, “Holy smokes, I like this. I believe I can get you a file deal.” And I used to be uncertain.

After which two weeks later, Ben referred to as me and he stated, “We simply acquired you an enormous cope with Decca.” In order that started the saga. And, I flew to London, I met with Tom Lewis, the CEO, Rachel Holmberg, and a bunch of others, they usually started to put out their concept of what they hoped the album would sound like. And I had begun to have this narrative in my thoughts that it could be very oceanic, as a result of my background and my love for the ocean could be very highly effective. And after I play the piano, I’ll typically drift off into this hypnotic state the place I really feel like I’m on the ocean. I’ve sailed all my life, an enormous fisherman. And infrequently after I play the piano, these visions of a glowing distant ocean come up. So, I laid that narrative out for Decca. They beloved it. And so they stated, “Effectively, we’re gonna want a minimal of not less than 14 tracks.”

Now, thoughts you, I’ve by no means had a piano lesson. I can’t learn sheet music. Swiftly I’m speaking to Decca about creating an album. It was very humorous, to be sincere. However to their credit score, they beloved the music, they noticed the potential. And so they had been very supportive as I laid out this narrative. And I additionally wrote a couple of two or three-page narrative for them, describing this ambient voyage that begins with “Moon Rise Over The Ocean” after which strikes gently by means of all of these piano items. In order that’s the background.

Misplaced At Sea: Music For A Troubled World

As I take heed to the music and the underlying story,
it’s extra about how the world has misplaced its hope
and the way folks in all places are struggling to seek out their means.

The music is gorgeous however melancholy.
The metaphor of being misplaced at sea is how all of us really feel.
The story begins with a soothing piano piece…
a deep craving for one thing that has been misplaced
and continues with light, calming piano items
which are supposed to be therapeutic and soothing.

On the finish of the album there may be lastly a way of hope…
a light-weight on the finish of the tunnel.

This music displays how we really feel in a really troubled world.
It’s lovely, however bittersweet.
– Rob Grant
Rob Grant © Chuck Grant
Rob Grant © Chuck Grant

Was it a problem to re-record something, or are a whole lot of these musical concepts and motifs that you simply got here up with spur of the second – and to make them once more could be a matter of listening again and discovering the notes once more?

Rob Grant: No, it’s an incredible query as a result of the best way I play, I play fully by ear, and it’s very intuitive. What I’ll do after I’m enjoying for myself, I’ll prop my cellphone up on the piano, and after I play a melody that I believe has acquired potential, I’ll file it on my cellphone. After which I’ll convey the cellphone right into a recording studio, set it up on their piano, and I’ll cue myself in. And it takes some time for me to recapture that very same tune. However I can do it. And that’s how I labored with Jack Antonoff and Laura Sisk at Henson. And immediately when Jack heard my music, he was simply blown away. And Jack, after all, is a superb pianist. And he would simply say to me, “Rob, maintain enjoying, maintain enjoying.” And they might simply file every little thing. And the very attention-grabbing factor about the best way I play is that, it’s not deliberate, it’s not in any means aware, I simply let it stream.

And it’s truthfully a really mysterious course of, which even I’ve bother explaining. However in the event you put me in entrance of a lovely piano, say a Steinway or a Yamaha, a Grand, I’ll simply begin enjoying for you. And ultimately, I’ll come throughout a melody which I like, and I’ll start to construct a track round that. And after I performed at Conway, I performed for about an hour and a half straight. And we took that improv, we took it to London, and I labored with an editor, and we extracted 5 lovely songs from that block of improv. That was not me sitting all the way down to play a three-minute piece; that was gold that was extracted from this thoughts, this hour and a half lengthy steady set. It’s actually fascinating.

Rob Grant © Chuck Grant
Rob Grant © Chuck Grant

It feels and sounds fairly neoclassical, nevertheless it’s actually nearer to jazz when it comes to how we’re tuning in and tuning out of a session that existed – and we’ve simply been given the chance to have this little little bit of perception to listen to a small phase of the general expertise.

Rob Grant: Yeah. It’s humorous as a result of I’ve additionally written three pop songs. So, relying on what the mission assertion is, I can adapt. And so after I’m enjoying with my daughter, I do know the type of music she loves. And I’ll simply provide you with an instance. We had written a lovely track referred to as “Sunshine,” and that was imagined to be on my album. I later realized she thought it was imagined to be on her album, on Tunnel. And that’s a singular drawback. And so in the course of this, we realized that a number of the chords had been a bit of too much like Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door,” which apparently occurs fairly a bit. Apparently, that chord development is a quite common one. So, we despatched that to a musicologist within the UK, he confirmed, “Yeah, you’ve gotta change up that chord construction,” which I had performed. However by then, Lana had determined that she was going to maneuver on emotionally from that track. After all, that left me hanging, as a result of I knew I needed to write now one other pop track. So, I’m enjoying away one evening and I come throughout this lovely chord development, and immediately I knew she was gonna find it irresistible.

And I referred to as her, and I went over to her home and I stated, “You’ve gotta hear this.” And I sat down and performed “Hollywood Bowl.” And he or she immediately beloved the chords, and immediately started to sing. And he or she type of writes lyrics the best way I play the piano. It’s all very spontaneous. And he or she’ll write lyrics on the fly. And he or she requested me if I may create a bridge for that individual track, which I did. And whereas she was trying round her lounge, she noticed this lovely image of the Hollywood Bowl, the place she had carried out, and that triggered this entire lovely lyric which turned, after all, the ultimate monitor, “Hollywood Bowl”. Each she and I write virtually spontaneously. And I’ve been together with her when, if she hears one thing that triggers a lyric in her thoughts, she’ll simply begin singing. That’s just about how all of our music has been written. If she hears one thing that I’m enjoying on the piano, she’ll type of yell all the way down to me, “What’s that?” And he or she’ll come down and we’ll play it once more and we’ll construct an precise track round that. We’ve written 4 pop songs thus far, with that technique. [chuckle]

That is how these father-daughter collaborations come to be. That is a beautiful means of coming collectively. Do you thoughts sharing a bit of bit extra in regards to the track, “Misplaced at Sea”? How did that track come about, and what does it imply to you?

Rob Grant: The title of the album and that track, I believe, is multi-layered. After I take a look at the world at the moment, I see so many individuals, truthfully, who’re upset and feeling very anxious and, frankly, misplaced. And my music, I hope, brings peace and calm to a troubled world. So, in that sense, “Misplaced At Sea” actually refers to the place we’re at culturally. Politically, you possibly can see how divided our nation is. The identical is true within the UK. We’ve acquired so many issues now with local weather change, excessive climate, you’ve acquired financial issues the place younger youngsters at the moment can’t afford a house, none of them can. It simply looks like we’ve reached this convergence the place we’ve acquired so many issues.

And so, Misplaced At Sea actually is supposed to be hopefully very soothing music the place you possibly can take heed to it and likewise simply turn into misplaced in your personal peaceable ideas. And that’s what enjoying the piano does for me. After I play, I turn into misplaced at sea. So it’s a extremely lovely idea, which on so many ranges describes my music and the way I really feel, and likewise the backstory for me due to my deep love for crusing within the ocean. I grew up on the ocean. So it’s acquired a whole lot of meanings, however I’d say the most important which means is that, for thus many individuals at the moment, they do really feel misplaced, and I hope my music may help them.

You talked about earlier that you do not learn sheet music, you are not skilled in any means. I’ve to think about there’s been music in your house for fairly a while. However when did you sit down on the piano first, and the way lengthy have you ever been enjoying now?

Rob Grant: Yeah, that’s an incredible query. After I assume again, I keep in mind in Barrington, Rhode Island, we had a Steinway, and actually, it’s the identical Steinway, it’s a child Grand that I had rebuilt and moved into my workplace now in Upstate New York in Saranac Lake. We lived in Lake Placid, after which after the youngsters had all grown up and left, we bought the home. After which, we’ve acquired a spot in Saranac Lake. Anyway, that very same Steinway, which used to take a seat in our household dwelling, I had rebuilt and moved into my workplace. Anyway, going again to after I first performed, that takes me means again to actually after I was a youngster.

And oddly sufficient, I keep in mind, it’s a comic story, which I haven’t considered in a very long time, however I used to be making an attempt to impress a girlfriend, and she or he requested me, “Do you play the piano?” And I believed, “Huh.” Effectively, so I sat down and I simply started to play, and to my amazement and hers, I really was placing collectively these lovely chords. And that’s again after I was 14 years previous. And immediately, I noticed I had this love for the piano. Now, I by no means took it critically, however I at all times beloved to play. And I’d typically play at events, privately, and other people would ask me to play. And so, I’d sit down and simply do improv, however by no means took it critically. And definitely by no means thought means again then that sooner or later I’d be doing an album and signed with Decca.

Rob Grant 'Lost at Sea' © Chuck Grant
Rob Grant ‘Misplaced at Sea’ © Chuck Grant

Was it at all times brooding music, the best way this album happened?

Rob Grant: I’d say with this album, it’s meant to be very ambient – I’d virtually name it melancholy. It’s acquired a tragic edge to it. And albeit, my daughter is identical means, a whole lot of her songs. Clearly we share the identical DNA, the identical sensibility. After I play, it does definitely have a sure melancholy to it, and that’s what I like. I like the previous Irish songs, which to me all used to appear very unhappy.

Now, thoughts you, I can write a contented track. I’d say “Hollywood Bowl” definitely is a contented tune. However typically, I’d say this album is supposed to move you, take you on a voyage, an ambient journey the place you simply turn into misplaced within the sound. And I labored with Luke Howard, who’s primarily based in Melbourne in Australia, and he’s an incredible producer. And he and I’d talk by way of textual content and generally by calls. And he was very intuitive, the best way he may take my songs after which add depth to them, whether or not it was strings or horns. And I used to be actually impressed along with his intuitions. And he did an exquisite job. Now, thoughts you, I’ve but to satisfy Luke in-person. Isn’t that one thing?

He’s an incredible man. And naturally, I despatched him a piano piece that was meant to be a really brief type of interlude, a couple of minute and a half. And a couple of week later, he despatched me again this six and a half minute mysterious ambient piece referred to as, I referred to as it “The Mermaids Lullaby.” And what he had performed was he’d taken my piano and he had slowed it down by 4x, after which he had begun to layer in all of those sound results, and he created this lovely, mysterious piece. And after I acquired it and I performed it, I believed, “Wow.” That’s fascinating to have the ability to take a standard piano piece and remodel it into this mysterious music. And immediately I envisioned being beneath the ocean. I may see the kelp swaying and simply the motion of the tides. And, so I referred to as it “The Mermaids Lullaby.”

That is why I stated this music feels so cinematic to me – the file jogged my memory of soundtracks like The Form of Water and Phantom Thread: A lot of what these motion pictures gave to their viewers was outlined by their music.
Now, clearly you’ve got set out from the get-go to differentiate your self not as Lana Del Rey’s father, however as Rob Grant, composer and artist. What do you hope listeners take away out of your album and what have you ever taken away from creating it and now placing it out?

Rob Grant: I believe the music does the identical factor for me that hopefully it does for anybody who listens to it, which is, it’s meant to be very calming, very soothing. It’s meant to take you on this lovely ambient journey, which, I’m simply thrilled to have the ability to share with the world.

The album itself actually is supposed to be my present to the world, and I hope that individuals can get pleasure from it and discover peace. And I do know I’ve talked to so many individuals, I did a three-hour signing in London, the place folks would convey the vinyl in. That was at Tough Commerce. And I heard from all of those followers who advised me what the music meant to them. And a whole lot of them had been younger. These had been youngsters. And I simply beloved it as a result of, right here they had been telling me their favourite songs and what the songs did for them. Man, I discovered that to be fascinating, and really, actually fantastic, for a man like me. So cool.

— —

:: stream/buy Misplaced At Sea right here ::
:: join with Rob Grant right here ::

— — — —

Lost at Sea - Rob Grant

Hook up with Rob Grant on
Fb, Twitter, TikTok, Instagram
Uncover new music on Atwood Journal
? © Chuck Grant

:: Stream Rob Grant ::




[ad_2]

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here