If you attended Steampunk World's Fair this past weekend, you heard the vocals of the lovely Colette Lovelace of The Clockwork Dolls on the Midway Stage. Last week we featured Colette's bandmate, Allison Curval. This week, Colette, who also hails from Baltimore, tells us how she got into Steampunk and describes the labor-intensive process of writing lyrics. To listen to more of Colette's work, check out The Clockwork Dolls on Bandcamp.
How
would you define/describe yourself?
That
is a mighty broad question and one that is genuinely hard for me to answer. I
think one of the best descriptions of me is that I am someone who is
exceedingly reluctant to describe herself. If pushed, I’d say I am a pretty
calm, practical, flexible person; I’d like to think I have all but mastered the
art of “rolling with the punches.” I like to stay positive, supportive, and
optimistic when I can; I think it’s healthy for not just the individual, but
for the world on the whole.
I’m
also someone who loves production as much as consumption. In addition to making
music, I love to cook, knit, brew, garden, do needlework; anything that
produces tangible results. There is something so fulfilling about creation and
being able to share the results with those around me.
How
did you find steampunk?
The
way I find everything meaningful in my life - the internet. I think my first real
exposure to the subculture was through Datamancer’s work. I remember being
blown away by his computer modifications and thinking, “So, how can I see more
of this?”
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| Colette (left) and Alison (right) performing Saturday at the Steampunk World's Fair in Piscataway, N.J. |
After
being clued in about Steampunk, I was really excited to look into it. I was
already very much interested in historical costuming, and just history in
general, and I loved the idea of modifying and romancing Victoriana in a sci-fi
setting. I really loved the aesthetics of it all, as well.
Describe
one of your creative processes.
Well,
the biggest part of my work with The Clockwork Dolls is writing lyrics. I’d
like to tell you it is some sort of spiritual process filled with candle-lit
rituals, but it really is more mundane than that. There’s this old joke that
goes, “How do you carve a marble elephant? You get a block of marble and carve
off anything that doesn’t look like an elephant.” The joke is dumb, but it’s
weirdly analogous to my process. Allison’s music overwhelmingly follows a
narrative, so the first step really is just trying to get a feel for the
content of the song. Then I take a few deep breaths and try to imagine the
narrative in my mind. Then, I’ll just brain vomit onto paper and write down
every little scene and dialogue and feeling that I have on the matter. After
that, I’ll sift, sort, cut, and edit all of those snippets into a workable
piece; essentially carving away anything that doesn’t “look like an elephant.”
Then I go through and polish it again and again, adjusting wording and
phrasing, until I’m satisfied; or, more often, until I’ve run out of time and
convinced myself that I’m satisfied anyway.
Who
or what inspires you?
Lots
of things inspire me, I suppose. There are definitely musicians that inspire
me, like Nina Simone, Ella Fitzgerald, June Tabor, and Sophie Tucker; and I
take a lot of inspiration from things like history, folklore, and mythology.
But I think I take most of my inspiration from the human experience. The way
people react, their emotions, their connectedness, their stories, their
triumphs, their failures; it’s an endless vein to mine. There are people who
have affected the world in enormous ways, whether through justice or tragedy or
progress, and the way those people have affected the world is so inspiring to
me. The idea of a single person affecting the lives of those around them
through greatness or through mundanity; it’s a fascinating area to explore.
What
projects are you working on right now?
We
have easily half a dozen projects in the pipeline at the moment, but front in
the queue is our new album. The working title is "The Sleepwalker Chronicles" and
it’s going to be AMAZING. Allison has written some incredible music for it so
far and has really been pounding out this amazing, detailed, intriguing plot
line for it as well. We have some ambitious plans for this album and I know
it’s going to be incredible.
What
advice do you have for young Steampunks?
Don’t
let anyone define you. There’s always going to be pressure to conform to
preconceived standards, but don’t feel like you have to abide by them. Don’t
let others judge you for your choices and question any self-proclaimed
authorities. I think sometimes there is a fear among younger and/or newer
Steampunks to “get it right.” That mindset makes them too cautious. Deviate,
take leaps, and make choices. Take risks and don’t let anyone hold their
judgments over you. Creativity requires deviation; that’s what makes it so
exciting and beautiful.
