STACEY DEE
I was born into music. My dad is a singer/songwriter that played guitar to my Mom’s belly. It’s been a passion of mine since I could comprehend what it was. I played drums before anything at 4 years old. Then I played piano a bit. I was ALWAYS a singer. I knew this was what I was going to do from very young. Both of my parents encouraged me to play and sing. My dad had given me a guitar so many times but I was like, “I’m never gonna play that thing”. I pushed music away in my teens but finally picked up the guitar was I was 20. Immediately I was writing songs. I had been writing songs since 4th grade. But I didn’t know I was a real songwriter until I was 20.
As you began to develop your songwriting skills, who were the main artists you looked to for inspiration and as an example of the kinds of song structures and lyrics that you were interested in exploring on your own? Which punk bands and artists were most influential to your songwriting?
I’m not sure. As soon as I found out I could write songs I was off to the races. I don’t know how to play anyone else’s music. I suck at doing covers. I just dove into writing. My influences come from everything I’ve ever heard that I liked. I can’t pin point one or even a handful of influences. It comes more from life and drawing from everything. But NOFX and Green Day were two of my favorites. I’m sure I draw from both of them.
Your style of songwriting is concise, melodic, and direct in its delivery. Have you always structured your songs this way? Do you generally prefer your songs to be short and pack a punch? Do you typically write with an acoustic guitar?
I am one of those songwriters that tells true stories. Honest stuff that has come from my own life. So, yes in a sense I’ve always written true to life stories, and I guess I’ve always written short and concise songs. I’m not big on jamming out in a song. I think the longest song I’ve ever written was 4.5 mins. That’s too long. Haha. I love the pop structure and it’s really all I know how to do. 3 min songs all day! Almost every song I’ve written starts on acoustic guitar. Sometimes it’s hard to translate to electric though. You have to be careful!
The style of punk that Bad Cop/Bad Cop plays has dynamics and textures to it that stand out - does the rest of the band members add their flavor and personality to the songs? How do those collaborations play out prior to a song being finished? Do you demo songs and do any home recording?
Yes, everyone adds something to our songs. It’s always different. Sometimes we have played it before we record it, sometimes we don’t play on it until we record it. We always demo songs at home. I record them into my phone and then send them to everyone.
What's the songwriting dynamic like between you and Jennie Cotterill? Do you both typically bring complete songs to share and then work on them as a band? Do you feel that you both influence one another's songwriting, and do you feel that there's a natural compatibility there? Do you ever feel a sense of tension or competition with Jennie since you both are great songwriters? What have you learned from her as an artist?
Jennie and I are a great team. Whether we write songs together or apart, we are huge supporters of each other’s stuff. She always inspires me. I’m sure I do the same for her. We don’t write anything like each other, but what we bring to each other’s songs is something different that either of us hear on our own. Before our band got on the same page, there was a bit of tension sometimes when anyone brought a song. But that’s just the ego wanting to be he only great one. Haha. So lame. After I got sober I told the girls, “fuck, I’m done being weird and jealous and judgmental with you guys.... if you have a song, let’s fucking give it a shot”. So we are way more supportive of each other now and less competitive. Not only do Jennie and I write, but Linh writes too. So I think everyone just wants their songs to be heard. It’s not out of disdain for anyone else’s songs but out of wanting to be heard. I’ve learned a ton from both Jennie and Linh. They write different songs than me and it always pushes me to be better.
Linh and Myra are together a great rhythm section and also two very interesting personalities that add a lot of energy and excitement to the Bad Cop line-up. Do they ever involve themselves directly in the songwriting? What's their role from a composition perspective?
Definitely! In our song “Womanarchist” Myra came up with “wants to make the whole world Co-exist”. Which was perfect! I couldn’t find that’ll word “coexist”. And we almost settled for saying “Feminist” again. But I wouldn’t let it go and Myra nailed it. Linh is a fantastic singer / songwriter. We all sing on the records. It’s all 4 of us that make this band work.
Do you feel that experiencing pain and hardship provides a certain advantage for songwriting? Has/does songwriting provide for you a necessary therapy, and do you write songs constantly or do they come in waves? Does your history compel you to share stories through songwriting?
Pain and hardship are the easier things to write about. What’s hard is writing a positive song without sounding cheesy. Yes, writing songs is how I process my life and everything that happens to me. Writing comes in waves. You can’t force it. Sometimes an idea will happen but I won’t finish the song until months later. 100%!!! Like I said, everything that happens in my life propels me to write about it.
A question I tend to ask is related to the connection between art, addiction, and depression - do you feel that creativity comes with this baggage naturally? In your experience are talented artists typically people who are more prone to emotional strife and addiction? Has your songwriting sharpened as a result of getting sober?
As you began to develop your songwriting skills, who were the main artists you looked to for inspiration and as an example of the kinds of song structures and lyrics that you were interested in exploring on your own? Which punk bands and artists were most influential to your songwriting?
I’m not sure. As soon as I found out I could write songs I was off to the races. I don’t know how to play anyone else’s music. I suck at doing covers. I just dove into writing. My influences come from everything I’ve ever heard that I liked. I can’t pin point one or even a handful of influences. It comes more from life and drawing from everything. But NOFX and Green Day were two of my favorites. I’m sure I draw from both of them.
Your style of songwriting is concise, melodic, and direct in its delivery. Have you always structured your songs this way? Do you generally prefer your songs to be short and pack a punch? Do you typically write with an acoustic guitar?
I am one of those songwriters that tells true stories. Honest stuff that has come from my own life. So, yes in a sense I’ve always written true to life stories, and I guess I’ve always written short and concise songs. I’m not big on jamming out in a song. I think the longest song I’ve ever written was 4.5 mins. That’s too long. Haha. I love the pop structure and it’s really all I know how to do. 3 min songs all day! Almost every song I’ve written starts on acoustic guitar. Sometimes it’s hard to translate to electric though. You have to be careful!
The style of punk that Bad Cop/Bad Cop plays has dynamics and textures to it that stand out - does the rest of the band members add their flavor and personality to the songs? How do those collaborations play out prior to a song being finished? Do you demo songs and do any home recording?
Yes, everyone adds something to our songs. It’s always different. Sometimes we have played it before we record it, sometimes we don’t play on it until we record it. We always demo songs at home. I record them into my phone and then send them to everyone.
What's the songwriting dynamic like between you and Jennie Cotterill? Do you both typically bring complete songs to share and then work on them as a band? Do you feel that you both influence one another's songwriting, and do you feel that there's a natural compatibility there? Do you ever feel a sense of tension or competition with Jennie since you both are great songwriters? What have you learned from her as an artist?
Jennie and I are a great team. Whether we write songs together or apart, we are huge supporters of each other’s stuff. She always inspires me. I’m sure I do the same for her. We don’t write anything like each other, but what we bring to each other’s songs is something different that either of us hear on our own. Before our band got on the same page, there was a bit of tension sometimes when anyone brought a song. But that’s just the ego wanting to be he only great one. Haha. So lame. After I got sober I told the girls, “fuck, I’m done being weird and jealous and judgmental with you guys.... if you have a song, let’s fucking give it a shot”. So we are way more supportive of each other now and less competitive. Not only do Jennie and I write, but Linh writes too. So I think everyone just wants their songs to be heard. It’s not out of disdain for anyone else’s songs but out of wanting to be heard. I’ve learned a ton from both Jennie and Linh. They write different songs than me and it always pushes me to be better.
Linh and Myra are together a great rhythm section and also two very interesting personalities that add a lot of energy and excitement to the Bad Cop line-up. Do they ever involve themselves directly in the songwriting? What's their role from a composition perspective?
Definitely! In our song “Womanarchist” Myra came up with “wants to make the whole world Co-exist”. Which was perfect! I couldn’t find that’ll word “coexist”. And we almost settled for saying “Feminist” again. But I wouldn’t let it go and Myra nailed it. Linh is a fantastic singer / songwriter. We all sing on the records. It’s all 4 of us that make this band work.
Do you feel that experiencing pain and hardship provides a certain advantage for songwriting? Has/does songwriting provide for you a necessary therapy, and do you write songs constantly or do they come in waves? Does your history compel you to share stories through songwriting?
Pain and hardship are the easier things to write about. What’s hard is writing a positive song without sounding cheesy. Yes, writing songs is how I process my life and everything that happens to me. Writing comes in waves. You can’t force it. Sometimes an idea will happen but I won’t finish the song until months later. 100%!!! Like I said, everything that happens in my life propels me to write about it.
A question I tend to ask is related to the connection between art, addiction, and depression - do you feel that creativity comes with this baggage naturally? In your experience are talented artists typically people who are more prone to emotional strife and addiction? Has your songwriting sharpened as a result of getting sober?
Yeah, unfortunately a lot of artists are depressed people. We are sensitive and empathetic to the pain and suffering in the world and in our selves. It makes for great art. But do for being happy and positive. My songs have gotten ten times better since I got well. It was hard to switch writing from a negative standpoint to a positive one. Learning curve for sure. My dad is also a recovering addict and he’s always said to me, “addicts are the most sensitive and creative people”, and I couldn’t agree more. When an artist is lost, abusing themselves and not creating it makes for a sick spirit.
In a recent piece you wrote about your experiences with addiction, you mentioned that you still smoke weed. I've always found weed to be a drug that unlocks creative doors, or at least provides an incentive for accessing a "weirder" side of one's creative process. Do you find that cannabis can be a songwriting enhancer?
I’m super open about everything in my life. I don’t know why. I wish I wasn’t sometimes. Haha. Not only was I a drug addict, I was a sad, sick and lost person. I was negative. Always. I didn’t know what being positive meant. So not only did I get sober but I changed EVERYTHING about my perspective to life. When I was getting better I was having a very fucking hard time writing songs again. I always knew that I would smoke weed again. It works for me and I prefer living a cannabis positive life to one without it. Again, my Dad who has been in the program for like 25 years and I were talking one night and I was telling him how hard it was for me to concentrate and I couldn’t write anymore. He said, “you might want to try smoking weed again, even just a little bit to get your creative juices flowing”. And I did and it helped immensely. I have one of those brains that races and won’t be quiet, cannabis helps me so much in being able to concentrate. I know it doesn’t work for everyone, but for anyone that doesn’t want to take big pharma pills like myself, cannabis rules!!!!
Bad Cop/Bad Cop is a very tight and energetic live band - how does this energy translate in the studio setting? Do you prefer to record live with the band or track separately? Do you enjoy recording more or performing more? Do you revisit your own songs and recordings often? How do you feel when you listen back to your own songs?
Thanks, we sure are! We are always happy, energetic and positive people. And that translates to the studio every time!!! I don’t mind either way of tracking. I just like recording and all of its facets. I enjoying performing more than recording. But it’s different for everyone. I do revisit our songs. I listen to Warriors a lot. It’s hard for me to listen to Not Sorry as that was the height of my addiction. It’s hard for me to listen to myself all fucked up and not at my best. But I do listen to Warriors like it’s not my band! Haha.
Fat Mike has seemed to be an important mentor in your musical career. What specific role has he played in your development as an artist and songwriter? What lessons have you learned from his songwriting approach? Do you feel that your songwriting has improved as a result of his influence and support? What is your favorite song that he has written?
Mike has done so much for my career and me personally. From giving me a chance at one of the starring roles on his musical, “Home Street Home”, to signing Bad Cop Bad Cop to Fat Wreck Chords, to producing our records, to paying for me to go to detox to get off of drugs, to inviting us to play with NOFX. He’s said to me, “I’ve always liked you Stacey, for whatever reason”. I know how it is, sometimes a person comes along in my life that I think, “I wanna help this person. I don’t know why, but I’ve got to”. Mike is my mentor and my great friend. I would do anything for him!
Who are your all-time favorite songwriters in any genre? Do you ever write songs in other genres as a songwriting exercise? If you could release an album in any genre other than punk, what would it be?
I have done singer / songwriter stuff and hip hop. I do anything that presents itself. Creating music is so fun! Singing is so fun! I would love to make a super polished pop record. I love songs - all kinds and like I said before am completely inspired by anything I’ve heard that I love! There’s are millions of great songwriters. I love my Dad. He is probably my biggest influence.
What do you think of heavy metal? Do you feel that there's potential in metal to be as lyrically sharp and passionate as in punk? Have you ever considered writing a metal song?
I think all music has the ability to have sharp lyrics. I like Heavy Metal sometimes. I don’t really listen to the lyrics that much tho. I have not considered writing a metal song.
What are your future goals as a songwriter and artist? How do you feel about the songs that you've contributed so far, and what you've accomplished along with your bandmates in Bad Cop/Bad Cop? Do you think you'll continue songwriting throughout your life? What advice do you have for the aspiring songwriter?
I will always write songs. It’s what I do. It’s the strongest gift I was born with. I’m extremely proud of our band. To have gotten this far is incredible. Huge thank you to our record label and the people behind us for believing in us and allowing us to get to do great things! I don’t wanna look to far into the future. Being present is where it’s at. I’ll just keep creating until I can’t anymore. I would tell any aspiring songwriters to never give up on themselves. Everyone’s songs are valid! Believe in YOU!!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment