A deep revelation lies in the intricate indie melodies of Leif Vollebekk

By means of: Hailey Miller, Editor

Born in Ottawa and long-time resident of Montreal, Leif Vollebekk is an indie artist whose music is full of smooth rhythms, soft melodies and lilting lyrics. His highlightYesexpected album, Revelationwill be released on September 27th, with a European tour to follow this fall. I had the pleasure of interviewing Vollebekk by phone prior to his appearance at the Vancouver Folk Music Festivalwhich took place on July 19.

“It’s always fun to play a folk festival. I haven’t played in Vancouver in a million years,” Vollebekk said, adding that he feels at home on stage. He also touched on how “the crowd is always so nice” at folk festivals across the country — where he also plays in Calgary and Edmonton.

Vollebekk’s musical influences come from different angles. “I listened to a lot of Bob Dylan” he said, while also listing The Beatlesthe Beach BoysAnd Radiohead. From well thought out musicality Unpleasant think it over lyrics seeping through every line of a Bob Dylan song, Vollebekk reminisced about his early days in music. “I got a little lost in it,” he said.

As our interview took him on a journey down memory lane, through hisand inpiracy, songwriting and recordings of the past — it was clear that Vollebekk has come a long way, shifting his sounds and focus. Regardless of whether Vollebekk wonders if he has “evolved” as a musician, it is clearr theThe answer lies in the woven orchestration of his songs and the depth of his lyrics. “I definitely doubled down on a few concepts, like playing live and recording with a live band,” he added.

“Once I get the band together and the studio together, and everything sounds good, and we get all the sounds right, then we just do one live take,” he explained. “It’s kind of an old-school way of making records,” he said of playing live from the floor — meaning from start to finish, with vocals and instruments all at once — and recording to tape.

Of RevelationVollebekk could come “a little closer” to his desireand. “When you first start, you don’t know anything,” he said with a hearty laugh. At first, he didn’t know what mixing and mastering was, and that a song would not be finished immediately after recording, but quickly learned to reveal the different layers that come with producing a record. Now, with more experience and four years of effort put into it, Vollebekk is looking forward to Revelation‘S will be released in September.

Two singles have already been released prior to Revelation is dropped: “Moon Dog” And “Southern Star.” Vollebekk had “Southern Star” in his back pocket for years, playing it live before he ever recorded it. With deep, echoing piano keys and tender poetry that speaks of the speaker’s “friend or lover,” this song is the perfect slow dance ballad for a cool summer night. Vollebekk sang it solo at first, then came on to drum. Once those parts came together, the recording process took shape and it soon became the first song recorded for Revelation.

“‘Moon Dog’ was written entirely on acoustic guitar,” explained Vollebekk, who knew the idea of ​​the song right away. A kick drum was all that was needed to make the song shine with rhythmic emotion. Vollebekk recalled that he The Beatles: Back documentary, where they are not fully “Come back“together until the keys were added by Billy PrestonApparently Vollebekk relates this to his own songwriting and recording processes, as he continually finds elements that perfect a song.

From adding strings, harmonies, orchestration and synthesizers, to different band members and even quartets, Vollebekk’s recording process is vast. He leaves no stone unturned as he squeezes every ounce of talent out and pours it into his work. “It’s about people‘emotions,” he explained. “When people are all in the room together, they really want it,” Vollebekk said, about capturing the takes.

Touring gives Vollebekk the space to further develop his idea and looks forward to getting back on the road. Listen to the release of Revelation Come on September 27th and prepare for overwhelming orchestration and effortless vocals.

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