Little Shrine: Indie folk pop
Interview conducted on May 04, 2020
by Dan Locke
Little Shrine, who began informally in 2014, are a band created out of necessity. Though each member currently performs in other projects, when they first came together in 2014, the songs Shipman wrote didn’t have a home. Finding their alchemy and songs too sweet to let go, the band finally cemented their commitment when they released their mini-album Wilderness in October 2017, the contents of which garnered acclaim from both Magnet and The Big Takeover.
And though the themes of this album orbit around some of the more morose aspects of life and well, death, the lyrics and music convey resolve, not resignation, intoning that this is our only chance to be alive before invoking the question lying at the center of the album: “[so] what do we do when we are paralyzed by the grief of what we lost?” Though Little Shrine’s music asks
Band Members Jade on vocals & bass, Tony on guitar, Ryan on violin
What is your upbringing?
I moved around a bit growing up. I lived in the Bay Area, Los Angeles, and Connecticut. My parents got divorced when I was five. I flew every other weekend between their two cities. When I look back on it, it was a pretty weird way to grow up… lots of time in airports. On the upside, I learned to enjoy my independence and I also developed a sense of adventure about travel.
How did you discover music?
My parents were into music. My dad was a drummer and my mom was a singer. So, there was music around, and my parents introduced me to a lot of good stuff – oldies, classic rock, prog. I remember when I was about five arguing strongly to my dad that the Beach Boys were better than the Beatles. I mean, let’s be real, they’re both amazing and important bands. I’d struggle to choose a side now! I guess I had some fervent opinions when I was little.
How did you start to write music?
You know, I don’t remember how I started writing. I started playing violin when I was four, and we had a piano in the house. I remember noodling around and picking out melodies and stuff. It definitely wasn’t a Mozart child prodigy situation, though. I picked up the bass in my early teen years, and by high school I was writing music with lyrics about my personal experience.
Do you remember how you got your first Bass?
I worked at a mom and pop pizza place for a summer when I was in high school. I saved up until I could afford to buy a Fender Squire Jazz Bass and a small practice amp. I still have the bass, but I don’t play it much. The bass itself is super heavy, and it’s covered in stickers of obscure bands that no longer exist. I’ve culled other basses out of my collection and donated them to music programs, but it hasn’t felt right to let go of this one.
What is your favorite bass today? Make, model and year?
These days my favorite bass is a Fender Performer, which was only made for one year in 1985. I love the sound of it. I have two… one is a brown sunburst and one is candy apple green. The sunburst has slightly lower action and feels like a dream to play. It’s also a pretty lightweight bass, so I can play for hours and my shoulder doesn’t feel broken at the end.
And do you still have it?
Yes, she’s looking at me right now.
Jade – How does one go from an economics major to music? (FYI didn’t Mick Jagger do that?)
That’s rad about Mick Jagger, I didn’t know that!I feel like there’s an expectation that musicians are going to be passionate about only one thing. Music has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, and I am also interested in other things, like economics, architecture, dance, social science, art. I am really interested in economic development. I’ve spent a lot of time working in low-income areas, working to bring things like health clinics and grocery stores to communities that need them. It feels rewarding and keeps me on my toes, intellectually. Expressing myself through music and playing with my bandmates also feels rewarding, in a very different way. Staying active in different worlds feels enlivening to me.
How did the band get its name?
When I started the band, a few people close to me had died, and overall, I was feeling pretty sad. I took a few trips and I noticed how people across cultures had built these little shrines to their loved ones. Like, I remember next to this simple modest house in Spain, there was a side yard, and in it an old man was tidying up this handmade shrine that was built into his garden. There were these beautiful flowers, and nestled in them, were old pictures including black and white photos of a young woman and a young couple. There were little ceramic angels and hearts. I don’t know the details of their relationship, but it looked like he was the young man in the photos and that the woman was probably his wife. It struck me as such an act of love and sweetness, and it felt relevant to how I was approaching the record. That sense of losing things you love, but also continuing to treat them with reverence and care and respect. I think that’s what was initially so challenging about grief for me… I still had all this love for someone, but I didn’t know where to put it. Creating these little shrines seemed like a place where people could put their love and devotion, even after the person was gone.
Ryan – Tell me who do you think is the best violin shredder?
He says: It’s a tie between Michael Cleveland (bluegrass) and Mark Wood (rock).
Have you heard of “The Great Kat?”
You mean the female reincarnation of Beethoven?! Yeah!
Your latest CD just came out. “The Good Thing about Time”. How did you come up with that title?
It’s named after one of the songs on the record. When I wrote that song, I was noticing how the forward motion of time is often a good thing. We all experience those awful terrible days, and fortunately, we don’t have to keep reliving them. We can shift and grow and move forward. There’s a freedom in that. Or rather, there’s a freedom available to us if we stop ruminating and take the lead.
On your song Sound Barrier, it tells the story of your partner who would rather hang out at the coffee shop instead of checking on you at the hospital. I am sure you are not with them anymore. Tell me about that time in your life?
I am definitely not with him anymore. At that point in my life, I could sense if someone wasn’t right for me, but I also didn’t trust my intuition yet. So, that song was written after I got home from the hospital and realized my discomfort was guiding me away from that person. So, I broke it off with him, and it was a stressful conversation. The next day, I woke up super early in the morning, it was winter and it was barely light out. But I had this urgent feeling that I needed to get up, so I did, and I sat down with my bass, and ‘Sound Barrier’ just came out over a 10- or 15-minute period of writing. Afterward, I felt better. I felt like I understood myself more for having written it.
What is your favorite track on the album?
I personally like ‘Make Me Better’ and I know Ryan and Tony do too… Tony says it’s his favorite because it’s a “high velocity rocker.” Our drummer Andrew likes ‘I’m a Ghost,’ because it has an interesting groove.
Tell me about the making of “Make Me better” video
It was a really fun video to make. Ryan Avery, our violinist, directed it. We recorded the footage over a two-day period. One day we filmed at our rehearsal studio, playing as a band. To get some of the effects, we played the song at a variety of modified tempos so the footage could be sped up and slowed down. Also, a lot of musical equipment is just like, black boxes and black wires and stuff. So, the other side of the room, which isn’t shown in the video had the rest of our musical equipment jammed up against the wall floor-to-ceiling. It was pretty packed in there, with the band and the lights and the cameraman, but we made it work.
What are your feelings about streaming music?
Well, it’s a very common way for people to listen to music, so clearly listeners like it. Yet, I hope streaming platforms figure out a royalty structure that is better for artists. Right now, you’d have to have thousands and thousands of plays to earn minimum wage. It’s really difficult to make life work as an artist with streaming. So, I’m not a total fan for that reason.
Digital vs. vinyl?
Both / all! Digital is very convenient and good for a lot of scenarios… If I’m listening to music while on a walk, I don’t want to be carrying a record player on my back, trying to walk smoothly so the needle doesn’t skip. Vinyl has that fuzzy warm tone, which I think is great for a sunny day with the windows open, or for having a listening party with friends.
What did you do for International Women Day?
I went for a hike with one of my female friends. The views of the ocean were amazing, and the weather was nice. Thank goodness we did that because the shelter-in-place orders started right after.
What song from the past is in your mind right now? And what is the meaning?
Well, today I have the theme song from that old TV show “Growing Pains” stuck in my head. I randomly watched an episode last weekend and now the song won’t quit! It’s so catchy!
How do you feel the Covid-19 virus is going to affect the music business in the future?
At the moment, it’s put a stop to concerts. That’s a big deal because a primary way musician earns a living these days is touring. So, I think it will be difficult for a lot of musicians until shows can safely start up again. It sounds like that might take a while, so I imagine artists will channel their creative energies into new and different things. We could see some awesome new things come out of this.
What have you been doing with your self-quarantine?
I’ve been taking long walks in the city. It’s been really interesting to see San Francisco’s monuments and tourist spots in this moment of pause and quiet. There’s something almost dream-like about it. Last week, I went for a walk on this beautiful golf course which was open for the public to use as open space. It was amazing, it felt like being inside a piece of pointillist artwork, like stepping into that famous painting by Seurat. It was pretty special. I’m trying to really absorb these moments. They feel magical in some way.
Lots of people are doing nightly concerts over either YouTube, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Are you planning to do something like that?
We’ve had a few requests for something like that. I love to play and share our music with people. I’m a bit hesitant because my internet can be kind of slow. I only want to do it if it will be a genuinely good experience for our listeners, you know?
Anything you would like to say in closing?
Thanks for the interview! We appreciate it. Let me know if you have any follow up questions.
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