Lanie Lane - Night Shade (2014) Lossless

Please meet the beguiling Ms. Lanie Lane.
Her debut album is ‘To The Horses’, a collection of 11 songs that duck and weave through aheady mix of early rock ‘n’ roll, blues, and rockabilly, serving up fantastic tales of love, lust, heartbreak and the importance of a good guitar – all delivered by one of the most undeniably distinctive voices and charming characters in Australian music.
Recorded and mixed over a grand total of four days with her band at a studio in Sydney, the self-produced ‘To The Horses’ showcases Lanie’s irrepressible talent for crafting songs that are as raw and gritty as they are warm and inviting.
Written as individual pieces then recorded quickly in a manner reminiscent of years gone by – four people in a room playing music together, no more and no less – the songs sound live and alive.
“As in my writing sessions, when I record, I much prefer to capture what’s happening then and there to make sure the rawness of the music and band energy isn’t lost in obsessive retakes!”says Lanie. “I love recording with my band all together in the same room.”
The band Lanie speaks of is the talented bunch she often tours with, including Zoe Hauptman (double bass and ukulele ‘”the best uke solo EVER” recorded on ‘Don’t Cry’), Aidan Roberts (electric guitar and backing vocals) and Paul Derricott (drums and percussion). Other notable musicians to lend a hand on ‘To The Horses’ include Jez Mead, Ashley Naylor and Tim Rogers among others.
In the same way she chooses to record to capture a moment, Lanie writes quickly and constantly.
“I feel it’s so important to capture the song at THAT moment. I owe it to the song. And if that’s when it has chosen to come out, then come out it must. I get inspired by the most unexpected things… you can never know when inspiration will hit, and it’s an interesting and distinctive feeling when it does. You just know. And all that you can do at that moment is to get out the guitar, pen and paper and start singing.
The other day I wrote ‘(Oh Well) That’s What You Get (Falling in Love With A Cowboy)’ because apparently I said that in my sleep. Of course I had to write a song about that. There is so much to write about – it’s never ending. ‘Betty Baby’ is about my ‘in-the-wars’ guitar, ‘What Trouble Is’ is about hurting someone terribly and having to live with it and ‘The Devil’s Sake’ is basically about going to a dive bar to drink and dance. The list goes on…”
Lanie Lane has been writing songs for as long as she can remember. She started seriously playing the guitar before she hit her teens, learning the basics from her dad and brother before venturing down her own path. Lanie’s style of guitar playing has informed both her vocal delivery and the way she writes a song, and she now admits she’s focused on becoming the best singer and player she can be.
“Nobody sat me down and taught me how to write a song – I think that’s an impossible thing for anyone to do – all you can do is listen to as many great songs as you can and hope it rubs off” she says.
‘To The Horses’ is the culmination of many years of writing and a whole lot of touring. At the beginning of 2011, Lanie won a slot on the Sydney Big Day Out line-up thanks to Triple J’s Unearthed competition and also gained attention as the voice accompanying the aforementioned Tim Rogers on You Am I’s single ‘Trigger Finger’. Cramming as much touring, recording and general musical activity into the past 12 months as possible, Lanie has performed sold-out shows at the Sydney Festival and Adelaide Fringe, to a packed Splendour in the Grass stage and toured with the likes of Justin Townes Earle, Clare Bowditch and Fitz and the Tantrums.
Somewhere in amongst all that, she found the time to accept an invitation from the one-and only Jack White to record a couple of tracks in his Nashville studio. The songs were then released on White’s own Third Man Records on 7” vinyl as part of the acclaimed Blue Series.
Now, Lanie is very excited to have unleashed her debut long-player in Australia in the form of ‘To The Horses’. It’s a collection of songs that she holds dear to her heart, and it’s a collection of songs that represent an artist whose life is immersed and enriched by music. “Horses for me are a representation of a free and fierce spirit. ‘To The Horses’ is about being able to explore life and all its possibilities in my own way. It’s about having a great passion for the things I do in my life and surrounding myself with like-minded souls.”
Upon release of the album, Lanie set out on her first headline Australian tour, selling out every venue in quick time (extending to two nights in Melbourne and four in her home town of Sydney ), and having the time of her life. In November 2011 Lanie will take part in Triple J’s Nick Cave tribute tour, ‘Straight to You”.