TASTY TALK: LISA LOEB

Tastybaby was able to catch up with Lisa Loeb recently about her newest CD release "Camp Lisa" which was written and produced specifically for kids (which we just love)!  It was released June 3rd and if you ask us, it's a summer must-have! "Camp Lisa" will instantly transport you back to your days of summer camp, complete with memories of campfires, s'mores, obstacle courses and of course, sing-a-longs.  Some of our favorite "Camp Lisa" songs include "The Disappointing Pancake", "Cookie Jar Chant" and "It's Not Goodbye".  Check out our tasty talk with amazing artist, Lisa Loeb.

What inspired you to put out an entirely summer camp-themed CD?

Summer camp was the place where I really started playing guitar and performing in front of an audience.  It was a place where I felt independent, away from my parents for the first time, made up skits with my cabin mates, tried sports, jumped off of cliffs, did things I really loved like arts and crafts, hung out with friends.  I wanted to share my summer camp experience with other people through summer camp songs and music that expressed the themes of summer camp. 

What’s your fondest summer camp memory?

I loved sitting in an innertube in the lake, floating around with my friends singing "Linger" in a round.

This is the second children’s CD you’ve done. Will there be more “adult” Lisa CD’s to come as well or do you have other plans entirely?

Although I have a lot of projects in the works, I've been writing songs all along for a grownup record too.  (I spoke to my friend Tor Hyams, who also makes  a great deal of kids music and he said "grownup"rather than “adult” is the best way to describe the main part of my music career.)

How did you first become involved with S.C.O.P.E.  (Summer Camp Opportunities Provide an Edge, Inc.)?

When I was making the Camp Lisa record in the studio with my friends Michelle Lewis and Dan Petty, I started thinking about TV programming to show kids what summer camp felt like and looked like.  Although I'd still love to make some kind of entertaining and educational program, I realized that I should just share the experience with kids by actually sending kids to camp.  Along the way, I met some folks who introduced me to Adam Weiss, who introduced me to SCOPE.  I thought they were already doing a fantastic job of working with summer camps and sending kids to camp who normally wouldn't have the opportunity to go. 

What’s your favorite song on “Camp Lisa” and why?

Wow, that's a hard question.  "It's Not Goodbye," is a song about the end of camp, when it's time to leave, and it always brings a tear to my eye.  It's so melodic, and it can apply to the end of the school year or any time you have to say goodbye to a friend.  It's funny, it really does represent that situation well!!  There are so many singalongs like Peanut Butter and Jelly, and funny songs like "The Disappointing Pancake," and fun songs, "Wake Up," and old timey songs like "Linger," traditional songs like "Home on the Range."  I could go on.  I'm proud that the album runs the gamut of the kinds of songs  a person sings at camp.  It brings back so many memories!

I had no idea Steve Martin played the banjo! How did he come about joining you for  “The Disappointing Pancake”?

We had a number of musician friends in Los Angeles sing and play on the record, including Maia Sharp, Jill Sobule, Nina Gordon, Kay Hanley, and Dave Gibbs.  We were sitting around trying to figure out who played banjo, and of course, one of our heros, Steve Martin came up!  I'd met him once before, and I called him to see if he'd play.  After a few messages back and forth, and a few conversations, he agreed to play, and he did a great job!!  He's a total pro player...of course, we were in the control room all the while saying, "Oh my gosh... we are so cool!!! Steve Martin's playing banjo!!"

Was music an important influence in your family when you were growing up? How did it effect you?

Music was huge in my family.  In fact, my older brother Ben became a classical pianist and conductor, my younger sister is a my younger sister is a dance/Pop music artist, and my younger brother is a prominent post-production sound editor.  We listened to classical music, soft rock on the radio, the standards that my father played on piano when we were really young.  We all took lots of piano lessons, did many performances in school, the girls took dance lessons.  I think it was a fun outlet in contrast to school which was very demanding (and fun in its own way). 

Do you incorporate environmentally-sensitive practices into your daily life?   If so, in what way?

I try to carry a bag with me wherever I go so that I don't take a new one every time I shop.  I drink out of the same bottle a lot, and often use tap water.  I eat organic food whenever possible, and even farmer's market food, take shorter showers, turn off the water when I brush my teeth, only dampen a cloth to wash my face instead of letting the water run.  When I remodeled my old house in LA I tried to keep it green, but that was a new idea at the time and it was difficult to convince the Contractor to pay attention to those things.  I only run the dishwasher when it's full, try to walk as much as I can.  I do travel a lot and that's not great for the environment... I'm sure there's more, but that's a start.   I also have started to unplug appliances when they're not in use.

Would you say you're "into" food? Do you cook? Do you eat organic?  What is your ideal meal?

I'm totally into food... that's an understatement.  I'm kind of obsessed, actually.  I love nutrition and try to find the places where what I like intersects with what's good for me.  I eat organic whenever I can, cook a lot, although it's more assembly than really complex meals- for example, I just made a half of a small toasted bagel, some smoked salmon, but I use nutritionally rich goat cheese instead of cream cheese.  I love sauteed broccoli rabe and a piece of pizza.  I love a veggie burger with cheese on a whole grain bun with iceberg lettuce and tomato and grilled onion and pickles and mustard and ketchup with some carrots and celery.  I've been really getting into celery lately.  I thought I didn't like it, but I love it, especially a handful of celery and a handful of strawberries or apples.  it's kind of like eating juice!  You get the actual fiber as well as the juice.  I could go on for pages here, so I think I'll stop... oh, and a peanut butter or almond butter and jelly open faced sandwich is also one of the best things ever.  I have one most days!

And here's the question we ask everyone: what makes you "tasty?!"

I'm tasty because I appreciate the small things in life.  The full moon up in the clear sky, the little dog with shoes down the block, my nieces grabbing my hand to hold it, the texture of a crunchy cookie.  I love hugs and I usually feel like I'm in the good places with the good friends!