The trio of Kerri Ough, Sue Passmore, and Caroline Brooks – otherwise known as The Good Lovelies – are known for their songwriting prowess, incredible harmonies and merging of pop, roots, jazz, and hip-hop influences into their country-folk core. Now these talented women are raising the bar again with their latest studio album, Shapeshifters (released on February 9th), which has already scored them a #1 hit with “I See Gold.”
We caught up with the ladies while they were on the road promoting their newest release to find out how they got together, their writing process and what’s ahead for them this year.
CN: For our readers who may not be familiar with you, could you tell us a little bit about yourselves? How did you guys come together to form the Good Lovelies? Where did the name originate from?
TGL: Well, the Good Lovelies started out as a trio eleven years ago sort of by accident. The three of us (Caroline Brooks, Kerri Ough and Sue Passmore) had each been pursuing solo music careers and came together to do a shared show in 2006. We decided it would be more interesting to our audience to sing and play on each others’ songs and we called the show Good Lovelies. And then, suddenly, like magic, we were a band. These days our trio has grown to a five-piece band on stage with the support of our upright bassist and drummer and we travel with a sound tech who helps bring our show to the next level.
CN: At what ages did you know you wanted to get into music?
TGL: We were all playing music when we were kids, Caroline’s family had a band called Brookfield, Kerri and Sue were in a competitive girls’ choir called LaJeunesse. We were all writing songs from the time we were in grade one and moonlighting at open mic nights while we were working our day jobs.
CN: All three of you individually are amazing songwriters. Can you talk about your individual songwriting processes and then how you collaborate together?
TGL: Thank you! Generally we work on songs whenever we can, at first alone, and then when we think we have something, or when we’re under pressure to get ready to record a studio album, we bring our best work to each other and work on the songs together. Sometimes the song comes out fully formed, at other times, there is just a chorus or a verse and we need each other to find the melodies or lyrics to finish the song. It’s always different, and we don’t consider it finished until we’ve all had input on the songs.
CN: In addition to your songwriting skills, your beautiful harmonies are another signature of the Good Lovelies. What is your technique when it comes to formatting a song vocally?
TGL: Like with the songwriting process, some songs come with such intuitive harmonies (to us anyway) that they almost write themselves, and at other times we literally stand in the studio at a vocal mic and try 40 different options. Eventually we reign it in and edit down to the most appropriate harmonies for a song and call it a day!
CN: You have included every genre from roots to pop to jazz to hip-hop into your music. Who have been some of your musical influences? Who do you look to today for inspiration?
TGL: There is so much great music in the world today – we are inspired by so many different artists. The Canadian music scene is full of gems like Sarah Harmer, Jenn Grant, Rose Cousins, and beyond that we love Case Lang Veirs, Sia, Lucius, First Aid Kit… there are just too many to name – but we always have an ear open for a catchy tune and a talented songwriter.
CN: Between the three of you, you play several instruments including guitar, banjo, keyboards and so on. Which is your favorite instrument to play and why?
TGL: I (Kerri) resisted playing the piano for so many years even though it was my primary instrument growing up – the only reason being is that it’s a big and heavy instrument and I wasn’t sure I wanted to lug one around for the rest of my life. Now, I’ve embraced my 25+ years of playing the piano and I especially love the different sounds I can create on my Nord. But, my favourite side-instrument to play is the Omnichord (like an electronic auto-hard with a beat built in!)
Caroline has really honed in on the electric guitar over the past five years, and her growing effects pedal board and e-bow experimentation are really exciting to hear. I think in her heart she will always adore the acoustic guitar first and foremost.
Sue was our percussionist/drummer for years before our team grew and we have a drummer full time. She’s now exploring the world of synthesizers, which is creating a new layer and texture to our live show. I think Sue has a particular talent for hearing percussion elements in our recorded work to complement our drummer and brings those bits to our live show.
The most fun is that we’re always changing and always willing to grow and develop another instrument if it’s what makes sense for the music.
CN: Let’s talk about the new album – Shapeshifers – which you have commented on being the most mainstreamed, pop-influenced of your releases. What was the reasoning behind taking your music in that direction?
TGL: We didn’t go into the studio with a particular plan for the album. In fact, we still hadn’t decided which songs would make the cut for Shapeshifters. So during that process we grouped songs that worked together and made sense with this new sound and out came what is now “Shapeshifters.” The decision to tour full time with a bassist and drummer came from making this record, since those elements really come through on this new album.
CN: Congratulations on “I See Gold” going #1 on SoCan. What did that mean to you for that song to not only go #1 but to hit the top spot close to the album being released?
TGL: Thank you! We were completely surprised and honoured to see that song do so well so fast. It means a lot to hear that a song is resonating with so many people. We’ve been singing it for a few months on stage (prior to release) and the response from old fans and new fans has been positive and plentiful. Our favourite, is when parents send videos of their kids singing the chorus of I See Gold. We have a producer friend, Les Cooper, who said years ago, if you can get kids to sing your chorus, you know you’ve got a good song. I always think of that when my nieces or Caroline’s and Sue’s kids sing “Gold in the shadows, flicker in the night…”
CN: Do you have a dream collaboration in mind?
TGL: We have a few really! We’d love to open for and play with Case Lang Veirs, or Jann Arden (a fantastic Canadian entertainer.) We’d love to work with Bahamas, who are currently on tour all over North America sometimes opening for Jack Johnson. In my dream world, I would love to get the Dixie Chicks and Beyonce and all of Destiny’s Child AND Case Lang Veirs in a room with the Good Lovelies and sing in so much harmony that the world explodes.
CN: If you could describe yourselves – both individually and as a group – in one word, what would it be and why?
TGL: Resilient.
This is a funny business, and you have to have a sense of humour about yourself to get up there every night and perform your own music. You have to laugh at the bad times and failures. When something works, that’s fantastic and we celebrate that success together, and when something goes wrong, we feel it, learn from it, pick ourselves back up and get going again, and lift each other up at the same time. It takes work and effort, but it’s a quality I most appreciate in myself and Caroline and Sue.
CN: What is on the horizon for you in 2018?
TGL: We’re touring all over the US, Australia and Canada with a very special Toronto CD Release celebration at the legendary Massey Hall. After that, we’ll probably hunker down and get to writing our next record while we’re feeling all this inspiration from touring to new audiences.
For more information The Good Lovelies, visit their website at www.goodlovelies.com