1. What can you tell us about your upcoming album “This train” ? How long did it take you to record it and why has it taken so long to release?

This Train is a record with a lot of soul and it covers a lot of ground. It’s sensual, erotic, spiritual, wistful, hopeful, and at times melancholy. It took more than a decade to make. There are pragmatic reasons it was a lengthy process, but ultimately I believe that every record has it’s own karma and timeline. In the years of my life that passed as This Train was being made, I experienced the passage of girlhood to womanhood, child to adult. I think in the grand scheme of things that was important. The content of the record reflects the realness of life and some things can only be known through the passing of time.

I think I had to live a little before I could truly represent it.

2. The first title was “Strange darling”. Why did you change it ?

This Train has always been the name of this record. Strange Darling was a different record completely. It was an idea that David had as we were chatting in his painting studio one morning when I was visiting. I was singing him an old standard I loved called “Guilty’. He said I should make a record of covers, and that I could do it in his studio. He helped me make it happen and the project took many years to finish. This record of covers, called Strange Darling, is on it’s own timeline as well. It’s time for release has not yet come. Some day.

3. Who are some of your musical influences?

A few singers that I believe have influenced my personal vocal style are Annie Lennox, Julie London,  Alison Goldfrapp and Joan Osborne.

4. David Lynch is credited as the producer of this album. What was his role in this project and what was it like working together on it ?

David was the captain of this ship. He wrote all the music, played guitar and drums on many of the songs and collaborated on arrangements (chord progressions) with Dean Hurley for the majority of the record and with John Neff for three songs. David produced the tracks when I wasn’t at his studio, and then played them for me on my visits. He would play the track a few times so I could get familiar with it  and then present me with lyrics he had written. After some discussion about the tone and mood he wanted me to convey with my voice and performance, I would enter the vocal booth and improvise melodies over the music using the lyrics he had given me. I sang the song over and over until I had composed a melody that he liked and considered right for the track. It was a process that worked quite well for us. Of course it varied somewhat from song to song, but generally we stuck with that formula. David is obviously a masterful director, and he always knew precisely how to draw out the performance he was looking for. He was infinitely patient, completely aware of my emotions and conscious of how to make me feel most at ease and appreciated. This is so important with a singer. Our voices can betray everything we are feeling. David could get me in the zone with a few words. Even after all these years, it is a thrill and a joy to create with him. The performances he gets from me show colors and inflections in my voice that I don’t know if I ever would have discovered without him. New colors in my crayon box! This is a very significant thing for a vocalist. I am incredibly grateful to him.

5. You already worked with him on “Inland empire” with a very impressive song, “Polish poem”. Can you tell us when and how you get involved with him ?

Thank you! I am very proud of Polish Poem. I met David many years ago though the same agent that introduced him to Rebekah del Rio. His name is Brian Loucks. Brian knew that David was interested in singers and making music and had a feeling that David and I would hit it off. Thankfully, we did. David and I wrote our first song together the day we met. It’s called “Right Down to You” and it’s now the second track on the record.

6. Were you a fan of his work prior to meeting with him?

I was a huge fan of Twin Peaks as a girl. It was my favorite show. The theme song had a remarkable effect on my developing musical sensibilities. It had this quality I found absolutely intoxicating and no other music had ever made me feel that way.

7. What is your favorite David Lynch film?

Ah, the hard hitting questions! Do you prefer dark chocolate, red wine or coffee? I prefer all three!  You’ll have to settle for my top three. Lost Highway, Wild at Heart and INLAND EMPIRE.

8. Tell us a little about yourself. Where did you grew up, and when did you first got into music ?

I grew up in San Antonio, Texas, where my mother Sunny and my stepfather Mitchell owned and managed Emerald Recording Studios. My mom is a singer and always nurtured my passion for music and singing.  I was very fortunate to have parents that understood and encouraged my desire to be a musician. I was singing jingles as early as age eleven and played in my first rock n roll band at seventeen. I’ve been the front person in many bands along the way, in numerous genres. It’s always been music for me.  Nothing fulfils me like creating and performing music.

9. What other projects do you have coming up ?

I am in a band called Black Book Angel that is developing the live presentation of my work with David. We’ve written some great original material as well that I look forward to sharing with everyone when the time comes. Soon.

10. Will there be any music videos released to accompany the album? Any concerts ?

Dutch Rall, my creative partner in Black Book Angel is also a filmmaker, and he has directed a video for the song Real Love. He also filmed ‘Making of’, which is a behind-the-scenes look into the creative process between David and myself. A very gifted filmmaker from Portland, Oregon, named Chel White is doing a video for Bird of Flames, which is a duet between David and me. Chel also created a stunning video for Thom Yorke’s ‘Harrowdown Hill’.

I will be collaborating with other directors as well over the course of this project. There will be a tour to support This Train, details of which are still unfolding…

Interview conducted by Hervé Jouanneau

Be sure to check out the Official Chrysta Bell Website for details on how to order “This Train” available today!

CHRYSTA BELL AND FILMMAKER DAVID LYNCH SET TO RELEASE COLLABORATIVE DEBUT ALBUM THIS TRAIN ON SEPTEMBER 29, 2011

LOS ANGELES, CA — (September 7, 2011) – World-renowned filmmaker David Lynch and long-time music collaborator and vocalist Chrysta Bell, have forged a remarkable 11 song album titled This Train, which will be released from La Rose Noire Records, on September 29, 2011.  David Lynch is best known for legendary films such as Eraserhead, Blue Velvet, Mulholland Drive and Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me.

The highly anticipated album, written and produced by Lynch, capitalizes on his singular musical landscapes, reminiscent of the iconic soundtracks of his television and film productions, with Chrysta Bell’s haunting and ethereal voice amplifying the composition to This Train.  Lynch has discovered in his long-time collaboration with La Rose Noire recording artist Chrysta Bell, a dreamscape of lush vocal authenticity that matched his musical vision with sheer precision.  Lynch asserts that “she [Chrysta Bell] was born to sing and be on stage.”

“This Train is the musical equivalent of a David Lynch film” remarks Chrysta Bell.  “David was navigating nearly every aspect of This Train. I trusted his direction and intuition implicitly. It was a remarkable experience to work with someone so veracious to his own singular artistic stamp. You cannot help but think ‘this is so Lynch’ while listening to this record. And to me, that is a very good thing indeed.”

This Train will be available as a limited edition double-deluxe vinyl, high quality digital downloads and CD’s featuring original artwork by David Lynch.  Pre-orders and purchasing throughout release will be available at ChrystaBell.com.

For more information:

www.ChrystaBell.com

www.facebook.com/chrysta.bell.official

DAVID LYNCH PLOTS SOLO DEBUT

Crazy Clown Time Includes 14 Original Songs
Written, Performed and Produced by Lynch

Available from Sunday Best Recordings on November 8

LOS ANGELES (August 16, 2011) – Visionary filmmaker David Lynch will make his solo debut as a musical artist this fall with Crazy Clown Time. Produced and written by Lynch, the album’s 14 original songs spotlight him on guitar and vocals. The album will be released on November 8 by independent British label Sunday Best Recordings / PIAS in America.

Two tracks released late last year – “Good Day Today” and “I Know” – already have American and British critics buzzing about the album. The Los Angeles Times writes: “Frightening effects and mysterious lyrics: this is Lynch’s most unexpected venture to date.” The BBC declares: “Now David Lynch leaves his stamp on the music world as well…” The Washington Post adds: “Every bit as pleasantly odd as you might imagine from Lynch.” New Musical Express calls it: “the sound of a creative genius dipping a toe in a new medium.”

Crazy Clown Time will be available for purchase at retail outlets in both physical and digital formats, including a Collector’s Edition CD; iTunes exclusive with video; and a double LP set with bonus tracks.

Through the years, Lynch has collaborated frequently with others on various musical projects – composer Angelo Badalamenti (Twin Peaks), Polish pianist Marek Zebrowski (Inland Empire), plus Sparklehorse and Danger Mouse (Dark Night of the Soul). Crazy Clown Time, however, marks the first time Lynch steps into the spotlight alone.

“The love of experimenting with sound and music is what’s driving this boat,” explained the self-taught ‘non-musician’. “All of the songs on the album started as a jam. The jams eventually found a form and lyrics appeared.”

Lynch recorded Crazy Clown Time over several months at his own Asymmetrical Studio with engineer Dean Hurley, who contributes guitar and drums to several songs. The recording process, Lynch recalls, was filled with happy creative accidents. “There were so many accidents; this album should be in the hospital.”

The result is a collection of dark songs Lynch has described as “modern blues.” Filled with foreboding soundscapes, hypnotic rhythms and enigmatic lyrics, Crazy Clown Time will surely resonate with fans of Lynch’s films, but should also appeal to listeners who appreciate gloriously daring and quirky pop music.

The tracks released last year hint at the album’s range. The driving beat of “Good Day Today” also fuels “Stone’s Gone Up,” “Noah’s Arc” and “Strange and Unproductive Thinking,” while the menacing shuffle of “I Know” reverberates through “So Glad,” “Football Game” and “Pinky’s Dream,” which features guest vocalist Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

Lynch’s passion for music has always figured prominently into his filmmaking, starting with his feature debut Eraserhead (1977) – which included “In Heaven,” a song he wrote with Peter Ivers – and continuing through to his most recent work, Inland Empire (2006) – which featured several tracks penned by Lynch.

Four years ago, motivated by his growing musical ambitions, Lynch became the eponymous creator of the David Lynch Music Company. Then, in 2010, he transformed his Web site (www.davidlynch.com) into an immersive digital archive the offers material released by David Lynch Music Company since its launch, plus unreleased singles, experiments and instrumentals created by Lynch and collaborators throughout the years.

CRAZY CLOWN TIME

Track Listing

1.     “Pinky’s Dream”

2.     “Good Day Today”

3.     “So Glad”

4.     “Noah’s Ark”

5.     “Football Game”

6.     “I Know”

7.     “Strange and Unproductive Thinking”

8.     “The Night Bell With Lightning”

9.     “Stone’s Gone Up”

10.  “Crazy Clown Time”

11.  “These Are My Friends”

12.  “Speed Roadster”

13.  “Movin’ On”

14.  “She Rise Up”

DEER MEADOW SHUFFLE
Deer Meadow Shuffle is the first installment in The Twin Peaks Archive, an ‘open album’ platform intended for unveiling rare and unreleased music from both the television series as well as the feature film prequel, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me.

Deer Meadow Shuffle should be instantly recognized as the sparse jazz instrumental that stitches together several early Fire Walk With Me scenes. This particular version of the cue comes off of the original DAT mix and features the full 5 min 20 sec of the track (:40 sec longer than what is featured in the film). When downloading Deer Meadow Shuffle, you will also receive the ‘film version’ of the track, taken directly from the mag mix of the film’s music stem. The ‘film version’ is an interesting blend of several other layered cues (a common occurrence for most of the musical sequences in the film and series), woven throughout the track almost like sound design to push/pull onscreen moments. Side-by-side, these two tracks allow for unique insight into the evolution of music from studio to screen.

The site also had this to say regarding the music content on the site:

I see a lot of music on the site, but there seems to be a lot of Lynch-related music missing. Why aren’t there more songs from David’s movies like ‘Lost Highway’ and ‘Mulholland Drive?’

Soundtracks are tricky because they involve a great deal of accounting in order to report and deliver payment to many of the various artists that usually appear together on a single compilation. This is one reason why the original soundtrack to ‘INLAND EMPIRE’ is not currently featured on the site. Instead, an alternate compilation has been included that highlights David’s original music for the film. With that being said, it is likely that material from any one of David’s movies will show up on the site in the near future once our infrastructure grows.

It is unclear  as to what tracks may be released from his previous projects but I’m keeping my fingers crossed for more music from Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me including the Trailer Park Theme and Deer Meadow Shuffle. The official launch time is noted at this coming Thursday, March 10th between 1:23 and 1:38 PST.

David Lynch Music Company: Blues Music Teaser from David Lynch MC on Vimeo.

There’s some wonderful enteries. Head on over and vote for your favorite!

Sunday Best Records will be offering high quality vinyl versions of these singles as well around that time.

The revamped website davidlynch.com promises the release of the mysterious Thought Gang project, a whole album by “Polish Poem” siren Chrysta Bell, an unissued track by Jocelyn West Montgomery (“And Still”), more Polish Night Music, tracks by L.A. indie artist Ariana Delawari and her band Lion of Panjshir, and further experiments from Lynch and Hurley at Asymmetrical Studio, including their still-unfinished album.

No word of any unreleased Twin Peaks or other Lynch/Badalamenti film score tracks or the unreleased second Blue Bob album. Seriously? Thought Gang and “And Still” are what I’m looking forward to the most.

Check out the songs “Good Day Today” and “I Know” over at iTunes.