by Daniel Colussi | For the ultimate insight into the grisly business of rock and roll you could do no better than Katy Goodman. She’s a woman of many hats, both the bassist/sideplayer in Brooklyn power pop darlings Vivian Girls, and also a de facto front person herself in her solo endeavour, Le Sera. Not often can one person offer share what it’s like to be a shadow player as well as the person literally centre stage, in the spotlight. Her newest solo album is the beautiful Sees The Light which a fine new offering to that rock n roll tradition: the break up album. She’s also a hardcore video game junkie (she launched into an analysis of the various consoles and game genres that far-exceeded the scope of this interview) and a lover of hardcore punk and Vancouver’s favourite son, Nardwuar. If you’re a heartbroken, punk rock-loving gamer – or even if you’re not – read on…

You’ve got a beautiful voice. When did you start singing? Thank you! I was singing in choir, growing up. When I was in fifth grade I was Maria in the Sound Of Music stage production. I don’t know, I’ve always sang I guess. But I stopped singing throughout high school and only recently began singing again when I joined Vivian Girls.

What are your earliest of hearing music and being moved by it? I always really liked girl groups. I remember seeing The Shirelles when I was really young, and I went and saw The Drifters. It wasn’t the original line ups, but those were the concerts that me and my mom would go to. Old girl groups or do wop groups, harmony-styled 60s pop song groups. Those are my number one favourite kinds of songs.

Your newest album was recorded by Rob Barbato, and it sounds quite different from your first album. What did Rob offer, production-wise? The first album, I sent my demos to my friend Brady who lives in Seattle and he re-recorded everything in his home studio and then I flew out and did vocals. Seize The Light was totally different. I sent my demos to Rob, and so on some of the songs he would write solos and things, and we recorded it together with a live band. Rob plays lead guitar and he produced it. We did it in a couple days in LA. He definitely changed the vibe a lot, I think to our benefit. Like, you can hear it in the very first song, Love That’s Gone. I wrote that song as a fast song, and he’s the one that wanted to slow it down and make it sound more…I don’t know…he would say creamy. I would say Rob’s biggest help is to bring the Fleetwod Mac vibes. He brought those! And parts of the new album are tougher than the first. The punk songs, the power songs are definitely more so. The extremes on the new album are more so, the highs are higher and the lows are lower. The first album was more one kind of level.

Do you think Seize The Light has a more specific lyrical thread than the first? For the most part it’s a sad album [but] there’s a couple happy songs. It’s mainly a break up album, but it’s not supposed to sound like a break up album specifically. Man, there are just so many break up albums, eh? There are a lot of them.

With Vivian Girls you’re a supporting player, but with Le Sera you’re right in the spotlight. What did you had to learn to become a good front person? I love switching between the two girls because my role in each band is so different. It’s good to mix it up. I think my stage banter is a lot better in Vivian Girls. In Le Sera I don’t talk nearly as much. I think because the pressure’s all on me. They’re my songs and my lyrics, whereas in Vivian Girls I’m supporting Cassie’s songs so I feel a lot more comfortable. I think because it is so personal and there’s this giant spotlight on me…

Tell me about being a full on video game nut. Were you more of a video game person in high school than a punk rock person? Are they mutually exclusive? I think the two worlds overlap a lot. I definitely do love video games a lot. I didn’t grow up playing video games like Nintendo and stuff. I got more into strategy games.

And you’re a fan of hardcore. What’s you’re favourite 80’s hardcore 7′? I would say Poison Idea Pick Your King. It’s my favourite hardcore ep.

What’s you’re favourite West Coast hardcore full length? West Coast? Ok, it’s getting more specific. Well Poison Idea is West Coast, they’re from Portland. Yes, I know that. I guess Black Flag The First Four Years is my favourite West Coast full length hardcore album. I’m from the East Coast so I tend to align myself with Dischord. I like Boston hardcore a lot. I mean, Vancouver has hardcore too.

Indeed, so what’s your favourite Vancouver hardcore? I don’t…know. D.O.A. maybe? You guys have Pointed Sticks! They’re not hardcore but they’re a cool band. Plus you have Nardwuar! He’s not in hardcore but he has one of the best personalities in the world. Yeah, he’s just a hardcore guy, right? Yeah he’s just a hardcore dude, which is why he popped in my head.

La Sera, Chains Of Love and The Courtenays at The Waldorf on Tuesday November 6th. Tickets at Zulu, Red Cat and The Waldorf.

Top photo: Magda Wosinska

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Daniel Colussi is the Music Editor of Scout Magazine and a contributing writer to Ion Magazine. A veteran employee of Zulu Records and tuneage aficionado, he DJs on an infrequent basis (about four times a year) and is a musician around town who plays in several ensembles.