Interview with Kristen Lawrence, Creator of Halloween Carols

Kristen Lawrence

Joining me today is singer/composer/musician Kristen Lawrence, creator of the Halloween Carols™.  In case you haven't yet heard Kristen's beautiful and haunting musical tributes to our dark October holiday, I've included some of her videos below our chat. She's also sharing her favorite Halloween tunes from the past, so you'll want to read this post without the sound muted.
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SUBURBAN VAMPIRE: Welcome to Suburban Vampire, Kristen! Our love of the Halloween season started in a similar fashion: an Orange County childhood that included frequent trips to Disneyland's Haunted Mansion and an enjoyment of the eerie traditional American tune "Ghost of John." Do you remember any other music that made Halloween come alive for you when you were a kid?

KRISTEN LAWRENCE: I loved “Night on Bald Mountain” by Modest Mussorgsky:


And “Danse Macabre” by Camille Saint-Saëns:


And “Hall of the Mountain King” by Edvard Grieg:


I remember dancing to this music in the front room of our house. The lights were out, and the room was lit only by our glowing Halloween decorations. Pure childhood bliss.

I also remember the tune for “Danse Macabre” made into a kiddie song, “H-A-double-L-O-W-double-E-N Spells Halloween”:


SV: You go into great detail about the genesis of the Halloween Carols™ at your site, so I won't make you repeat the entire story here. (Readers: head to the "About Kristen" page for a fascinating account of an evolution of an artist.)

In a nutshell, what have been your greatest inspirations for creating this music?

KL: I suppose it’s the way Halloween and the whole month of October make me feel. The angle of the sun really affects me. I enjoy every season in its time, appreciating what each one has to offer (well, I’m better at enjoying summer than I used to, but I still don’t enjoy sweating when I’m NOT exercising); variety is lovely. But when it’s time for autumn … ah, my brain and spirit go into euphoria.

So, I try to capture those feelings in my music. Or let them loose, actually. I’m inspired by the beauty other composers have created, all the meaning they infuse therein. I want to create beauty, too. I hope it’s meaningful to other ears and hearts.

On a technical note, I’m fascinated by counterpoint – how lines of music line up with one another. I’m fascinated by harmony – how a single melody can be harmonized in countless ways. More reasons why I tick, tick, tick away at composing for hours. I love my quality time with manuscript paper and a pencil.

SV: I own both A Broom with a View and Arachnitect, and my kids and I have made the music a part of our October traditions. I particularly love your dreamy, haunting "Dark Glass." Do you have a favorite song from your collections? Or is that like asking you to pick a favorite child?

KL: Thank you! I’m dancing inside about being part of your October traditions. That makes me so happy to hear.

You’re pretty close about picking a favorite child. They are each distinct personalities that I love and appreciate. I labored to give each one of them life.

But I really enjoy hearing about people’s favorites. Really do. “Dark Glass” came before I had the epiphany of Halloween Carols™ in title and round/four-part musical form (the title actually first came to me as “Halloween Hymns” because I like alliteration). I was just writing Halloween music at the time, exploring ideas in how to write about this holiday. I had started my studies of Halloween history and had begun to base each song on a little bit of history, but “Dark Glass,” in contrast, was purely an exploration of feelings and visions. While writing it, I’d often stare from my piano bench out the window at the moon for long, hypnotic stretches.

SV: Suburban Vampire is a home for vampire fans, so let's turn to the subject of our beloved, undead creatures of the night. You've given us songs such as "Vampire Empire," "Blood Waltz," and "Flappy Bat." Will you be releasing any future vampire-related tunes that I'll be able to share on one of my forthcoming Vampire Music Mondays?

KL: This next CD (coming out as soon as possible) doesn’t have vampire-specific tunes, but there will be more vampire-ish tunes in the future. Until then, I can almost guarantee that this next CD will satisfy. You and your readers probably really will plunge your fangs into it.

And among the Halloween Carols™ waiting their turn for me to orchestrate/arrange them for future recordings, there are some tasty creatures. I quite enjoy the subject of blood itself. I like writing music about it, or at least including it in my lyrics somewhere. It’s rather symbolic. And meaningful and beautiful. Red is so pretty.

SV: Who's your favorite vampire from fiction and/or film?

KL: I have two. Judd Hirsch from The Halloween That Almost Wasn’t and Richard Roxburgh from Van Helsing. The first vampire makes me laugh. The second vampire makes me purr.

I grew up with The Halloween That Almost Wasn’t. I loved Judd’s “teeny tiny bat, teeny tiny bat, teeny tiny bat …” at 8:28:


And I like how he hisses at 4:35. Hahaha.

As far as Count Vladislaus Dracula from Van Helsing, well, I wouldn’t want to share him with any other vampire wives. He’s so intelligent and powerful:


SV: What's your favorite scary movie?

KL: Many people would be surprised to learn that I don’t like the slasher/horror types of scary movies. I prefer, instead, the types like Van Helsing, which is a bit campy, but fantastical, and so enjoyable to me. I don’t like movies with gratuitous blood and guts or movies that give me a bad feeling; rather, I prefer more suspenseful movies that end up having a lot of meaning, like The Others and The Sixth Sense.

I also love movies with beautiful, alluring cinematography, like Bright Star (because historical Halloween is a lot about romance, you know – an element totally lost in modern celebrations). I love funny, quirky, delicious movies like Hocus Pocus. And I love movies like The Ghost and Mrs. Muir that haunt the atmosphere and linger with me.

SV: Favorite Halloween candy?

KL: I like intense dark chocolates, but you don’t usually find those in Halloween offerings. However, as much as I try to be a chocolate snob, I find that in most cases SOME chocolate is better than NO chocolate, so I content myself with Butterfingers or those “Special Dark” candies. Haha. But I usually prefer chocolate that’s so good, I absorb it into my tongue and don’t swallow for as long as possible.

SV: Favorite Halloween costume (one you've worn or wish you had worn)?

KL: I like being Catwoman – the Michelle Pfeiffer brand. She’s kind of my alter ego, but unlike her, I don’t let issues get in the way of loving good men. (She could have had BATMAN! What a silly girl.) I also love dressing up as Elf Queen/Fairy Queen characters. And the costume I’d like to create someday is Alice’s coat of armor from Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. I think that’d be just swell, battling the Jabberwockies and all.

SV: Where can we visit you on the web?

KL: You can visit my website: http://HalloweenCarols.com

And my Facebook page, where I do a lot of conversing: http://www.facebook.com/HalloweenCarols

And Twitter: http://twitter.com/HalloweenCarols

SV: Thanks so much for joining me, Kristen! Please continue to create your wonderful Halloween Carols™ for years to come. Happy Halloween!!

KL: Thank you. I appreciate your highlighting my music on your site!









HalloweenCarols.com

Download Halloween Carols™:
Amazon
CDBaby
iTunes