"I Was Running Away From the Thing I Loved": Lucy Kaplansky on Coming Home to Music, The Lucy Story, and Her Flounder's House Show

Lucy Kaplansky got her start singing in Chicago folk clubs as a teenager, then followed a New York Times article to Greenwich Village, where she became part of a scene that included Suzanne Vega, Steve Forbert, and The Roches — most often pairing her voice with Shawn Colvin's. Just as stardom seemed inevitable, Kaplansky walked away to pursue a doctorate in clinical psychology, working as a therapist for years before music pulled her back for good. Since signing with Red House Records in 1994, she's released ten solo albums, co-founded the folk supergroups Cry Cry Cry and Red Horse, and lent her voice to records by Shawn Colvin and Nanci Griffith alike. Now touring behind her tenth album, The Lucy Story, a retrospective drawn from decades of unreleased recordings, Kaplansky is bringing that history to Hillsborough, NJ, for a stop on the Flounder's House Concert Series. She spoke with us about therapy, harmony, and what keeps pulling her back to the stage.

Photo Credit: Beowulf Sheehan

SJ: What drew you to New York City after growing up around the folk clubs of Chicago?

LK: I was singing in Chicago in folk clubs with a guy I had met when I was still in high school, and we saw a big article in the New York Times about a folk music revival in Greenwich Village, centered around a club called Folk City. We decided to move to NYC as a result and became a part of that scene.

SJ: What made you step back from a life in the spotlight to study clinical psychology?

LK: It’s a long story! But the short version is that things were starting to go really well for me, including a pretty great review in the NY Times when I was 21. And I kind of freaked out and decided to quit music, go back to school, and eventually decided I wanted to be a psychotherapist. But I realized after a few years (and some really good psychotherapy) that I was running away from the thing I really loved (music) and wanted to do, so I came back to music.

SJ: What was it like finding out that Bob Feldman, president of Red House Records, was blown away by your vocals?

LK: Oh, I remember that moment really well. I had sent him what turned out to be my first album, “The Tide,” which Shawn Colvin had produced. He called me (this was 1994), and he said it was the best album he’d heard in years!

SJ: What was the decision like to sign with Red House?

LK: I loved Bob Feldman’s whole philosophy, and his genuine love of music and his enthusiasm for my music, and it was such a natural fit.

SJ: What eventually made you decide to leave psychology and return to the music industry?

LK: Seeing a really good therapist who helped me see that what I really wanted was music and that I was running away from it.

SJ: Your career has pulled you in so many directions: fragrance campaigns, essay collections, supergroups, national tours, sold-out concerts. What's been the most rewarding experience for you so far?

LK: I think the collaborations I’ve been part of (Cry Cry Cry, Red Horse, On a Winter’s Night) have probably been the most rewarding thing I’ve done. I just love singing harmonies and being in a band, although I also love performing solo. I guess also actually recording my own albums has been incredibly fun and rewarding. 

SJ: After a career spanning this many albums, what do you feel has changed the most about your voice, either literally or artistically?

LK: I certainly think I’m a better singer now than I was when I was younger. I think my voice is deeper and richer, and I’m better at knowing what works for my voice. So overall I really believe I’ve gotten better.

SJ: Looking back at your catalog, is there a song that means something different to you now than it did when you wrote it?

LK: Gee, I don’t really think so!

SJ: Nearly a year ago you released your tenth studio album, The Lucy Story. What's the story behind that record?

LK: I had all these live recordings and demos and album outtakes that I’d never released, and I really liked a lot of them, and mostly they were of songs I had been singing for a while but had never recorded. So I thought my fans would like a collection of that stuff.

SJ: Who would you say has been your biggest inspiration over the years? 

LK: I discovered Joni Mitchell when I was about 15, and her singing and writing changed my life and probably inspired me more than anyone else.

SJ: What's it like working with Mark Dann, who's edited and mastered your music, including The Lucy Story? How does that relationship shape the making of an album?

LK: I’ve been working with him since I was 18 (1978)! We have a lot of respect for each other’s talents and have always gotten along really well.

SJ: Some of the recordings on the album aren't polished to the highest fidelity. What's the reasoning behind leaving them that way — what story does that rawness tell?

LK: Yeah, that’s absolutely true, but I felt like my voice and character come through, and that my fans would appreciate hearing those tracks anyway.

SJ: What's your songwriting process like?

LK:  I try to write every day (not very successfully) and just follow some kind of unconscious muse, so I don’t plan what I’m going to write about. And eventually something good happens, usually.

SJ: What about your recording process?

LK: I’ve always recorded live with a band, so I’m singing while the band is playing. More fun, more natural.

SJ: You're known for your close-harmony work with other artists — what draws you to that kind of collaboration, and what makes a great harmony partner? 

LK:  I just love singing harmony, especially with someone who’s also good at harmony. And there’s a way my voice meshes with some people’s voices that is kind of magical (eg Shawn Colvin, Richard Shindell); there’s nothing else like it.

SJ: Does your process change from song to song, depending on how the inspiration hits?

LK: No, it’s pretty much the same process: sit down and just keep hammering away at it until I have something I like.

SJ: Where do you find inspiration for songs, and has that changed for you over the years?

LK: I just need to be moved by something, which tends to be something from my own life.

SJ: Is there a song you wish you'd written?

LK: Lots of songs! “A Case of You” by Joni Mitchell is just a perfect song.

SJ: What do you think is the most important part of a live show?

LK: For me, being real, just my natural self. I don’t worry too much about being funny; it’s more important to be myself and just enjoy singing.

SJ: What advice would you give to emerging artists coming up in the music scene today?

LK: It’s very hard out there, and you have to really stick with it for a while if anything is going to happen. And if you’re really good, things will start to happen.

SJ: You're currently on tour, including a stop in Hillsborough, NJ, for the Flounder's House Concert Series. What can fans expect from that show? LK: I’ll be doing new songs, old songs, cover songs, and taking requests. No two shows are ever the same!

SJ: What’s next for Lucy?

LK: I’m going to keep trying to write good songs and do shows that are good and that people enjoy. If I can keep doing that, I’ll be happy!

Keep up with Lucy Kaplansky here!

Website | Facebook | Instagram