Natalia Zukerman and The Secret Songwriting Lesbians' Club

SheWired caught up with Zukerman, whose latest bluesy folk album is now available in digital and on CD, about making live music with a motley crew of out ladies, the dissapearance of lesbian musicians as a genre, and the secret lesbian rock-star club that you're not cool enough to know about. 

SheWired: Why do a live album? And when do you think you can get back in a studio? Do you even want to?

Natalia Zukerman: I really never thought I'd be able to do a live album because I'm such a harsh critic of myself. But it was an idea I started kicking around with Mona Tavakoli, who I've been playing a lot of shows with over the past few years. Originally we thought we'd record a bunch of our shows and put out a sort of duo record. But then I started thinking about my incredible community of musicians who I've collaborated with over the years, and what fun it would be to have them all come and play. I had a gig booked with Susan Werner for the day after the live recording in Chicago, which is one of my favorite places to play. So I booked the room and just started inviting friends, thinking because Chicago is centrally located that I might have a better chance of getting some people to come. Well, they all said yes. And it turned out better than I could have ever imagined in every way. Almost makes me think, "Why ever do a studio record again?" But I know I will. I have almost all the songs for one, and I think what usually happens is that those songs just start screaming for a home. So once I am sure these songs are supposed to live together, I'll go back into the studio.

What's your favorite song, and do you remember how you wrote it, what you were doing?

I think your newest song always tends to be your favorite. Good songs are cumulative experiences — they feel like they gather the tools you've learned over all the years of writing and come from a deep place of knowing; knowing the craft, knowing your set of tools and tricks, knowing and trusting your instincts as a writer. Not every song feels like that, but when they show up, they take first place as new favorite. 

How did you come to involve so many fabulous, out female musicians on your album? Is there a secret lesbian rock star club we don’t know about?

Yes. There is a secret lesbian rock star club, but I can't tell you about it.

What would you tell young lesbian songwriters or artists, that you wish someone had told you? 

I tell young songwriters and artists that I work with and teach — gay or straight — to listen. Listen to everything and everyone and be open to magic. There is a frequency that ideas and inspiration operate on, and if you're open to hearing it, feeling it, seeing it, amazing things happen. Learn to trust your instincts — it's a struggle sometimes. I think we're taught not to listen a lot — especially these days when we are all plugged into our own individual cellular worlds all the time. But if we start to listen more closely to the world around us, we hear our internal worlds and how they operate in relation to the bigger picture. Write from there and you can't go wrong.

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