I want to introduce you to Lefty Parker, folk singer and guitar player. Do yourself a favor and tune into his bandcamp leftyparker.bandcamp.com . Lefty is a troubadour and a poet. I would like to ask him some questions about himself and his music.
Dave Bixby: Lefty, tell us where you were born and where you live now?
Lefty Parker: I was born in Manhattan, New York but today I live in Austin, Texas. I’ve been here for awhile.
DB: When did you first start to play guitar and write music?
LP: I first started to play guitar after finding my dad’s old Yamaha — I was 16. Played a few Beatles tunes, things like that, and at around 18, I began writing my own stuff.
DB: What artist influenced you the most?
LP: I learned about Townes Van Zandt at around 18. His albums ‘Our Mother The Mountain’ and ‘Live At The Old Quarters Head’ really blew my mind. I solely listened to his catalogue for about 2 years. The humble humanity in his writing really made an impact on mine.
DB: Mat Davidson recorded you in his home studio and added some nice steel guitar to your songs. Tell us about your recording session with him?
LP: Recording with Mat Davidson of Twain was the second most impactful experience to me as a songwriter next to discovering Townes. Mat is my favorite songsmith of this generation and when he offered to record my music it meant the world to me.
Recording to his tape machine in the summer 2020 was wild. I was at a really low point at the time, dumped, living out of my car, my dad was real sick, and I had no money for a good while… only thing that got me through was making music with my hero-friend Mat. We spent about 3 weeks spread out over the course of 3 months to track Off San Gabriel.
Knowing that Mat believed in me left me inspired to trek on down the hero’s path (as a songwriter & storyteller).
DB: How do you typically write songs? Does the music come first then the lyrics?
LP: The formula is still unclear to me. Sometimes the chords come first, and sometimes it’s a melody with some gibberish.
When I really write a song I kind of see myself as a radio antenna — picking up on the holy frequency (songs and stories in the atmosphere waiting to be written). Songs still feel elusive to me, they mostly come to me in a flash. I try to sit down and write them, but it rarely works that way.
DB: Who created the cover artwork for your latest album ‘13’?
LP: Isabella West made the artwork for 13, she’s a dear friend. Isabella is a brilliant multi faceted artist. I love and trust her with much of myself. When thinking about album art for 13, I knew her art would serve the songs perfectly. The drawing is her interpretation of a lucky rabbit (with an extra foot for extra luck). I named the album 13 after choosing her rabbit as the artwork (which was a gift she gave to me). In Judaism 13 is a lucky number.
DB: When did you first discover Ode to Quetzalcoatl vinyl Lp?
LP: Isabella showed me O2Q when we first became friends. I remember us driving through San Marcos under a beautiful sunset. She said she thought I’d like your songs… after listening I felt a deep joy. The honesty in your storytelling truly touched me.
DB: What are some of your future plans, hopes and dreams?
LP: I hope to keep writing, finding my higher self, seeing beauty, and hearing all the stories I can before my end time. In the process I’d love to continue to tour my songs around however far my voice can carry me.
DB: Do you have any upcoming shows or performances to share?
LP: This summer I have a residency at the Color Club in Chicago (June) and a residency at Sundown Bar in Brooklyn (August) plus a few in Canada. TBA.
Thanks kindly for having me here DB, means the world.
DB: Thank you for giving this interview.
-David Bixby
Dave Bixby 