Bloodboy – Lexie Papillion
by Alex Teitz
Lexie Papillion is Bloodboy. She is an LA artist who evokes the 80’s with the single from her debut album, Punk Adjacent called “Sex Crime”
In 2016 Bloodboy released her EP Best of Bloodboy. Punk Adjacent is a full-length album due out soon. The album was produced by Taylor Locke and fits firmly into the Begals and Pat Benetar mode. It is fun retro music.
FEMMUSIC: What was the biggest challenge making Punk Adjacent?
LP: Finding a producer, hands down. I had worked with a lot of different producers by then and didn’t feel any of them were the right fit to help me graduate, if you will, to this sound that was a bit different and a bit more nuanced. I spent a solid 9 months- which I’m realizing now doesn’t sound that long, but it was a purgatorial nightmare- taking garbage meetings and I almost reached a point where I was going to try to produce the record entirely myself.
FEMMUSIC: How was it to make a full-length album vs an EP like Best of Bloodboy?
LP: So, so, so much more fun. The EP was written and recorded in a very disjointed way. There were three different producers involved and it was very piecemealed- a few hours recording guitars here, a few hours recording vocals there. Not only did it take forever, but it completely took the magic out of the process that way. On Punk Adjacent, the songs were much more fleshed out before we started recording. The vast majority of the time it was just me, Taylor, and Kyle (the engineer) locked in a room together and it was all very fluid. Every couple weeks, we’d have Darren Weiss come in to record drums and he was incredibly intuitive. It was finished in a little less than a month.
FEMMUSIC: How did you choose Taylor Locke as co-producer? How did you meet him? How was he work in the studio with?
LP: He found me! Although, I never asked him how. We had an initial meeting to chat about what I wanted to accomplish on the record and I knew immediately I wanted to work with him. He was able to read my mind in a way that no other producer had even before we started working. I hate the word “synergy” in this context, but it really was very synergetic. Taylor insisted we keep a lot of the parts from my demos, but he was able to expand on them in a way I wouldn’t have thought to. I’m very grateful for him.
FEMMUSIC: I see you’re signed to Everett Entertainment. What made you decide to sign with them? What do they bring to the project?
LP: Everett is my friend and former manager’s company. He was the first one to believe in the project and has been with me since the beginning. I’m lucky to have had his support; otherwise, I’m not sure I would still be doing this.
FEMMUSIC: Can you elaborate on how going to Louisiana influenced the album?
LP: When I initially decided I was going to Louisiana to write, it was really more about getting out of Los Angeles than anything else. But I do believe it ended up being an integral part of the writing and composition on the album. I stayed in a cabin near the Atchafalaya Basin and I didn’t rent a car, so when I wasn’t writing or wandering around, I was watching “Golden Era” TV shows (on a good bit of LSD) and I was really inspired by the scores. I think that definitely added a more cinematic element to the record. I also spent a lot of time watching local bands and I found that the live energy was so much different than what I’m used to. Musicians in rural Louisiana aren’t playing for any reason other than that they love it, and it shows. They look *happy* performing. Sometimes I go to shows in LA and it’s so obvious that the band or artist is trying to impress people, which I get, and I’ve definitely been there. But for the love of god, I wish people would come up with some new moves.
FEMMUSIC: Can you describe your songwriting technique?
LP: I almost always start with at least some idea of what I want the song to be about, even if it’s just a title. From there, it varies. Sometimes I’ll start with a bass line or a drum pattern and work around that. Other times, I write the chord progression on guitar first. I have to mix it up, otherwise I find all my stuff starts sounding the same.
FEMMUSIC: What song (not your own) has had the biggest influence on you and why?
LP: Wow, this is a toughy. There are so many! I guess if I really, really had to choose ONE, it would be The Clash’s “Train In Vain.” I’ve been in love with it since I was thirteen. It’s not the most lyrically profound song of theirs, but it’s melodically beautiful and fun and honest. I just love it.
FEMMUSIC: As a woman in the music industry have you been discriminated against?
LP: I wouldn’t go so far as to say I’ve felt discriminated against, but I’ve definitely felt that certain producers didn’t trust in my ability to know what I wanted because I’m a woman. Thom Monahan was the first producer I worked with who really pushed me to trust my creative instincts instead of trying to steer me in a particular direction. I think this is actually an amazing time for women in music. We’re getting more recognition now than we’ve ever had and we’re supporting each other instead of competing with one another. I’m excited to see what happens in the next few years.
FEMMUSIC: Whom would you most like to collaborate with, or tour with? Why?
LP: James Murphy would be my answer for both. I love everything he’s ever done. He has a way of creating songs that are profoundly simple, funny, and relatable, and he’s always maintained his artistic integrity. I’d say I trust his creative sensibility more than anyone else’s. I also think LCD Soundsystem would be fun as hell to tour with
.
FEMMUSIC: What one thing would you like to change about the music industry?
LP: This obviously isn’t going to happen in the foreseeable future, but I wish artists didn’t have to rely so heavily on social media. I’ve been told countless times certain opportunities are contingent upon my number of “followers” and I find it very stressful. I don’t like feeling that I have to be a “brand” in addition to being an artist. But, again… I don’t see that changing due to the sheer number of new artists emerging every day. It’s just another way of trying to distinguish ourselves and I’m trying to make peace with it 😉
