About That Song #117
In our special series, singer-songwriter Sarah Morris interviews artists about the songs that shaped them.
Hi! I’m Sarah Morris. I’m wildly in love with songs and the people who write them. There have been a few songs in my life that have been total gamechangers—songs that made me want to be a songwriter and songs I’ve written that made me feel like I am a songwriter. About That Song is a space where I can learn more about those pivotal songs in other writers’ lives.
In the 117th edition of this series, I got to talk to Bethany Larson! She fronts country-rock band Bethany Larson and the Bee’s Knees. “Born with music in your veins,” she’s been playing and singing since she was a kid—first in her family’s church in Austin, MN, then as a young adult in the Twin Cities, captivating audiences at The Dakota, Turf Club, Varsity Theater, as well as the original Acadia Cafe (I LOVED THAT PLACE!). We dug into her musical past to find out about the songs and experiences that helped make her the songwriter she is today.
Bethany Larson. Photo credit: Madalyn Rowell.
Sarah: Hi Bethany! I’ve long been a fan of your gorgeous vocals and twang-influenced country-rock. Fifteen years after releasing When We Reach The City, you’re set to release a new album—Love & Lust & Settled Dust. Featuring your bandmates Chris Lars, Alicia Kay, and Sara Horishnyk, the new album is your account of “finding the strength to make it through—the good, the bad, the angry, the angst.” Congratulations! The album feels like a wonderful excuse to learn more about the songs that have been a part of your journey.
Do you remember the song you heard that made you want to be a songwriter? Tell us about that song.
Bethany: Honestly, I can’t pin it to one song. I grew up singing in my family’s church in Austin, so harmony was just always around. We weren’t allowed to listen to much secular music, but on road trips we’d play Simon & Garfunkel, the Beatles, the Beach Boys. All those great singers and harmonies. “God Only Knows” still gets me every time.
Sarah: Yeah, same. Every time.
Bethany: I’ve always been a sucker for a good melody, and that’s where it started for me. Then in high school I found Jewel and started singing anywhere I could: talent shows, choir, musicals.
Sarah: Jewel! I think her album did such massive light-shining for a generation of young people. “Hey! You can sing your feelings out, people! They don’t need to be tidy, or super rhyme-y…” This is a good moment to pause and say out loud, “THANK YOU, JEWEL!”
Once you began writing, did you feel like a writer immediately? It took me a few years of writing before I believed it—was there a song that gave you that “a-HA! I AM a songwriter!” moment? Tell us about that song.
Bethany: I kept a diary pretty much nonstop growing up, and I was always singing. I wrote my first song on guitar in high school and kept at it through college. But the first time I really thought “okay, I’m a songwriter” was while writing “Why Don’t You Come Over.” I’d just heard Low for the first time and was blown away by how sparse their songs are, and how they slowly build. “When I Go Deaf” is a great example.
After that, I started playing solo around town. The original Acadia (I loved it too!), Dunn Brothers, wherever would have me. Then a good friend offered to record my first album, and that was huge. We had the release show for Sticks and Stones at the Turf Club with No Bird Sing and Peter Wolf Crier, and I remember thinking, wow, this is really out there now.
Sarah: In addition to being on your 2009 album, Sticks and Stones, “Why Don’t You Come Over” is on your 2011 album, When We Reach The City. Before we talk about the new album, I wanted to ask about one other song from that one. “Oh … I know it’s been a long time” — this lyric kicks off the oh-so-catchy “Still.” I used preparing for this interview as a chance to go back and listen to that album. I was immediately reminded of how much I love this song! Could you tell us about it?
Bethany: The chorus came first, and it came easy. The living/dying, laughing/crying part just kind of fell out. I’d gone through a breakup, and he seemed to be moving on so fast, and I just wasn’t there yet. The line “part of me wants to disappear, part of me wants to die right here” came from running into him in public afterward and feeling all that shame wash over me.
Sarah: That is so relatable. Thank goodness for cathartic melodies to sing us through to the other side. Song-wise, where did the new album, Love & Lust & Settled Dust, begin for you? Was there a song that you wrote where you knew it was time to get back to the recording process?
Bethany: I actually came up with the title way back around 2013! A bunch of these songs are from that time. We were playing them live and had even started recording with Patrik Tanner at Studio Bredsound. Then we took a break from performing. Putting music aside was really hard. It felt like losing a piece of myself. But it made coming back mean so much more.
I wrote “Do It I Dare You” in December 2019, just days after I got out of the hospital, and the rest of the songs kept coming after that, one at a time. We ended up making the record with Eric Martin and Adam Levy at Clubhouse and Salon Sonics. It’s still me, my brother Chris, Alicia, and Sara, and now we have a third vocalist too, which means a lot more harmonies. Which, as you can probably tell by now, makes me very happy.
Sarah: Those “more harmonies” will make the listener happy, too. The album begins with the irresistible sway and pull of the song you mentioned writing in 2019—“Do It I Dare You” (“You make me so happy that I’m gonna burst, then suddenly baby … I think you’re the worst”). Can you tell us about that song?
Bethany: It’s about feeling everything really, really strongly. Living with mental illness, getting stuck in that black-and-white thinking. And it’s about being in love with someone while all that’s going on. That’s the push and pull in the chorus: you make me so happy I could burst, and then, nope, you’re the worst. It was the first thing I wrote when I got out of the hospital, so it felt right to start the album with it.
Bethany Larson and the Bee’s Knees. Photo credit: Madalyn Rowell.
Sarah: “I’m fully conscious, I promise, is there something I can do for you?” So begins your recent single “I Promise.” The song has a swanky, slinky groove, and the melody highlights your vocal powers—there are swoops and snarls and whispers. What can you tell us about that song?
Bethany: It started out as this really swanky Wurlitzer part, and then it turned into a loud rock ’n’ roll guitar thing. That came from working with Patrik Tanner when we first got in the studio with him. For me, the lyrics are about being frustrated with people who have this idea of who I am, kind of like I’m a novelty. And not wanting to be used.
Sarah: I feel like we could all use a little more swanky Wurlitzer. I’m so excited for folks to hear this record. Do you have any upcoming Midwest shows where we might hear you sing these songs live?
Bethany: Yes! Our album release show is Sunday, November 1 at the Parkway Theater in Minneapolis, with Turn Turn Turn and The Twins of Franklin.
Sarah: What a LINEUP!!!
Bethany: We’re pulling out all the stops: strings, horns, fiddle, keys, guest guitarists, and some special guest singers. I’m so excited.
Sarah: Have a fantastic time! Thank you so much for stopping by to talk about THAT song, Bethany. Wishing you all the very best!
Go see Bethany Larson & The Bee’s Knees at their all-ages album release show at the Parkway Theater! Doors at 6pm, Music at 7pm. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door, or $35 for reserved seats.
Listen to “I Promise”
Love & Lust & Settled Dust Album Credits
Songwriting: All songs written by Bethany Larson
Bethany Larson – lead vocals, acoustic guitar
Chris Larson – lead guitar, keys, backing vocals
Alicia Kay – bass guitar, backing vocals
Sara Horishnyk – drums, percussion
Special Guests: Adam Levy, Eric Martin, David Greening & Andy Ulseth
Recorded at: Clubhouse Recording Studio & Salon Sonics, Minneapolis, MN
Produced by: Eric Martin & Adam Levy
Engineered by: Eric Martin & Holly Hansen
Mixed by: Eric Martin, Minneapolis, MN
Mastered by: Anthony Puglisi at Sentrall Sound, Los Angeles, CA
Photography: Madalyn Rowell
Design: Sara Horishnyk
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sarah Morris. Photo credit: Tom Smouse.
Sarah Morris is a superfan of songs and the people who write them, and a believer that certain songs can change your life. A singer-songwriter / mama / bread maker / coffee drinker who recently released her fifth album of original material, she’s been known to joyfully sing with people in her Big Green Bathroom.
