Q&A with musician Ana Caravelle

Ana Caravelle has a degree in psychology, but she is also a harpist and singer who has been interested in music since the age of four. Caravelle will perform at KXSC Fest this Sunday along with bands and musicians Abe Vigoda, Puro Instinct, Julianna Barwick, Sister Crayon, and Brook and River. Caravelle took time to answer questions for the Daily Trojan by email.

Daily Trojan: What drew you to say ‘yes’ to KXSC Fest?

Ana Caravelle: KXSC Fest sounds like a wonderful event to play because it will be a festival drawing people together in an outdoor setting. I am always very interested in the spaces that we play in, as much as the music as we’re playing, because it’s the interaction of the space, the music and the people that makes the event.

DT: When did you first start seriously studying music? And what instruments and styles did you play?

Caravelle: I began studying piano at age four and since then, have done much dabbling in instruments such as guitar, voice, theremin, musical saw and, finally, the harp. I am drawn to the meeting point between experimental and folk music.

DT: How does your psychology degree influence your music? Do you plan to work in that field?

Caravelle: I like this question a lot because clinical work with kids is the key influence for my music. I see music very much through the lens of a little kid, and I don’t ever intend to stop doing that.

DT: Which musical artists will your fans be surprised to hear have influenced you? I’ve read, for example, that you were really into punk when you were younger. Does that or other disparate musical sensibilities still influence the way you work at all?

Caravelle: People could be surprised to hear that I’m influenced by heavier music like punk and electronic beats, when my music tends to be more gentle and acoustic.

I take influences from a lot of things that don’t necessarily sound like my music, because it’s more about the emotional input that they give me, like the raw and emotionally charged quality to some heavier sounds.

I put all of my emotion into music, all kinds of emotion, and that’s where these influences enter into the picture.

DT: What are some of your non-musical influences?

Caravelle: I’m currently influenced by Topanga, the place in which Ryan (a.k.a. musician Asura) and I live. It’s somehow still almost in Los Angeles, but you drive up the long, windy road and you’re shot straight into the mountains, totally enveloped in green. It can be really tough to live here but also incredibly rewarding, living literally in the middle of the woods where you have nothing to listen to but the blend of nature and your own thoughts. Gives you much time to reflect and create.

DT: What draws you specifically to Icelandic music?

Caravelle: Icelandic music is my favorite music, especially artists such as Amiina, Sigur Rós, Múm and Björk because of its ethereal and ever glowing, crackling, glistening quality.

I especially love Amiina’s philosophy of sampling and performing with natural sounds that bring audience members back to a familiar and childlike place.

DT: When people say that you remind them of Joanna Newsom, how do you feel about it? Do you appreciate the comparison or does it bother you at all?

Caravelle: I appreciate the comparison to Joanna Newsom because she is the one who showed me that this form of music was possible.

But I’m gradually moving away by introducing electronic components to the music and moving closer to the Icelandic sound.

DT: What were some of the inspirations on your album, Basic Climb?

Caravelle: The overarching inspiration for Basic Climb was the idea of contrasts, being low to the ground versus up high in the air, indoors versus outdoors, night versus day.

DT: How was the experience of having other musicians remix the songs on your album?

Caravelle: I thought this was an incredible experience, and I felt really lucky to have such extraordinary musicians reinterpret these songs in ways I never could have imagined.