Some of the musicians who call Boston home don’t make it known that they live here. Marissa Nadler, for instance, tries to keep to herself, but if you listen to her music while walking around, things feel a bit magical, as if there are connections tied in with the world around you.
Ever since her 2004 debut LP dropped, she’s been writing gothic folk that’s as haunting as it is soothing. This year’s excellent Strangers takes things a step farther. Nadler does away with songs about heartbreak and replaces them with tales of curious people in and outside of her life. To give us a better look at the non-literal side of what it details, she played a round of questions with us inspired by each song on the record in advance of her record release show at Great Scott.
1) “DIVERS OF THE DUST”
DIGBOSTON: What’s the weirdest thing you’ve found in your apartment when cleaning?
NADLER: Well… Not when I was cleaning, but I found a very old knife in a rock pile in the woods that must be hundreds of years old.
2) “KATIE I KNOW”
DIGBOSTON: Who’s a celebrity Katie you wish you were friends with?
NADLER: I honestly can’t think of any.
3) “SKYSCRAPER”
DIGBOSTON: What’s your favorite skyscraper in Boston?
NADLER: Hm. Boston doesn’t have many.
4) “HUNGRY IS THE GHOST”
DIGBOSTON: What’s your go-to late-night snack?
NADLER: Oh god—well, munchies!
5) “ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK”
DIGBOSTON: What’s your favorite color and why?
NADLER: Black, of course!
6) “STRANGERS”
DIGBOSTON: Who’s your favorite character featured on Strangers?
NADLER: Shadow show Diane and her nudie shows are pretty entertaining.
7) “JANIE IN LOVE”
DIGBOSTON: What’s the strangest way people show their love for one another?
NADLER: By being assholes to each other.
8) “WAKING”
DIGBOSTON: What trick do you have to wake up on time?
NADLER: Anxiety—panic attacks. They usually keep me in a pretty light sleep.
9) “SHADOW SHOW DIANE”
DIGBOSTON: What’s the biggest perk to people-watching?
NADLER: Making up stories about what their lives could be like.
10) “NOTHING FEELS THE SAME”
DIGBOSTON: What’s the strangest place in Boston that you know of?
NADLER: Fort Hill Tower. Everywhere has its strangeness.
11) “DISSOLVE”
DIGBOSTON: Where’s your favorite place to go for a walk in Boston?
NADLER: Jamaica Pond and the surrounding waterways. I love the ducks and the peace.
MARISSA NADLER + WREKMEISTER HARMONIES + MUSCLE AND MARROW. TUE 7.19. GREAT SCOTT, 1222 COMM. AVE., ALLSTON. 8PM/18+/$15. GREATSCOTTBOSTON.COM.
