ORDINARY VISION: ALLEGRA KRIEGER

Ordinary Vision allows artists to introduce themselves to audiences through their own perspective and medium.

Brooklyn-based indie-folk tinkerer Allegra Krieger weaves a tapestry of personal transitions, introspection and newfound vulnerability on her debut album The Joys of Forgetting, out August 7th, 2020 via Northern Spy Records. The classically-informed pianist and singer-songwriter was raised under strict Catholic faith in suburban Florida before abandoning religion for a more explorative, independent lifestyle. Before settling in Brooklyn, Krieger spent stints of time performing odd jobs in various parts of the country, such as housekeeping at a Death Valley motel and tree-planting in Georgia. These experiences grew to become The Joys of Forgetting, a graceful documentation of her early adulthood that merges the raw, unpacked emotion of Big Thief with the fuzzy rock n’ roll of Lucy Dacus and the rootsy experimentalism of Califone. String section contributions from fellow Northern Spy artist, Odetta Hartman, and her sister, Camellia, cement The Joys of Forgetting as a seriously mature debut from a young and gifted songwriter.

We connected with Allegra to take a peek at her day-to-day life and dive into some of the inspiration behind the album before it drops later this summer. Her simple use of pen and watercolor recalls the abstract expressionist approach of Tracey Emin, while her depiction of scenery at other times is purely representational of a certain place and time that exists in her memory.

hope: Can you give us an idea of what you look like right now?

Allegra: 7:30 am bathroom mirror self portrait.

hope: What does your ideal work space and atmosphere for creation look like?

Allegra: Quietness.

hope: There are so many sounds threaded throughout the album — seemingly everything from found or DIY percussion to a symphony of strings. Can you share some specific instruments or gear that we’re hearing?

Allegra: Water bottles, hand claps, strings, manipulating ordinary sounds — via producer Adam Schatz's expertise!

hope: How did you approach The Joys Of Forgetting differently than your last album, Circles? Are there any specific philosophies or inspirations that you could share?

Allegra: trusting myself, openness to collaboration.

hope: You toured a leg of small bars and living rooms that brought you to Burlington, VT a year or so ago. Aside from your show here, what do you remember about being in Vermont?

Allegra: Eating spaghetti in a motel 6 after a swim.

hope: Living in New York is unlike living anywhere else in the country. In ‘It’s Nice to Believe’ you note a few moments and observations that are unique to living in the city. I’m curious, overall, what role has living in New York played in your music career thus far, and what role has it played in writing The Joys Of Forgetting?

Allegra: Interflow!

hope: The new record’s opening track, ‘The Push And Pull’ describes a few different sad, relatable and beautiful scenes. Could you choose one of these moments to illustrate for us?

Allegra: Swimming far out into the Bay of Biscay

hope: What is your go-to neighborhood bar?

Allegra: The colorful Jalopy theatre/tavern in Red Hook—where I bartend—a center for learning & community & celebration.

hope: What is true love?

Allegra: Growing.

The Joys of Forgetting is out Friday, August 7th 2020 via Northern Spy Records. Pre-order it here.

THIS ARTICLE WAS GRACIOUSLY CONTRIBUTED BY:

Carson Ehlert, co-founder of hope all is well and just a guy, in general.