BY STEFANIE NAKASONE / snakasone@staradvertiser.com
“You say, I only hear what I want to …”
Just play that one lyric, and most people of a certain age (say, about 30 to 50) will not only know the song, but immediately feel as if they’ve been transported back to the 1990s.
Only a handful of songs evoke such strong feelings of nostalgia; Lisa Loeb’s “Stay (I Missed You)” is one of them.
LISA LOEBPresented by the Honolulu Museum of Art» Where: Doris Duke Theatre, 900 S. Beretania St. |
Why? In addition to its plaintive, universal theme, that’s most likely because of its connection to “Reality Bites,” a film that has become a lasting representation of Generation X.
On Wednesday, Loeb will introduce “Reality Bites” at a special 20th anniversary screening at the Honolulu Museum of Art’s Doris Duke Theatre.
On Thursday, the singer-songwriter performs in concert at the theater, with a show at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center on July 11.
“Stay,” which became the first No. 1 hit by an unsigned artist, got into “Reality Bites” when the film’s star, Ethan Hawke, a friend and neighbor of Loeb’s, submitted a tape to director/co-star Ben Stiller.
“I have great memories of that time,” said Loeb, speaking via phone from her home base of Los Angeles.
“I was a very independent artist, with a vision of how I wanted my music to sound. I had a great team around me, and we were able to make music and get the song into the film in a great way, through a great creative community. So that always sticks with me.”
Loeb had some commercial success after “Stay,” including hit song “I Do” off her gold record “Firecracker” in 1997, though none of her other releases matched the popularity of her breakthrough song.
Still, Loeb, now 46, cherishes its positive impact. “‘Stay’ has really enabled me to travel around the world and have wonderful experiences as a musician,” she said.
Last year, she released “No Fairy Tale,” her seventh studio album and her first since 2004′s “The Way It Really Is.”
“No Fairy Tale” marks a departure from Loeb’s usual acoustic indie-pop sound, thanks to the influence of friend and New Found Glory guitarist Chad Gilbert, who co-produced the project.
“He asked if he could produce a record for me, a very poppy, punky rock record. And that’s a style I really liked that I thought would be fun to work in,” Loeb said. “It’s still based in songs but has more energy than some other records I’ve made.”
Canadian duo Tegan and Sara are among contributors to the album. The indie rock-pop twin sisters wrote two songs for “No Fairy Tale” — the fun and flirty rock track “A Hot Minute” and wistful yet upbeat acoustic tune “The Worst” — marking the first time Loeb has included songs penned by an outside artist on her solo recordings.
Fans who can’t get enough of Loeb’s work won’t have to wait nearly as long for her next project. With 10 years worth of material, Loeb said she plans to release songs that didn’t make the album in smaller packages.
ASIDE FROM contemporary music, Loeb has kept quite busy over the years. She’s most notably done work in children’s music, having released two records and a pair of books with CDs for children over the past decade. Her debut children’s album, “Catch the Moon,” was released in 2003, well before she became a mother herself — she and husband Roey Hershkovitz have a 4-year-old daughter, Lyla Rose, and 2-year-old son, Emet Kuli.
“It was sort of great that I started making them before I had kids, because I already knew that I wanted to make something that sounded like music, not kids’ music. I was influenced more by things that I listened to in my childhood than kids’ music,” said Loeb, citing Carole King’s 1975 musical “Really Rosie” and the 1972 collective “Free to Be … You and Me” as inspirations.
Loeb’s also continued to dabble in acting, something she’s done since her ’90s heyday and hopes to do more of in the future. (Remember her guest spot on “The Nanny” or her early cameo in “House on Haunted Hill”?)
Her most recent project is the film “Helicopter Mom,” currently making the rounds at film festivals. The comedy, which stars Nia Vardalos of “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” fame, is about an overbearing mother who thinks her son is gay, and in trying to support him ends up making a big fat mess.
Loeb has also added entrepreneur to her resume. Four years ago, she brought her signature cat-eye glasses to the masses, launching retro-styled collection Lisa Loeb Eyewear.
Loeb knows that to the public, she and her glasses are inseparable. But over time she’s learned to embrace that fact.
“Just because someone is talking to me about my glasses doesn’t mean they don’t care about my music,” she said. “It doesn’t mean that my music or the art I’m doing is less valuable.
“Also on top of that, I was always a huge fan of Elton John, David Bowie, Freddie Mercury — people who got a definite fashion statement, but we still really think about their music. So that’s good company!”