Ella Spencer Talks New Single, 2024 UK Tour And More


Words by Glenn Sargeant
Photo Credit: Al Stuart
British-American singer-songwriter Ella Spencer, has released her latest single ‘I Never Told You About Oregon’ and will tour the UK in October/November 2024. She kindly sat down with us to chat to us about the song and more:
When did you begin songwriting?
My earliest memories of songwriting are between 10-12, writing Taylor-Swift style ballads in my diary. I can still remember how some of them went…
What is your earliest musical memory?
It’s hard to choose. One of my earliest is watching Sam Baker sing ‘Jacob’s Ladder’ at the first Maverick festival in 2008, when I was 9.
Your new single ‘I Never Told You About Oregon’ is out now. What was the story/inspiration behind it?
I started writing ‘I Never Told You About Oregon’ in June 2023, when I was on a road trip down the West Coast of the US visiting friends and family. At the time I was staying with the Fellow Pynins, an awesome folk duo, in the middle of a forest near Ashland in Oregon. I wrote the opening line ‘there’s a bruise on my nail from Oregon / every day it gets closer to oblivion’ before anything else, literally about shutting my nail in the doorframe of the tiny house I was staying in and seeing the bruise form and then fade away over the next few months. Watching that physical process, which coincided with my Grandma passing away, and feeling further and further away from that time but still deeply connected to it, was the inspiration for the song.
Where did you record the song and who produced it?
I recorded it this summer at The Panther in Portland, Oregon and it was co-produced by Steve Drizos and Jerry Joseph.
Do you have any interesting, funny or memorable stories from the recording sessions?
We ate tacos for lunch every day, Jerry was late every day, and Jerry had a stroke of genius every day. This would take place after we’d already laid down the initial scratch vocal and instruments, meaning that we had to re-do it – and it was worth it every time.
Did you use any particular instruments, microphones, recording equipment to help you get a particular sound/tone for the record?
It was my first time in a proper studio environment, so I am still learning what equipment I prefer to use. I enjoyed playing the ‘haunted’ piano.
Was it a difficult song to write?
It was emotional for sure. I didn’t finish the song until 2024, and I am glad that through the writing process I spent some time reflecting on memories with my Grandma and my family after she passed.
What two things do you hope to have achieved once you have left the stage?
I hope to have moved people – to buy merch! Just kidding, I hope to have moved people in some way.
Do you have any favoured stage instruments, effects, pedals, microphones etc?
Piano.
Where is your hometown and could you please describe it in five words?
My hometown is Easton, Suffolk. Tiny, rural, village, cows, picturesque.
How do you look after your voice?
I have a constant supply of lemon and ginger to hand and I practice regularly.
You are given the opportunity to write the score for a film adaptation of a novel that you enjoy. Which novel is it and why?
I would love that! I would choose ‘If We Were Villains’ by M.L. Rio, because it would be perfect for a spooky and dramatic score with occasional moments of absurdity – it’s a murder mystery about a tight-knit friend group studying at an elite actors’ academy.
Who are some of your musical influences? Do you have any recommendations?
Lucinda Williams, Jason Isbell, Fiona Apple and Aimee Mann are my top four. And Jerry Joseph of course.
Do you have any further music releases planned for 2024/2025?
Yes, I plan to release two more singles from the Panther sessions.
Do you have any live dates planned in the UK/Europe in 2024/2025?
Yes! The dates are listed below.
What makes Ella Spencer happy and what makes you unhappy?
Live music and wide open spaces make me happy and the Victoria Line makes me unhappy.
Feature Image Photo Credit: Al Stuart
Ella Spencer’s latest single ‘I Never Told You About Oregon‘ is out now.
In addition, she will perform at the following UK live dates in October/November 2024:
19th October – The Waldringfield Sessions, Suffolk TICKETS
24th October – Opening for Florence Sommerville at the Camden Chapel TICKETS