It occurs to me that when it comes to songs, good in the reviewer’s sense and good in the sense of mattering to someone are two different things. A critic is rightfully concerned with originality; a listener wants a friend. You can write the cheesiest most cliché-ridden love song in the world, and a cancer patient might have it on repeat as he goes through chemo. You can make an inscrutable new sound and be ignored by all but a few hipsters at the bleeding edge, who disdain anything anyone else has heard of.

These are the poles, of course: most critics are music fans and most music fans are critics, in varying degrees, and most songwriters are both. We all rejoice when something connects with us on a deep level, and shrug (or rant) when it doesn’t. But it does beg the question of what exactly I’m trying to do here. How do I know when I’ve made something good? When a lot of people like it, or when the “right kind” of people like it? And what makes them the “right kind?”

I know, I know: you’ve made something good when you like it. But let’s face it, that’s not the whole answer. Manuscripts have editors, plays have developmental readings, records have producers, A&R reps, rough mixes. There are points all along the way when you ask “Is this working?” and listen to what comes back. There are navigational tools other than your own compass. But which ones are reliable? More importantly, where are you trying to go, anyway?

This is all a roundabout way of saying that I’m still stuck, down here in my notebooks. These fragments are good for something but I don’t know what. I do have a growing sense that whatever it is, I’m not capable of it yet. So it’s time to become a student again: get up every morning and practice my instruments, pick up some new ones, sing a lot of other people’s songs, write a steady stream of lyrics and hold them up for scrutiny. This year’s nomadic existence hasn’t lent itself to that kind of discipline, so much. I need to live somewhere again.

Here’s the Q&A we did on Twitter last month, cleaned up for easier reading. Many thanks to Twitter users trialia, roofboy179 and kalenabear for archiving, formatting and sorting!

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_flynn: when you’re trying to tell yourself something, by what name do you call yourself?
viennateng: I scold myself as V for musical mishaps (or *cough* missed flights to gigs), but for more personal stuff, usually C.

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reirei86: Are you going to cover or write anymore Chinese songs?
viennateng: We recorded a cover of [kanji] (Ganlanshu/The Olive Tree) for Inland Territory, will probably come out as a b-side sometime.
reirei86: I can’t wait to hear The Olive Tree! Do you play for private parties? A.k.a. My house? Free room and tour of the city!

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disarming: So excited you have a DC show coming – I haven’t seen you in a year! What are the best concerts you’ve ever attended?
viennateng: Some favorite shows: Spring Standards, Kaki King, Pete & J, Radiohead @ Bonnaroo ‘06, Regina Spektor @ Outside Lands ‘08
viennateng: Enjoying shows is as much about environment as performers I think. Sadly was distracted for much of an Imogen Heap show once.

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CharlieWaters: Hi Vienna – any plans to gig in the UK in the near future? (Love your music!)
trialia: when are you coming back to Britain, any plans to in the near future
viennateng: Would love to return to the UK. Timing CD release there has proven tricky but we’re working on it! Hopefully next year
viennateng: Hope next time we’ll play places outside London, I know the city can be claustrophobic for some (though I confess I love it)

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Eridanus: Whilst recording IT u preferred studio to live shows; 2 yrs ago the reverse. D’you *actually* prefer whatever’s current?
viennateng: Hmm, you’re right. Recording/playing live, the current activity is what I prefer. Guess it’s better than the inverse…
viennateng: Prefer for different reasons, I guess: live performance is play, studio is work. Work->sense of worth. Play->instant grat
Eridanus: I asked cos of how you interact with an audience.Live: inevitably tech.’imperfect’ – but with a vibrance the studio lacks
viennateng: Yes, studio/live provide different parameters for making music, focus one’s mindset in different ways.

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kurtharsis: Your arrangements tend towards unique with unusual instrument choices. How much of that is you? What guides the decisions?
viennateng: Album arrangements or live? Lately for both Alex plays a central role; he’s behind most inspired choices
kurtharsis: Album arrangements specifically, but speaking of live, whom do I have to bribe to get you to play in St. Louis?
viennateng: I believe we’re working on a Nov date @ Off Broadway in St. Louis. Send good booking vibes Jordan Burger’s way :^)
gulliverbear: that would be AWESOME if you came to St Louis!

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_flynn: Thanks, one (two?) more for the moment: which songs’ve been hardest, and easiest, to play out?
viennateng: Gravity is still most satisfying & malleable to play. White Light is tough. Going to brave putting Radio in the set soon too.
Eridanus: Relieved you still like Gravity – the remarkably intense&versatile song which hooked me when you&Marika played it for BBC
_flynn: Concur w/Eridanus on Gravity. You’ve already heard how much I liked White Light live.

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annaybunny: What’s the story behind Augustine? What inspired you to write it?
Eridanus: *I’d* like some Augustine hints too. Scott & Rotkehlchen puzzled about the lyrics since you published them
viennateng: Experimenting w/only octaves on piano + memories of reading Confessions in college + fascination w/faith & conversion

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invokeuse: I’m curious about why you switched over to first-person tweets?
viennateng: 3rd-person inhibited sentence construction. Having an observer tweet on yr account in 3rd person would be funny though.
viennateng: e.g. “_ has that pensive look, like she may have found some gravel in this mouthful of Grape Nuts but isn’t certain yet”

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smallred9t7: Any plans on coming across the border and touring Canada?
OSMOSExINVERSEE: will you come to canada? the fans in winnipeg would love to see you perform!
viennateng: Playing in Canada is often tricky to justify financially (1-2 shows for steep immigration/work permit fees)
viennateng: But if we could tour w/Canadian artist (e.g. Sarah Harmer, Kathleen Edwards) that would be a great way to get there
OSMOSExINVERSEE: aww thats to bad =[ us fans in winnipeg would love to her you sing! =D
OSMOSExINVERSEE: well, i do hope some day you can come to Canada ^^

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annaybunny: I'm in love with your cover of Idioteque. Any chance of an official recording?
viennateng: Idioteque was another fine idea from Alex Wong. Plotting for live album, that'll likely be in the set. Glad you like!
annaybunny: A live album sounds awesome! I'll look forward to it.

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kalenabear: I'm il-twitterite, so let's hope this is right. What's one of the biggest misconceptions of the industry,iyo? Thanks for the q&a!
viennateng: Perceptions by the industry, or of the industry by music fans? (Also, hi!)
kalenabear: the latter.
viennateng: Main misperception of industry: that there is a single music industry, maybe. Many worlds that hardly know of each other.

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trialia: thought of something else- your music is used in Battlestar Galactica fanmixes for Roslin & Adama a lot. Ever watch it?
viennateng: Fanmixes = fascinating new form to me, albeit foreign since I hardly watch TV. Should watch more SF shows and anime perhaps.

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proclubboy: How did you come to realize you wanted to be a musician when you were at Cisco? Were you scared of the job switch?
viennateng: Realized I wanted to pursue music well before Cisco, so it was just a matter of timing. Signing w/Virt was the impetus.
viennateng: But leaving Cisco was still scary. Mostly b/c I had no idea what to do music-business wise and had no talent for it.

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trialia: also if you ever get the time, would love sheet music for DTTN someday if it's a possibility? thx!
viennateng: The goal is to have sheet music for every album over the next few years. Maybe released concurrently w/audio, eventually!

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rflrob: At what point, and why, did Blue Caravan lyrics change from "Go IF you have to" to "Go WHERE you have to"?
viennateng: I think "if/where" switch in Blue Caravan happened over course of a tour. Seemed right to have him accept an inevitability

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kalenabear: what can we Angelenos do to help get you in SoCal more often? Appreciate it every time you make a stop here, tho!
viennateng: Trying to figure out how to do something a bit different each time we return to LA. Would love to play theaters more...

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_flynn: Ah, two more: how many interpretations have you heard for who "she" is in Recessional, and what's your favorite?
viennateng: Re: interpretations of Recessional, I love the one where someone actually put the lyrics in reverse: http://bit.ly/18SZpE

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annaybunny: What are your favorite albums of all time/of the moment?
viennateng: All-time favorites: most of Simon & Garfunkel and Radiohead discographies. Current obsession: Laura Veirs' Saltbreakers.

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frazierd: Who are your favorite artists/bands? Who did you enjoy playing with the most?
viennateng: Some great hangs on tour: Paper Raincoat, Ben Sollee, Julian Velard, David Berkeley, Jenny Owen Youngs, Kyler England
viennateng: Also Elizabeth & The Catapult, Katie Herzig, Glen Phillips, Brandi Carlile. Marc Cohn and Joan Baez were wonderfully kind headliners too.
FredLI: Concur w/you re: Joan Baez. Very classy; she's boosted many others' careers over the years (e.g., Dar Williams).

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roofboy179: What song from IT do u like playing live the most? Also, do u want another pie when u make your way back thru Milwaukee?
viennateng: Grandmother Song is most fun live from Inland Territory, though success rests heavily on audience. Also Antebellum.
viennateng: Thanks for awesome pie last time! Also, not sure whether to thank or hate you for getting Alex that xaphoon ;^)

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_flynn: Not sure of the title but years ago you did something live with the chorus "...and the boy with the piano plays on..."
_flynn: Did you ever record that?
viennateng: Boy At The Piano was fun to play live for a while but lyrics are hard to sing w/a straight face these days :^) Should be some on archive.org though, as I've greenlighted releasing bootlegs of it: http://bit.ly/HxZx6

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JohnnyNaked: Can you see the sun setting from where you're sitting? (Enjoying the informative & pleasant tweet cacophony!)
viennateng: On 2nd floor of a cafe, can see sunset reflecting off palm trees across the street. Many geeks w/laptops all around...

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Eridanus: Do you enjoy your Forum as much as we do? I like to think you lurk occasionally, & secretly read some of what we post
FredLI: Concur w/Eridanus on forum. Good folks.
viennateng: I do lurk on the forum about once a week. Lovely group of folks, though occasionally *strange* ;^) Also sometimes exceedingly polite/sincere re: me. Critical/sarcastic is OK, no really! But grateful for such thoughtful listeners.
JohnnyNaked: You may want to be careful what you ask for! (So says the one who curbs his sarcastic tongue way too much in his old age.)

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reirei86: Do you publish majority of the songs you write or do you keep a lot private?
viennateng: Any song that gets finished usually sees the light of day. Sometimes I keep private ones that aren't really written for strangers to listen to (too many inside references in lyrics to be accessible, or attempts @ new style that aren't good)

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invokeuse: When picking songs for an album, which is more important: a song's individual strength or how well it plays with the others?
viennateng: Song inclusion on album depends on a) quality & b) whether similar one is already on/out there. Art not science though.
viennateng: Grandmother Song was tough call for Inland Territory; unlike rest of album but we really wanted it on & not as bonus track
invokeuse: Glad Grandmother Song is on IT, though, the "good boys in grad school" line always gives me a giggle

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BahamCrackers: Do you ever listen to your own music for enjoyment or is that too weird? Do you have a favorite song of yours?
viennateng: I'm often in the awkward position of not liking my own music for listening (genre/sound in general). Tried creating my own station on Pandora recently and much preferred Andrew Bird Radio & Jesca Hoop Radio.

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kalenabear: Since you mentioned it, I took your recomm. on fb and saw Spring Standards @ the Levitt Pavilion, CA. AMAZING! so, thx!
viennateng: Yay! So glad you got to see Spring Standards. They're about the nicest people ever too; always cool when amazing performers are.

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smallred9t7: Who is the original artist on The Olive Tree?
viennateng: Not sure who originally performed The Olive Tree, but Qi Yu's version is most famous I think.
dslnyc: CHYI YU was the original singer of oliver trees. She is the most sophisticated Chinese singer.

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FredLI: Do you have a favorite venue type as performer or as audience member? Theater, sit-down club, ballroom, outdoor, etc?
viennateng: Favorite venue...tough call! Bowery Ballroom, Rockwood in NYC have great energy. Many cozy listening rooms all over that make you feel totally connected to performer/audience. Altes Pfandhaus in Köln Germany is unique http://bit.ly/MOfDt
viennateng: Oh, and Cayamo! An entire ship of raptly attentive crowds for great music. Sometimes solid-ground festivals are magic too.

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recessional: of all your songs, which lyrics are you most proud of?
viennateng: Most pleased with...Recessional, actually. Hee. In Another Life, Passage & a fair # on Dreaming are up there too.

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gulliverbear: I love the new album! I was wondering about 'Watershed'... what inspired that song?
viennateng: Watershed inspiration: jamming w/delay pedal & Nord Electro + read Jared Diamond's _Collapse_ + heard Björk's Oceania

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FredLI: Is there buzz in the industry about the 2010 Lilith Fair? Are you interested?
viennateng: Would LOVE to play next year's Lilith Fair. I may build altars to the gods of festival booking to help make that happen...

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roofboy179: Are we ever gonna hear "House", which I think was cut off the new album. Unless i'm horribly mistaken
viennateng: House & The Olive Tree will get released eventually. We do like 'em, didn't want to make a 14-song album is all...

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disarming: LAist interview piqued my interest - what became of the songs with the really emo titles? What's one you could recycle & redeem?
disarming: Also would love if you shared more titles - as it's comforting I wasn't alone in writing emo poetry all over my Trapper Keeper
viennateng: There was one called Farewell To the Unknown Soldier that wasn't *too* bad. Might make it a b-side of b-sides one day...
viennateng: Some of the more egregious included "it's me. but you wouldn't know that." and "Sorrow's Melody"

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chirrio23: No room for an LA show in the fall?
viennateng: We're looking to open for/share w/someone for our next LA show. Routing didn't work for this fall, but next spring!

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_flynn: How many folks at the cafe have figured out what you're doing?
viennateng: There's been live music up here for the past hour, and I've sadly become one of those jerks on her laptop at a performance...
_flynn: Oh no! Smile Hope the music is good, at least.

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_flynn: Informal poll: how many people watching #vtqna are in fact listening to Vienna Teng? @reply me if you'd be so kind.
kalenabear: not listening atm but listen every morning on the way to work btwn the 4 albums. Shame that my commute is only 15 mins
trialia: lol, was singing Love Turns 40 actually, but watching early Stargate: SG-1 so not listening. too busy logging #vtqna to a text file!

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kalenabear: Silly/stupid ?: Ever consider doing smthg as tongue'ncheek as http://bit.ly/W19px [w/ Alex]?
viennateng: I SO want to be in a spoof music video! My sister thinks Alex & I should cover I’m On A Boat for next Cayamo.
viennateng: I’ve also always wanted to write a song & make a video for an über-pop song in which I attempt & utterly fail to be sexy.
kalenabear: “I’m On A Boat” at Cayamo?! lol. Genius.
annaybunny: I would die if you covered I’m On A Boat. Hee.
viennateng: Bet we could rope Brandi Carlile & Katie Herzig’s bands into I’m On A Boat too. ;^)

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thinkshrink: InlandTerritoria -cannot get enough of it. Antebellum? War Protest Song?
viennateng: Antebellum (& much of Inland Territory) came from thinking about parallels between personal relationships & politics…seems like the struggle of human beings trying to live w/each other is hauntingly similar no matter what the scale.
thinkshrink: I think I listened to an interview you did abt that. Not parallel universes- as in Mark Oliver Everett.s father (ELLS) ???
thinkshrink: Each song on Inland is so unique & incredibly complex. The variations are staggering.
thinkshrink: I has been so helpful that you twittered while on tour and while recording Inland. It gave us so much more insight.

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dslnyc: Where are you going to base in coming years?
viennateng: Don’t know where I’ll be based, though staying in NYC would be great. Maybe LA, maybe Chicago/Ann Arbor, maybe abroad…

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DanielPLawson: How much of “Recessional” is biographic? I often wonder. It’s my favourite of yours; I relate to it like no other song.
viennateng: Recessional is fictional, but draws on personal events for mood & certain details. Like most of my songs, actually.

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nowhereguy: fav on IT is Augustine – recall you saying it struggled to the surface. What holds a song back? Any struggling right now?
viennateng: Most songs struggle in the writing process…Augustine just took longer than most (3 yrs). All are struggling right now!

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_flynn: OK, on to the important stuff. What’s your grandmother think of Grandmother Song, and what’s your favorite drink?
roofboy179: In addition to _flynn ’s question; You’re in a coffeehouse, i think. What are you/were you/will you be drinking? ;D
_flynn: Good thing we’re not in Amsterdam or the cafe/coffeehouse distinction would be important.
viennateng: Lavender chamomile tea. Mmm. :^)

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thinkshrink: Will you be on Cayomo 3?
viennateng: Yes, we’ll be on Cayamo 3 for sure! http://www.cayamo.com/Artists/

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Jenster: i really hope your music and YOU will come to Hong Kong some day soon!
viennateng: Hope I get to come to Hong Kong too! Still searching for a good way to tour in Asia…working on it…

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thinkshrink: Do you consider NYC to be your ‘home” or is it still San Francisco?
viennateng: Home = strange concept these days. I guess SF is “where I’m from” (roots), NYC is “where I’m based” (state of mind now)

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reirei86: How often do you get to go home during the year? Do you ever get homesick?
viennateng: I don’t get homesick because I…have no home, at the moment. I do get wistful for things like gardening & a closet though.

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viennateng: Thanks everyone! That was great fun. Will have to do it again, maybe on a night off on tour this fall :^) Off to find food…g’night!

I really like the clothes you wear at your performances and photo shoots, and was wondering what designers and stores you shop at. For example, I love the dress you’re wearing in this video and the outfits in this photo shoot.
-danseuse

Why thanks. Cleaning up nice has been an acquired skill for me, so that means a lot! After seven years of being in front of people and having lots of pictures/video taken of me, I think I finally enjoy shopping…

My 2008 New Year’s resolution was to buy only used, sustainably made, and/or independently designed stuff to wear. It’s not always cheap*, but I’m trying to put my money where my values are — especially since my consumption is, well, a bit conspicuous.

Etsy is one of my favorite places to shop: everything is handmade, you can search by keywords, most things are entirely affordable, and often you can get clothing tailored to your measurements. The flower hairpins I wear onstage are by Katinka Pinka on Etsy.

The dresses in the Inland Territory photo shoot are:

Sweetheart dress in black/moss, Thieves by Sonja den Elzen (hemp/organic cotton)
Kali dress in cream, EcoChic by Meadow (bamboo/organic cotton)
Lily dress in majolica blue, EcoSkin (bamboo)

The belt on the Kali dress is handmade by Traceybelt on Etsy.

Some other favorite eco-friendly labels:

Stewart & Brown
Undesigned
Lav & Kush
Loomstate
Good Society

Favorite independent but not (yet) eco-friendly designers:
Trashy Diva
Vfish
Butter by Nadia (I spent all afternoon with a mechanical engineer friend playing with this dress when I got it. I think we managed to make pants out of it at one point.)

Being a good Chinese kid, I tend to wait until things are on sale before pouncing.

As for dress in the Gravity video, I actually don’t know where it came from. Stylist Stacey Rayburn pulled it from somewhere in L.A. and sent it north, along with some safety pins in case it didn’t quite fit (it didn’t), and the black gloves (which she made by hand). I’d always wanted an excuse to wear crinoline…

* except for the time I rummaged around in Amber Rubarth’s going-to-Goodwill pile. Jackpot! Amber can be my big sister any day.

What was the electronic looping device you used? (brand, model, etc.) Would love to get one to play with—gave you lots of flexibility in the show.

-bill

What is that beautiful shiny red keyboard you tour with now-a-days? I did enough investigative work to figure out it was a Nord something or other.
- roofboy179

Here’s the gear I use onstage these days:

Electro-Harmonix 2880 Stereo Multi-Track Looper

This is my favorite toy at the moment. There are a number of more popular looping pedals out there, including the Line 6 DL4 (also a delay modeler—Alex and Ward both have one in their setups) and the Digitech JamMan, but the EHX 2880 is perfect for me. It seems designed to be operated mostly by hand, not foot—a problem for guitarists, but great for a piano player who needs to see what she’s doing, and who’s unaccustomed to pushing switches with her left foot. It can record much longer loops than the DL4, and the unique 4-channel design allows you to fade loops in and out, features that make it possible to do songs like “The Last Snowfall” and “1br/1ba”. The Reverse feature is fun (been using it to create backwards piano loops for “Gravity” lately), and I’d like to try hooking it up in stereo so I can pan different loops to the right or left of the stage. Also would be fun to have multiple instruments/musicians going into it. It is missing play-once and last-time (i.e. stop after this go-round is over) buttons, but you can’t have everything, I guess.

TC Helicon VoiceTone harmonyM

Right now I’m just using this as a compact mic preamp so I can use the EHX 2880 with a microphone. Hooked up to a keyboard via MIDI, this thing becomes a spookily realistic vocal harmonizer (think Imogen Heap’s vocoder masterpiece “Hide And Seek”—not written on a harmonyM, but something similar). If we ever put “Radio” on the setlist I’ll unleash its full powers.

Nord Stage 88

Another fun instrument currently under-utilized in our set. I’m mostly using it as a substitute for a real Wurlitzer or Rhodes electric piano, occasionally employing the handy built-in effects/delay section. The Paper Raincoat, who borrow it a lot, take advantage of its keyboard split and synth features.

And in case you’re curious, Alex’s setup includes a Fat Congas Cuban bajo cajon, with a mic attached to the sound hole that runs to his effects pedals. (In other words, he’s not sitting on any ordinary box. Though “cajón” does mean “box.”)

[ Thanks to the authors of the YouTube videos linked above for taping the shows! ]

I’m writing this afternoon in a blind stumble. I’m combing through scraps in folders labeled “recycle bin” and “workdesk,” wondering why I thought I could come up with songs for a living. I’m no good at this. The disconnect between the thing that wants to be, that elusive might-as-well-call-it-a-soul wandering around looking for a body to live in, and my ability to take a lump of clay and give it arms and legs and set its chest rising and falling, blood circulating, so that the spirit might decide to take up residence there, flutter its eyes open, have a look around, and take off ambling over the hill—I’m staring at that gaping divide, clueless about how to proceed. I don’t know how this is done.

That’s half true. I’ve managed to do it before, which is knowledge of a sort. The steps in the process, the mechanical aspects, are straightforward enough. You have the twelve semitones of the Western music scale. You have certain instruments—things you hit, things you strum, things you bow and blow into, noises you generate with software. You have the form dictated by the average listener’s attention span: three to five minutes, repeated sections, various permutations of intro verse pre-chorus chorus bridge. With this toolkit you can assemble, model-airplane style, a perfectly serviceable song without too much thought or trouble. And like a model airplane it will sit there, flightless.

This tends to be when the clamor bursts in the door, conveniently. You need to write a hit song, every part catchy, infectious. You should be edgier. Cooler. More wry and ironic. You should be more direct, more sincere, cut it with the flowery metaphors. You should be more clever, more poetic. You should stop trying so damn hard. You should try harder. You should be living sleeping breathing music every single moment of the day or you shouldn’t call yourself a musician. You should know about all the music that’s popular right now. You’re hopelessly stuck in an earlier time. You should never think about what’s popular or current when you write, you’re going for timelessness. You should write what you feel and be unashamed of it. You should write what people want to hear or else keep it to yourself. Self-expression is for hobbyists. Self-expression is the only kind of art there is. You don’t make art. Who do you think you are?

Fortunately there’s knowledge of another sort: that this always happens. Also: staying busy works. So I just make things. One-minute fragments of music. Verses to be discarded later except for one line that I like. Long rambling paragraphs in ink pen in a spiral-bound notebook. Descriptions of what an idea sounds like in my head, some of them contradictory. I don’t know how this is done and I never have. Once I get over the anxiety of not knowing, it starts to get exciting. Of course it’s a mystery. Of course you can’t tell if what you’re doing is any good. That’s why I got into this kind of work—because it demands everything of you, every time, and it always takes you somewhere you haven’t yet thought to go.