Leif Vollebekk on the power of a Prince performance

Leif Vollebekk and Tapestry guest host Laurel Sprengelmeyer (aka Little Scream) each saw Prince live in a 2015 concert in Montreal - a show that had a lasting effect on them both.

Vollebekk was shortlisted for the 2017 Polaris Music Prize and is nominated for the 2018 Juno Award for Adult Alternative Album of the Year.  

He describes the concert as a moment where Prince conveyed his own belief in God through music, which Vollebekk says he found inspiring.  

Laurel Sprengelmeyer: What do you remember most about that experience?

Leif Vollebekk: Everything. It was amazing how good he was. I find that it's difficult to find words for such things. Like kind of regardless of whether you believe in anything or not, he did and it gave him the confidence. And he had absolute trust that he had God-given powers to make music, you know? And I'm not gonna say that is not true. And from that he had no doubt.

LS: There's something about a person's utter conviction that is just really compelling no matter whether you believe in, you know, what they're believing or not. I mean I don't have any hesitation in saying it was a spiritual type of experience for me, watching it.

LV: Like if I look back on my life moments that were very, like heightened. And, you know, a heightened experience which I think is also a religious experience. That's what it felt like. And then you go back to it and you often pull other lessons from it, you know, even later in your memory — like, "Oh that happened and that was something too that affected me." You know, it takes a long time to unfurl the coiled moments.

LS: Like when you think about those heightened kinds of moments, are there ways that you can describe what that feels like? Perhaps as a physical sensation or an emotional sensation.

It somehow connects every part of you. You're not separate. You're not thinking like, 'I'm thinking with my mind feeling with my heart moving with my body.'- Leif Vollebekk

LV:  Yeah, I would say so especially with music, obviously. Because you are feeling rhythm. I think that's what's wild is that you know my record is quite slow and has this very implied groove. But that's since been something that's changing my music, where because of that show. And I can't really think of that many other shows where it felt like that — where the groove was so strong that, yeah, it felt physical, as well as you know spiritual or whatever you want to say. Like it somehow connects every part of you. You're not separate. You're not thinking like, "I'm thinking with my mind feeling with my heart moving with my body." It's kind of like everything kind of becomes one and kind of feels fantastic

I am just talking about a guy playing piano ultimately but it just for some reason the whole point is that it didn't feel like that. It felt like you know more than the sum of its parts. It felt like complete music. It felt like an orchestra somehow. I think the audience somehow completes the show for him too. The word would be communion, you know, without it being too loaded a term hopefully. But that's what you feel. And I think that's what, you know, a good church service or like any sort of temple service is about, communion. And it's kind of what people like us are about.

You know we're not islands. We're not like, "You just stay over there I'll be like you know..." Even when we're completely isolated these days, we're on our phones trying to talk to each other. It's like, [you] can't get away from it..

LS: As performers you know we have shows that are good but they feel kind of ordinary. And then sometimes we have shows that feel like something special is going on and we experience that as audience members too. Sometimes a show's okay. Other times something magical happens.

So I know in your opinion, what is that mysterious element or alchemy that can make a performance transcendent?

The feeling of transcendence

LV: I think being completely present — for me anyway, it only ever happens if I give myself at least half an hour before the show and I just like don't think about anything else. Not necessarily not talk to anybody, but kind of, you know, just be quiet and kind of connect with whatever it is that it is you need to connect with before playing and just being absolutely present.

So to be in a place where you can give as much as you can, if not everything. Because you don't want to hold back because it's just a lesson you learn. If you hold back you just you're just upset. Like why did I drive seven hours to this town to hold back. It's crazy.

But what's really strange — and it's actually Richard Parry from Arcade Fire of all people that told me this — and it really helped me, but also confused me. But I think you know too. Like that feeling of transcendence, when you play a show of like having maybe touch something that felt good the whole time, sometimes doesn't translate to the audience and your bad show is the one where they are touched. 

And I've had that where I have had a bad show and that's the one that I'm getting more compliments on after the show where people are genuinely like I needed it, you know. And when I knock it out of the park in my own mind, I don't necessarily always get that. 

So it's almost like there is something else at play. It's all out of our control. You know it's out of everyone's hands and it's that place in the middle where you meet where the show happens and nobody controls that. Whether you think you have a good show or not, the place in the middle is nobody and everybody. 

I think that's what you feel at it at a good show. And I think you just had to put in the work and just be ready to like allow that space between the audience and the performer to be as welcoming and warm as possible.

I've had that where I have had a bad show and that's the one that I'm getting more compliments on after the show where people are genuinely like, 'I needed it.'- Leif Vollebekk

LS: That's a really good answer and I really appreciate your taking the time to share share with us. I wish you the best of luck in your nomination

LV: Thank you!

Leif Vollebekk's comments have been edited and condensed. To listen to the full interview, click on the audio link above. Click here for the latest news on the Junos.