Rock N' Roll Fun, with Ella Boissonnault

Above: Ella at Myrtle's opening night. Photo: Melody Matters

Ella Boissonnault is a guitarist and songwriter whose current project, Lady Pills, has performed just about everywhere—from DIY basement shows to SXSW; from Boston’s (soon returning!) Great Scott to Lollapalooza. Boissonnault’s songs—packed with fuzzy guitars, catchy hooks, and a kind of Butchies-era vibe—explore grief and loss as a means to foster strength and acceptance. Lady Pills’ upcoming LP, Renowned in the Roaring Twenties, won’t be out until spring 2025, but you can preview the album’s intro track BN2B, which recently dropped on Bandcamp.

TW: Hello, Ella! You got any good road stories?

EB: One time on tour we crashed with some dude we met at a show in the Midwest. We drove out into the middle of nowhere to get to his house and it turned out he collected bones, and built skeletons with said bones that were on display all over his house. He was reading to us from his books about bones and we didn't have cell service…the vibe was super wonky. We slept in shifts to make sure nothing weird happened! Thankfully, it didn't! Objectively, that could be a cool hobby, but I definitely made some ridiculous choices—like staying there—when I was younger that I would never make now.

TW: Searching for a Bone Iver joke here but failing…let’s just move on to the new record.

EB: My new record is my best work. I cannot fucking wait for this thing to be out in the world. I challenged myself on this album and grew so much both musically, lyrically, production wise etc. I am really proud of myself for not compromising or taking shortcuts and now this one has turned out exactly the way I envisioned it. It feels like I cleared a plot of land and built myself a shed from scratch or something.

TW: Very cool! And how’d you link up with Babe City records a while back, when Despite came out? We assumed it would have been on a Boston label.

EB: I grew up in DC! So we played a basement show with this great band Den-Mate and got to chatting with them and I think by the end of the night we had verbally agreed to the release. 

Above: Artwork for the new Lady Pills' record, Renowned in the Roaring Twenties. Photo credit: Sophie Adams.

TW: Many artists we’ve spoken to here cite how expensive rent, gear, touring, etc are these days. How are you affording a life in which music and touring get prioritized?

EB: Struggling! I don't make shit from my music but I am lucky that it manages to sustain itself in tiny ways. I haven't had to pay out of pocket for recording but I squirrel away everything we make from shows. Since I moved to PVD I've been working multiple jobs and taking on odd gigs wherever I can. Right now I am actually starting grad school in September and I am so excited. I'm studying acupuncture and I have this dream of opening an affordable sliding-scale traveling clinic to treat artists, musicians, and dancers because so many of us have tons of overuse injuries and no health insurance. So I'm about to go into a stupid amount of debt but I feel really stoked to be learning again and doing something I am really enthusiastic about.

TW: You’re liking Providence so far?

EB: I moved a little over two years ago and had always thought of Providence as an amazing, creative hub and a magical food city. Both have turned out to be even more true than I expected.

Above: Ella's dad, crushing it.

TW: Do you have other practices around health and well being that relate back to music making?

EB: I think cooking is a big one. I love to cook for anyone who will let me! It is so fun to assemble colors, textures and flavors in a creative way. It's pretty similar to music production I think. You shove all of these separate things together and it creates one enjoyable experience. Exercise is big, too. I love doing slow movements with weights. It totally clears my head and gets me into my body. 

I also love my app-blocker. I try to spend lots of time away from my phone, especially if it's songwriting time so that I don't get distracted. But the biggest one is sleep. I love my sleep. It's a whole routine now to go to bed and I have gotten kind of obsessive about getting the best sleep I can so I can wake up early and be productive.

TW: Do you write in your sleep?

EB: Not in my sleep, but definitely when I'm trying to go to sleep. I hear music being composed or played in my head when I'm trying to fall asleep. I have a ridiculous folder of voice memos on my phone of me whisper-singing melodies and lyrics.

TW: How’s it working for you in the studio?

EB: I am lucky to be able to have the process that I do. I have a really close working relationship with Sean McLaughlin (37' productions) where we work a lot of shit out just the two of us. Some songs I have a fully produced version of in my head, but others take a long time. We usually have sessions once or twice a month, so there is a ton of space to process and reflect on what's been done. It's like watering a plant and seeing it slowly come to life and bloom into what it is supposed to be. 

TW: There’s this WBUR article...the photos have a kind of Kate Bush energy. And the My Weight video has playful, choreographed dancing. Could you speak a bit about the visual / imaged side of your work?

EB: Dancing is just a fun hobby for me. I grew up in the ballet world; there were many holiday seasons where I was Clara in The Nutcracker and it was something I seriously wanted to pursue as a career before I pivoted to music. In terms of image, I know it has fluctuated a ton as I have gotten older. It's a really tricky thing to navigate; we all know that the algorithm will pick up a face but not a show flyer. I have a really difficult relationship to all of it because lots of it is furthering misogyny, appeal, branding etc. but I have to engage with it to some extent. So I just try to do it in a way that feels like me. I think about all the ways that social media fucked me up when I was younger relating to body image, so I try to represent myself, my personality and what is real, even if that's a morning I haven't brushed my teeth or gotten dressed yet.

Above: Ella with Robbie Wulfsohn (of the band Ripe) in front of the console at 37'.

TW: Sort of related—while DC and Boston are places with thriving, progressive DIY scenes, this interviewer recalls there being a lot of misogyny. Not just in the capital I Industry, but smaller clubs, basement shows…Is that a dated view now? What’s your experience been?

EB: It was very much that way when I was in college and living there. Lots of shitty remarks, expecting I don't know my gear or I don't play an instrument, intimidation, reduction, etc. I don't think that's a dated view. I think there is a lot more dialogue around these subjects, but the behaviors have not gone away. There's just a bigger chance that people will believe you, listen to you, and give a shit in some places. I think it's dangerous to say that things are better just because there’s more rhetoric. But I'm not shitting on the Bostonians, here...I was one for a long time and have a soft spot in my heart for New England culture. Misogyny is an issue everywhere.

TW: Your DC years...what was growing up like?

EB: I think growing up is weird for everyone! I have always been really close with my family and I have very creative people for parents. My dad was in a band through college so he taught me to play guitar and I definitely aspired to be cool like that as a kid. My mom does human rights and environmental work so there was always a sense of social responsibility and knowing that you are part of a bigger picture in my household. My brain had a hard time giving a shit about the mundane day-to-day like school drama. Normal teen stuff, I think. I was definitely an outlier throughout school and I had a hard time connecting with other kids because they were talking about fashion trends and I was freaking out about pollution. I also didn't really know anyone who was interested in music the way I was until I found a community outside of my high school. Lots of open mics, learning about DIY gigging, and just being around other creative people helped a lot and I found my footing.

TW: The early gigs you played...what were the spots? 

EB: Nova/DC area. The Lab, Epicure Cafe, Busboys and Poets. Some house shows in DC and also out in the burbs like Springfield, VA. 

TW: Across your touring career, or just generally, what’s the most distant land you’ve traveled to?

EB: Probably Kazakhstan. My mom traveled a lot for work and would take me with her to various places in Central Asia if I wasn't in school. I want to say I was five, and we stayed there for a little over a month. My strongest memory was the community. Everything was very tight-knit and everyone pitched in to make shit work. It is very opposite from individualism in US culture. People relate to their neighbors, their land, their food and their environment so differently than most people do here and that was a pretty powerful thing to participate in as a kid.

Above: Ella with her mom in St. Petersberg, Russia. Circa 2007.

TW: Between that and touring, it sounds like you’re pretty solid with a map.

EB: I've really worked on my sense of direction! I'm kind of infamous for insisting on taking detours either via car or foot; insisting that I know where we are going and that I'm not lost. I have definitely been late to shows because I brought everyone on a quick little eight-mile hike in the wrong direction...and now we are lost...and don't have service...and have to wait until we run into someone else who hopefully knows where the fuck we are!

TW: Is that a metaphorical hike or, you’re into nature?

EB: Big time. I grew up backpacking with my parents a lot. Hiking, nature, and the outdoors are huge places of grounding for me. I crave them if I don't fit it in enough. The White Mountains are my go-to! It is a magical terrain up there, especially if you're able to stay in one of the huts.

TW: Your dad taught you guitar...when did you first write something on your own?

EB: The first song I vividly remember writing was when I was 15. I had my first heavy experience with grief around this time. I understood things and people were finite, but I didn't understand what it meant to process loss. I had been playing guitar, learning covers and dabbling with songwriting for years, but for some reason this one is my strongest memory. I wrote a song called ghosts. I think it was the first song I wrote that wasn't about having a crush or playing in the sunshine—those big pre-teen thoughts that are still so relevant lol—and I think I realized how powerful music could be. I wasn't writing for anyone or with the intention of performing, but I learned how to lean on art to process shit and to make sense of things. I think it was the first time music really registered as an outlet. Once I had that in my tool belt, it kind of took over and I got super into lyric-writing. I always loved reading and playing with language, so songwriting went pretty hand-in-hand with that.

Above: Ella. Photo by Sophie Adams

TW: And now that you are writing for others, with audience in mind, how has that impacted your process?

EB: I think a lot of my songs speak to people and their experiences in a way that I hope brings visibility and provides support. There are definitely universal themes in my work. I've gotten a lot of DMs from people who are a lot younger expressing that they now know it is okay to be angry about shit, to be loud about shit, to be yourself, take up space, etc. and that they really relate to the stuff I'm singing, writing, and yelling about. It makes me happy that my songs can give that support and assurance. I learned a lot about who I am and what I stand for through the art and music I was exposed to when I was younger, so I'm stoked to be a part of that tapestry for someone else.

TW: Thinking about grief and loss—are there any works you’ve found particularly meaningful? 

EB: The Many Daughters of Afong Moy by Jamie Ford. My friend Maya lent me this book. It's about generational trauma and healing. It is absolutely gorgeous! I don't think a book has ever made me cry so hard—tears of both sadness and joy—in my life. I think it should be required reading for everyone. 

I have been on a huge Louise Erdrich kick. My grandmother gifted me her entire collection and I've slowly been making my way through. Everything she writes is amazing, but I would start with The Sentence.

TW: Thanks for this chat, Ella. Any parting thoughts?

EB: Keep an eye out for the record! Singles are dropping! Shit is happening!