PicoBlog

When I think of who the most impressive person I know is, Sierra Lundy comes first to mind. There are so many points I could raise to back this up (like when she casually qualified for the Boston Marathon the other week after running her first marathon, entirely on her own), and I’ve actually been quite intimidated at the thought of writing this intro. How can I possibly convey just how wonderful, bright, strange, creative, and striking this person is? While nothing I say can fully encapsulate her essence, I can certainly try.

Sierra is the textbook definition of a muse. She is inspirational and exceptional in every way. When I met one of her childhood friends at her birthday party a couple years ago, I asked her what Sierra was like when she was younger. ‘She excelled in everything she did.’ That checked out with what I knew of her at the time, and as I spend more time with her, I’m learning how accurate this statement still is. One of my favourite stories she told me was of her getting fired from her hotel cleaning job one summer because she obsessively cleaned a room for 4 hours until it was literally sparkling clean. When Sierra does something, she does it damn well.

When I first met Sierra, I loved her immediately. Not only because I literally couldn’t take my eyes off her, or because she’s hilarious, and cool, and tells the best stories from her all but ordinary childhood, but also because she’s a gem of a human. She is kind, and humble and diverts the attention away from herself and onto you, always making you feel important and interesting.

We’ve been trying to nail down a good time to do this interview and shoot for a while. Between her constant tour dates and my work schedule, we kept missing each other, until earlier this month, we took a trip to Salt Spring Island to shoot with Jordie Hennigar, at her childhood home. In true Ra fashion, things got a little weird. I really love all those gorgeous photos, and I hope you do too!

39 (mostly) rapid-fire questions with Sierra Lundy.

What time do you wake up? Is it different on the weekends?
My schedule is all over the place. If I’m on tour, I’m at the mercy of the drive ahead of us each day, so I get up when I have to. But if travel and jet leg don’t have their say in the matter, around 8:00 am.

First thing you do in the mornings?
The only morning consistency I have is coffee, so my mind always wanders to the nearest cup—which is just down the street if I’m in Victoria. I’ve been doing the old Swiss water decaf for almost two years now, but because there is still a touch of caffeine, I need a cup before functioning.

Do you hit snooze?
If i’m alone, no. I don’t trust myself with snooze.

Are you a morning or evening shower-er?
Morning, unless I’m dealing with my hair — it takes about six hours to dry naturally, so I wash it in the evenings when I don’t have to go anywhere.

How do you typically spend a day off?
Working on art, going for long runs, getting a beer somewhere with sun, or if it’s during the week, bothering my friends who also have flexible work schedules.

What’s on your bedside table?
A glass of water, Burt's Bees lip balm, a book (often Murakami, Vonnegut or Tom Robbins), and a silk eye mask.

What’s the story behind your home and how long have you lived there?
Home is a bit of a loose term for me these days. I bounce a lot from place to place, and consider many different houses my home. Somehow my family and friends have been okay with this so far haha. But the place that contains most of my belongings is a space me and my partner Jon have been in since the day I finished fashion school, seven years ago. We didn’t even know each other that well, but my lease was up in Vancouver, so I moved straight in off the ferry after the last class.

Favourite room in your house?
The living room in my childhood home that my dad built. It has a giant stone fire place, high ceilings supported by thick, wooden beams, hardwood floors that have seen a lot of dancing and spilt paint, a tiny firewood door, my piano that’s been getting a bit creaky in its old age, and a big glass window looking out at a cherry tree that I used to climb in the back yard. My dad somehow acquired on old street lamp from somewhere, which hangs from the wall over a stained glass window looking into the dining room. I don’t know how he got his hands on things like this, but apparently it was the first street lamp in Ganges on Salt Spring Island where I was born and raised.

What are a few favourite things that you cherish in your home and why?
I found a pink, André Courrèges shift dress from the 60s that I bought for 7 dollars from a thrift store — he’s one of my favourite designers, and it’s proof that I actually learned something in fashion school, because I seemed to be the only one in the room who knew what the craftsmanship of that dress was worth. Second would be a beautiful maple wood desk that Jon snuck into the room one day, with a simple design, slick and strong surface, and lots of drawer space for all my art crap. It allows me to create without destroying the floors. My keyboard, because it’s where my music comes from. And my sister’s paintings, because they are phenomenal and strange and I feel so privileged to have them.

Where do you find / shop for home decor?
I like finding unique pieces that have stories on their surfaces and appear to have a life of their own. I get them from various consignment places, but I can’t say I’ve done much home decor shopping apart from the essentials at this point.

Vintage or new?
I’d say vintage if the functionality and quality is still there. Or at least tastefully used.

3 things that are always in your kitchen?
Me and kitchens don’t have the most compatible relationships… I’m a bit of a liability when it comes to remembering to turn the elements off. But I always have a milk frother, a stovetop mocha espresso maker (hence the bad relationships), and a latte-style ceramic cup my sister gave me — no sharp edges.

Favourite kitchen utensil / gadget?
Fire extinguisher.

Briefly summarize your food philosophy.
I was actually bouncing some of these questions off my friend Sara, and she answered ‘comfort and safety’ to another question. I accidentally wrote it down in this section, but I think it actually works and I kind of love it.

Your go-to, no fail recipe?
Salad rolls. But, go-to someone else’s kitchen and seeing what’s there is probably a safer option. 

Favourite meal growing up?
Alphagetti soup, or my grandma’s clam chowder without the clams.

Any supplements you take / witchy elixirs you swear by?
If I could remember to take things, I would definitely invest in some vitamins… but somehow it just doesn’t happen for me. I do love the odd Salt Spring Moonshine Mama’s elixir, or some fancy drink at Nourish.

Skin on or off potatoes / yams?
On.

Cilantro. Love it or hate it?
Love that shit.

Coffee or tea?
Decaf coffee… one of the hardest transitions I’ve ever put myself through.

Fav local cup?
For Good Measure in James Bay (it used to be called Niagara Grocery) — they brew Mile Zero coffee, and many of the staff feel like family at this point.

Your ordering take out. What do you get?
Sushi.

Favourite local restaurant?
The Drake! For food, I’d say Green Cuisine, Charlotte and the Quail (sister to Nourish), and Nori if up-island counts as local.

Describe your personal style / style philosophy.
My style fluctuates with my moods. I guess my philosophy is wearing whatever I feel most like myself in at each given time of the day. Most often I lean towards pieces that are interesting and maybe a bit questionable rather than attractive or trendy.

Your three wardrobe staples, go…
Paloma wool for the stage usually, and my slightly haggard Ariat boots that went from black to green over the years. I live in Lululemon align joggers or comfy high waisted pants (Rolla), Girlfriend Collective bras, and a good baggy sweater while traveling. My vintage Cats sweater (the musical) gets high priority.

What qualities do you look for in your friends?
Insightful, real, humorous, adventurous, motivated, openminded, trustworthy, interesting and interested.

What’s one trend you're currently loving and hoping to stay for the long haul?
I loved when exposed Edison bulbs became popular hanging light fixtures. I’m not sure if they’ve gone out of style already, but I still love the effect and hope those guys stick around.

You decide to treat yourself. How do you indulge?
I get a tasty coffee and go thrift shopping. I also recently bought myself a Theragun device because I’m scared of masseuses but love massages.

What’s the one thing you’re willing to spend more money on?
Local goods and consignment designer clothes. I have a ton of respect for strategically-designed and well-made garments that will last a long time.

Keys to productivity?
My ADHD medication. Actually though, it can be tough to have a flexible schedule without a fixed routine, and I get distracted easily. So I often book time out of town to do writing retreats with structured to-do lists. It’s easier to self discipline when you don’t have anyone or anything else in the room to answer to.

This time last year, I wish I knew…
My dad passed away out of the blue a year and a bit ago, and it took a lot to learn how to live with that grief. It would have been comforting to have known that it was going to get better, and that it’s possible to be happy with a broken heart — and to love just as strongly with one, if not more so. But I think the journey of learning is the richest part of any lesson, so I’m glad I had to live it to digest it.

One place in the world you’re dying to visit?
My grave. Sorry, I had to. Greece or Egypt… and I’m also very curious about Kyrgyzstan and all the other ‘stans’ in general.

What’s a movie you’ve seen in the last 6 months that left the biggest impact on you?
Il Sorpasso directed by Dino Risi, or Bicycle Thieves by Vittorio De Sica (had a bit of an Italian classics kick while touring over there last year).

Guilty pleasure?
Bars, fucking with people, watching funny cat videos and national anthem fails.

Song currently on repeat?
“Concrete Schoolyard” by Jurassic 5, and “Across The Hall” by my pal Jeremie Albino

Favourite form of movement / exercise?
Dancing, running and biking.

If you could rename yourself, what name would you choose?
Skeletor. That was a joke, no offence to all the Skeletors out there. I actually don’t think I would. My friends call me ‘ra’ and that feels right.

Tell me a bit about what you do.
I play keys and sing with my partner in a duo called Ocie Elliott. I also do illustrations for a few local magazines and other painting and drawing commissions on the side.

What’s a typical work day look
On tour: wake up between 6:00-8:00 am, go on a 10-15km run, try to snag a cafe coffee before check out (or I force down brutal hotel coffee if it’s a small and sad town in the States), train or drive in a tour van to the next city, wait around and snack on our hospitality goodies, sound check, go back to the hotel for a nap or wait around the venue for many hours until showtime. Sometimes we go out and sign records and meet people afterwards, sometimes they’re pre-signed and we crack a beer backstage instead. Have another beer, load out, and get to our hotel quite late.

Outside of tour: it’s a play-it-by-ear sort of situation. Work can come at me at any time of the day, whether it’s dealing with album art, doing interviews, meetings with our team, tending to the slightly taxing life of social media, photoshoots, filming live songs in our car, writing, recording, listening to mixes, etc.

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