The Songs of Joni Mitchell Tour Sit Down
Following a revered debut at The Roundhouse’s ‘In The Round’ Festival in April, ‘The Songs of Joni Mitchell’ will be performed in Bristol, Manchester and Glasgow in September 2024.
The show was conceived and curated by Lail Arad in celebration of Joni Mitchell’s 80th birthday. The success of the sold out Roundhouse show led to increased demand for further shows, leading to this newly announced UK tour.
The female-dominated line-up, all celebrated singer-songwriters in their own right, will perform intimate, stripped back interpretations of their favourite Joni Mitchell songs in a loving tribute to one of the greatest songwriters and musicians of all time.
Jesca Hoop, Lail Arad and Olivia Chaney, who all performed at the original Roundhouse show, will be joined by very special guests in each city: Rachael Daad & Julia Turner in Bristol, Josephine Oniyama in Manchester and Rachel Sermanni in Glasgow, as well as Gigi Williams, a 2024 Roundhouse resident artist, on all dates.
With vocals and lyrics boldly at the forefront, ‘The Songs of Joni Mitchell’ showcases the magnitude of Joni's repertoire through the new generation of artists she continues to inspire. Ahead of the tour Lail and Jesca spent some time with us to talk about the tour and their ability to bring their tribute to Joni Mitchell to further audiences around the country.
After the success of the show at the Roundhouse back in April, you’re taking it around the country in September, but starting with the initial show which you put together Lail, did the venue come to you looking to do a Joni Mitchell celebration or had you pitched the show to somebody over there?
“I guess I pitched the idea to them. I literally noticed one day that Joni Mitchell was seventy-nine and thought oh, when is she turning eighty? Then I saw that she was turning eighty in the same month which I was turning forty and that seemed very serendipitous to me that she would be exactly double my age and it would be something to celebrate. I started with small ambitions and asked some good friends where everyone was immediately very excited because of course, all singer-songwriters want to sing Joni Mitchell. I quickly realised that it could be a very magical event and I approached the Roundhouse, who had the idea of maybe doing it as part of their festival where it turns their round house into a much more intimate space and was very suited to the idea that I had of a stripped back evening, putting the songs, the songwriting and the voices as the focus, without a big house band like tributes often do. Then it really rolled on from there.” (L)
So, it clearly went really well to the extent that you are going to be doing it three more times in some different places.
“Then hopefully many more too.” (L)
“It did sell out and sell out rather quickly, didn’t it Lail?” (J)
“It did, of course it did because a lot of the people on the lineup are so wonderful, that they would have sold it out themselves but it was a combination of all of those people and Joni Mitchell. I’m happy that people wanted to come and see it, then mostly happy that people enjoyed it so much both on and off stage. It was a really special one and I think it would have live on as this amazing memory but it’s quite nice that it’s now got a life of it’s own and we get to keep working with the material, evolving it and doing it again.” (L)
I guess that with Joni having such a back catalogue to dive into, playing more shows gives you the scope to explore sharing even more of her songs across multiple venues where you can look to play with even more songs.
“Yes, everyone did two songs at the Roundhouse and I think everyone had a hard time choosing because there are so many fantastic songs, then now partly because there are less people, some of us are doing more songs which is exciting. The fact that there are guests changing for each city means that each show will have a slightly different setlist which is really fun. Jesca is very good at picking her repertoire, you can say but I feel that you are very considered in which ones will suit you.” (L)
“I think Joni is very singular in her strengths, she’s like a workhorse, she’s incredibly strong as a singer and strong as a writer, that’s what I mean by workhorse. She’s like an Olympian in a way and you have to know what material of hers that you can pull off, not that you have to do it the same way that she does it but your voice and your fingers have to be able to manage, you have to be able to adapt or manage it within your own skillset so it’s a challenge.” (J)
“Actually, both in attempting to perform songs and in curating the show, everybody is an artist and a songwriter in their own right so I wanted people to bring their own interpretations rather than try and fail to replicate what Joni does because no one can as she is so incredible in every aspect of what she does. So, it really is about choosing carefully and making it your own.” (L)
On Joni herself, could you both share a little of where your initial connection to her as an artist and a songwriter really first came from?
“I was brought up on her music so I guess I heard her songs even before I was born and then really rediscovered her for myself in my pre-teens, when I declared myself a hippy and listened to all of my parents records. The first song that I ever sung in front of an audience was “Big Yellow Taxi”, which was at a school camp and without going into the full story, kind of an accident where people were like you know all of the words and can sing. To be honest since then, I’ve been singing Joni Mitchell, so it’s kind of all her fault that I went this way and did music, so for me she was never not there really.” (L)
The show was conceived and curated by Lail Arad in celebration of Joni Mitchell’s 80th birthday. The success of the sold out Roundhouse show led to increased demand for further shows, leading to this newly announced UK tour.
The female-dominated line-up, all celebrated singer-songwriters in their own right, will perform intimate, stripped back interpretations of their favourite Joni Mitchell songs in a loving tribute to one of the greatest songwriters and musicians of all time.
Jesca Hoop, Lail Arad and Olivia Chaney, who all performed at the original Roundhouse show, will be joined by very special guests in each city: Rachael Daad & Julia Turner in Bristol, Josephine Oniyama in Manchester and Rachel Sermanni in Glasgow, as well as Gigi Williams, a 2024 Roundhouse resident artist, on all dates.
With vocals and lyrics boldly at the forefront, ‘The Songs of Joni Mitchell’ showcases the magnitude of Joni's repertoire through the new generation of artists she continues to inspire. Ahead of the tour Lail and Jesca spent some time with us to talk about the tour and their ability to bring their tribute to Joni Mitchell to further audiences around the country.
After the success of the show at the Roundhouse back in April, you’re taking it around the country in September, but starting with the initial show which you put together Lail, did the venue come to you looking to do a Joni Mitchell celebration or had you pitched the show to somebody over there?
“I guess I pitched the idea to them. I literally noticed one day that Joni Mitchell was seventy-nine and thought oh, when is she turning eighty? Then I saw that she was turning eighty in the same month which I was turning forty and that seemed very serendipitous to me that she would be exactly double my age and it would be something to celebrate. I started with small ambitions and asked some good friends where everyone was immediately very excited because of course, all singer-songwriters want to sing Joni Mitchell. I quickly realised that it could be a very magical event and I approached the Roundhouse, who had the idea of maybe doing it as part of their festival where it turns their round house into a much more intimate space and was very suited to the idea that I had of a stripped back evening, putting the songs, the songwriting and the voices as the focus, without a big house band like tributes often do. Then it really rolled on from there.” (L)
So, it clearly went really well to the extent that you are going to be doing it three more times in some different places.
“Then hopefully many more too.” (L)
“It did sell out and sell out rather quickly, didn’t it Lail?” (J)
“It did, of course it did because a lot of the people on the lineup are so wonderful, that they would have sold it out themselves but it was a combination of all of those people and Joni Mitchell. I’m happy that people wanted to come and see it, then mostly happy that people enjoyed it so much both on and off stage. It was a really special one and I think it would have live on as this amazing memory but it’s quite nice that it’s now got a life of it’s own and we get to keep working with the material, evolving it and doing it again.” (L)
I guess that with Joni having such a back catalogue to dive into, playing more shows gives you the scope to explore sharing even more of her songs across multiple venues where you can look to play with even more songs.
“Yes, everyone did two songs at the Roundhouse and I think everyone had a hard time choosing because there are so many fantastic songs, then now partly because there are less people, some of us are doing more songs which is exciting. The fact that there are guests changing for each city means that each show will have a slightly different setlist which is really fun. Jesca is very good at picking her repertoire, you can say but I feel that you are very considered in which ones will suit you.” (L)
“I think Joni is very singular in her strengths, she’s like a workhorse, she’s incredibly strong as a singer and strong as a writer, that’s what I mean by workhorse. She’s like an Olympian in a way and you have to know what material of hers that you can pull off, not that you have to do it the same way that she does it but your voice and your fingers have to be able to manage, you have to be able to adapt or manage it within your own skillset so it’s a challenge.” (J)
“Actually, both in attempting to perform songs and in curating the show, everybody is an artist and a songwriter in their own right so I wanted people to bring their own interpretations rather than try and fail to replicate what Joni does because no one can as she is so incredible in every aspect of what she does. So, it really is about choosing carefully and making it your own.” (L)
On Joni herself, could you both share a little of where your initial connection to her as an artist and a songwriter really first came from?
“I was brought up on her music so I guess I heard her songs even before I was born and then really rediscovered her for myself in my pre-teens, when I declared myself a hippy and listened to all of my parents records. The first song that I ever sung in front of an audience was “Big Yellow Taxi”, which was at a school camp and without going into the full story, kind of an accident where people were like you know all of the words and can sing. To be honest since then, I’ve been singing Joni Mitchell, so it’s kind of all her fault that I went this way and did music, so for me she was never not there really.” (L)
“It’s a similar story with me and I did profess myself a hippy at a certain point. I no longer take the label but I did give it to myself at one point. Joni was there from childhood through my dad’s record collection, my mother didn’t listen to her, I think she was too square but my dad listened to Joni Mitchell. He had ‘Clouds’ and ‘Ladies of the Canyon’ so it was kind of a shallow introduction where only two of the records were available to me but then I found ‘Song to a Seagull’ in one of my adopted homes. When I moved out of my family home, I kind of adopted this other family and I was housesitting for them out in the countryside. I discovered ‘Song to a Seagull’ in this house that was nestled in the redwoods and the mist would roll through, so the kind of setting that you would imagine Joni’s songs being written in. When I first heard that record in this very tactile, romantic setting, I was thinking that this album was so well developed from her earlier records that I had listened to before only to learn that ‘Song for a Seagull’ was her first work and be surprised at how fully developed she was straight out of the gate. From there I formed my own relationship with her and she really became a constant companion for the isolation that comes with leaving your family home and then choosing family in the world, in those moments of feeling alone and isolated, she really filled the gaps as you are travelling and exploring where you might land because she is such a traveller herself. She really suits that independent part of your life for a woman especially because she really speaks to your independence as a woman and the discoverer so she filled a very big void for a very long time and I return to her constantly.“ (J)
That’s one of the nice things about doing shows in the round, you both shared your story of how you were inspired by Joni Mitchell then particularly like Jesca talked about identifying with the traveller and the discovery, where people in the audience will have their own stories of how they relate to her not just musically but also celebrate her accomplishments not just as a performer and a songwriter.
“She’s lived an incredibly dynamic and full life. She is eighty years old and the different seasons of her life are really full on, her childhood, the travel that she made from Saskatchewan to Los Angeles and on to new York etcetera, etcetera, to all of these different places and the relationships that she’s gone through. Her fame, her highs and lows with her career, nearly losing her life twice and being on deaths door twice, so she’s a real survivor and defender of her own life with an unusual and unparallelled story. Not just her music but her life is also something to celebrate.“ (J)
That’s one of the nice things about doing shows in the round, you both shared your story of how you were inspired by Joni Mitchell then particularly like Jesca talked about identifying with the traveller and the discovery, where people in the audience will have their own stories of how they relate to her not just musically but also celebrate her accomplishments not just as a performer and a songwriter.
“She’s lived an incredibly dynamic and full life. She is eighty years old and the different seasons of her life are really full on, her childhood, the travel that she made from Saskatchewan to Los Angeles and on to new York etcetera, etcetera, to all of these different places and the relationships that she’s gone through. Her fame, her highs and lows with her career, nearly losing her life twice and being on deaths door twice, so she’s a real survivor and defender of her own life with an unusual and unparallelled story. Not just her music but her life is also something to celebrate.“ (J)
The show heads to Bristol, Manchester and Glasgow, where it’s the two of you along with Olivia Channey at each of the shows, then you have guests joining you across the three shows, is that right?
“Yes that’s right and also Gigi Williams will be at all three shows and then we have guests in each city.” (L)
How did you piece together your cast for who would join you at the shows and also going back to the Roundhouse show, did you know other people who Joni Mitchell had influenced, is there like a support group or something ha ha, that you were all a part of?
“It’s quite hard to find a singer-songwriter who isn’t. My main criteria was that everyone performing was a real fan of Joni Mitchell’s and it was surprisingly easy to put someone’s name plus Joni Mitchell into Google and find a cover that they have done or an interview where they have said that this album means a lot to them. That was important to me because I didn’t want anything to feel random and I think that is largely why it felt so special because it did mean so much to everybody performing and in the audience. Also, as I said before it was who could handle Joni but can make it interesting and as she has such a range of music in her career, it was important to find someone who wanted to showcase all of those eras. I was just thinking about it when Jesca was saying that she was a companion, I think any way that music brings you back to the place where you discover any album that you fall in love with but especially with her. There is something about them that is so sensual and creates such a physical connection to that place or atmosphere. In terms of the tour, it’s a tour so I wish we could have taken the entire show with us and the whole Roundhouse choir who performed in the first show. We do have a choir though at the Bristol show which is Rachael Daad’s choir but it is an on the road version.“ (L)
Then if it continues to be a success with these three shows, could it be something which you would look to do every year to celebrate Joni Mitchell’s birthday?
“I hope so and hope that some people from the original cast list can rejoin us along with some new people as well to keep it very dynamic.” (L)
UK Tour Dates
Sat 21 Sep Bristol St Georges w/ Rachael Daad & Julia Turner
Sun 22 Sep Manchester RNCM Theatre w/ Josephine Oniyama
Mon 23 Sep Glasgow Old Fruitmarket w/ Rachel Sermanni
“Yes that’s right and also Gigi Williams will be at all three shows and then we have guests in each city.” (L)
How did you piece together your cast for who would join you at the shows and also going back to the Roundhouse show, did you know other people who Joni Mitchell had influenced, is there like a support group or something ha ha, that you were all a part of?
“It’s quite hard to find a singer-songwriter who isn’t. My main criteria was that everyone performing was a real fan of Joni Mitchell’s and it was surprisingly easy to put someone’s name plus Joni Mitchell into Google and find a cover that they have done or an interview where they have said that this album means a lot to them. That was important to me because I didn’t want anything to feel random and I think that is largely why it felt so special because it did mean so much to everybody performing and in the audience. Also, as I said before it was who could handle Joni but can make it interesting and as she has such a range of music in her career, it was important to find someone who wanted to showcase all of those eras. I was just thinking about it when Jesca was saying that she was a companion, I think any way that music brings you back to the place where you discover any album that you fall in love with but especially with her. There is something about them that is so sensual and creates such a physical connection to that place or atmosphere. In terms of the tour, it’s a tour so I wish we could have taken the entire show with us and the whole Roundhouse choir who performed in the first show. We do have a choir though at the Bristol show which is Rachael Daad’s choir but it is an on the road version.“ (L)
Then if it continues to be a success with these three shows, could it be something which you would look to do every year to celebrate Joni Mitchell’s birthday?
“I hope so and hope that some people from the original cast list can rejoin us along with some new people as well to keep it very dynamic.” (L)
UK Tour Dates
Sat 21 Sep Bristol St Georges w/ Rachael Daad & Julia Turner
Sun 22 Sep Manchester RNCM Theatre w/ Josephine Oniyama
Mon 23 Sep Glasgow Old Fruitmarket w/ Rachel Sermanni