First, a big thanks to Lucy Michelle of Lucy Michelle and the Velvet Lapelles for graciously answering my questions in my first-ever musician-interview. Her band has been gaining renown thanks to both her penetratingly beautiful voice and her band’s great instrumental quality (often including cellos for the win!). I’m super excited to see her in DC on October 27th – and with the band’s extensive tour going on now, I’d highly recommend looking for their stop near you.
1) What question do you wish interviewers would ask you?
Does your band need a place to crash tonight?
2) You’ve mentioned your day-job is teaching. Do you ever perform for your kids? If so, do they make a good audience? If not, do you wish you could perform for younger audiences or do you avoid it on purpose?
Actually starting in June of this year I began doing music full time, but I still occasionally sub and I have played for the students several times. It’s a great experience, they always get very excited and ask lots of questions, which I love. Adults don’t really do that, nor do they have that kind of energy. But I love playing for audiences of all ages, I learn so much when I play for people of all different ages.
3) If you could sum-up your style in three adjectives and one verb, what would they be?
Whimsical, raw, spontaneous, partying
4) What was your favorite part of growing up in Minneapolis?
I actually grew up in St.Paul, which I loved. I got to know St. Paul really well at a young age. My mom wasn’t one to hang out at home when I was little so we would explore the city and she’d take me everywhere: coffee shops, thrift stores, museums, antique stores, parks, friends’ houses. Both my parents are artistic people and they have some really wonderful friends whose houses I spent many of my formative years at, I remember their kids, their gardens and their endless creativity. It’s really hard for me to imagine living in a different place, because the twin cities have been such an inspiring place for me. Not just the location but also the people in it.
5) Does musical talent run in your family?
My great grandmother was a pianist for silent movies and my Grandfather builds and play banjos. My family also has a huge appreciation for music and musicians. I remember many a living room dance party.
6) If you could open for any band, which would it be?
Velvet Underground
7) What is your favorite song on the new album, Heat, and why?
I think Puget Sound is one of my favorites, when we play it live I tend get goosebumps. That song just vividly takes me back to the day my husband asked me to marry him.
Tour Dates:
Oct 17 – Chicago, IL @ Suterranean (w/HMBSMS)
Oct 18 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Tavern (w/HMBSMS)
Oct 19 – Toronto, ON @ Parts & Labour (w/HMBSMS)
Oct 20 – Buffalo, NY @ Mohawk Place (w/HMBSMS)
Oct 22 – Pawtucket, RI @ The Met (w/HMBSMS)
Oct 23 – Cambridge, MA @ Middle East Upstairs (w/HMBSMS)
Oct 24 – New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge (w/HMBSMS)
Oct 25 – Brooklyn, NY @ Knitting Factory (w/HMBSMS)
Oct 26 – Annapolis, MD @ Metropolitan Kitchen & Lounge (w/HMBSMS)
Oct 27 – Washington, DC @ DC 9 (w/HMBSMS)