Indiana-based folk-pop duo Lily & Madeleine will be performing in the Music City TOMORROW NIGHT! They were hanging out in Nashville the other day and I had the chance to chat with them about their new LP Fumes and their tour; Lily & Madeleine may seem like delicate flowers, but I can assure you, these ladies are no shrinking violets.
Eo8: You’ve recently released a new album, Fumes, through Asthmatic Kitty Records; have you been pleased with the reception it’s gotten so far?
L&M: It seems like a lot of people are still describing us as ‘sweet’ or ‘pleasant,’ and it’s getting really old! We’ve gotten a lot of very nice, thoughtful reviews so far, but some of them…it makes us wonder if they even listened to our music and just judged us on our appearance.
Eo8: It’s interesting that you say that; my favorite song on the album is “The Wolf Is Free.” It has a retro sound, which I love, and the video is like a fairy tale. It could easily be mistaken as a dreamy lullaby, but the lyrics are dark. What was the inspiration for it?
L&M: It is kind of lullaby- and fairy tale-like. The video is like Little Red Riding Hood but kind of inverted; instead of running away from the wolf, we are beckoning him to us. The video was really fun to make too, the director, Laurel Cohen, lives in Evanston, Illinois and she is truly incredible. We can see her being a well-known director someday.
Eo8: You’re currently on tour to support Fumes, and I was checking out your schedule and it’s really intense, with a show just about every day, especially on the European leg of the tour. How are you feeling about it all?
L&M: It’s going to be exhausting for sure. We were at home for a month and then in New York for a while for a press tour, and we are ready to get back to work. The longest tour we’ve done before now was only two weeks. We’re really excited to play NYC and excited to go to Germany. We’re really looking forward to playing Lincoln Hall in Chicago, because a lot of our friends and family will be at that one.
Eo8: Are there any of your songs in particular that you really enjoy performing more than the others?
L&M: I (Lily) really like performing “Blue Blades,” it’s fun and really different and it’s one of the first songs I really liked, regardless of the fact that I sing most of it. I (Madeleine) would say “Can’t Admit It” is another favorite. We are touring with an artist named Shannon Hayden, a cellist from Illinois, and she does this looping thing with her cello, it’s amazing.
Eo8: Is it difficult being in a band with your sister? Do you end up spending all of your time together?
L&M: We work all the time. Madeleine has her own place, but recently we’ve been spending all of our time together. We get asked that a lot; we don’t think there are any cons to being in a band with your sister.
Eo8: Are you always creating new music or is it difficult to find time to sit and write?
L&M: It’s definitely easier to write new material when we on tour, when stuff is happening in our lives.
Eo8: What is performing like for you?
L&M: When it’s a nice venue with good sound, it’s magical. It can be meditative, too. It depends a lot on the connection we form with the audience, if they’re really connected to us, we can draw from their energy. It can be exhausting sometimes, but it can also be really refreshing and reviving.
Eo8: Anything else I can share with my readers?
L&M: We are really excited to be on tour, and we are really excited to be back in Nashville. We’ve played The Stone Fox once before, and they have amazing food. The mac n’ cheese is dynamite. We really love that place.
Catch Lily & Madeleine with Shannon Hayden on November 12th at The Stone Fox…the show starts at 9:00 p.m. If you aren’t in the Nashville area, I bet you can catch them in your neighborhood soon.
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