Lillie Lemon

There’s music in every corner of Lillie Lemon’s new Seaside dwelling, which she shares with her collaborator and fellow music savant Eric Wobbles. One of the rooms is more like a home laboratory of sound than a bedroom: keyboards, synths, amps, miles of speaker cord and a shiny white digital theremin crowd in with purpose and precision.

Usually performance gear clutters the living room, but was moved to Lemon’s van in preparation for a gig. A box of “props” on the floor awaits a video shoot. Among the artifacts: a modified Buck Rogers toy handgun and wearable windmill blades. The video, featuring a pair of pilots rebuilding their plane after a crash, is for “Stardust,” an epic and cataclysmic tune off Lemon’s forthcoming record brak (pronounced break).

The Wisconsin native’s introspective full-length debut is an 11-track journey that is sad – tragic, even – and beautiful. In the opener “Ode to the Best Ones” uptempo, mid-’80s pop disguises a theme of heartache and loss, which sets the album’s recurring motif into action.

“Everyone has known heartbreak,” Lemon says.

While /brak/ could be considered a downer conceptually, it’s invigorating musically and spiritually. The haunting “Give Up the Ghost” is driven by a fresh industrial backbeat – a Wobbles’ original – that stands up to Nine Inch Nails at their Pretty Hate Machine-best. Just when you were eager to hear Lemon’s voice without any electronic smoke and mirrors, the stripped down tearjerker “Still My Heart” refreshingly opens with just Lemon’s vocals and piano. And as far as hooks go, “Harrow Driver” delivers one so good, you think you’ve heard it before. The words are also strong, yet non-specific enough to empathize with: “We both feel the fear of falling.”

“Partner” songs add depth with a story song delivered from a female perspective followed by another song relaying the same tale from a male point of view.

In April, Lemon and Wobbles are heading out on their longest and first semi-countrywide tour, which lasts 18 days and hits everywhere from Salt Lake City and Denver to Des Moines and Lemon’s beloved alma mater, Lakeland College in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. - Monterey County Weekly

Stylish on the outside, a little dark on the inside – that’s what comes to mind when you first hear Lillie Lemon and their EP, Aether.

The duo, consisting of Lillie Lemon, herself and co-conspirator, multi-instrumentalist, and musical genius, Erica Wobbles, are heading out on a 9 month tour in promotion of their new EP, bringing the good news to clubs and college campuses everywhere like Jehovah’s Witnesses with synthesisers.

Superficially, it’s bubbly and fun – the kind of electro-pop you’d expect to hear coming out of somewhere the sun always shines and people drink champagne cocktails for breakfast. But like the great state of California, where Lillie Lemon sets ‘California Drifting’, there’s something brewing below the surface. There’s lyrical craftsmanship here the likes of which you only find in the most wry of singer-songwriters; that’s if you choose to read into it. You could be forgiven for taking the electronic soundscape at face value, but I feel there’s something more rewarding just below the surface, like all the greatest dark comedies. Who knows, maybe I’m reading too much into the hypothetical geographical divide. Maybe it’s just supposed to be fun.

On second thoughts, after listening to ‘Burning Bridges’, I think I can be fairly confident in that previous assertion. Musically, it’s as upbeat as ‘California Drifting’; it’s the same audio equivalents of 80s glitzy rollerblades, swimsuits that cover literally nothing, pink neon, and Hawaiian shirts with white pants. However, where the opening track of the EP had scope for interpretation, ‘Burning Bridges’ is as plain as the face on your face. If you were to play an acoustic version of ‘Burning Bridges’ and blow the shit out of a harmonica in vaguely the right key, you might convince me this was a 1960s protest song by everyone’s favourite Pulitzer recipient. But it still works. It’s a lemon of a song; not in the sense that it’ll break down the moment you pull out of the lot, but it’s shiny and vibrant on the outside, but meaty and sour once you get your teeth in it.

It’s the sort of EP you’re not likely to hear anywhere else, or at least not often. Lillie Lemon have cemented themselves in my mind, for one, as something special. In a world where everyone is trying their hand at making wub wub David Guetta featuring Chris Brown music and foregoing meaningful content in favour of auto-tuning and a generation of disappointing drops, Lillie Lemon stands out to me. They prove without a doubt in my mind that you don’t have to ditch style for substance or vice versa; all boxes have been ticked with a hot pink marker.

To all of our two U.S.-based readers, (Hi Garreth. Hi Jean), you can catch up with Lillie and her collaborator and partner in crime, Mr Wobbles, basically anywhere stateside on their tour between now and September, taking in ‘Alaska to Vermont, to the most southern parts of Texas and everywhere in-between’ (except for you, Nebraska; you don’t get a date). A full list of dates are supplied on their site and you can check out Lillie Lemon in all the usual places. - Pure M

The juxtaposition of a bright, synthetic sound paired with dark, impactful lyrics is just one reason singer-songwriter Lillie Lemon enjoys creating electronic music with her producer and keyboardist Erica Wobbles.

Based in Monterey, California, the indie electro-pop duo -- known by Lemon's full name -- incorporates both styles into its live show. Lemon's sullen songwriting style, which if combined with an acoustic guitar or piano becomes "one long sad cry fest," suddenly reaches new depths thanks to the electronic sounds produced by Wobbles. This is where Lillie Lemon shines.

"You have a variety of emotions that are really easy to attach the track to, without being overbearing," said Lemon, during a phone interview. "And I really like that. I like getting people into dancing and then have them slowly start to realize the track isn't super upbeat."

It also allows the duo the freedom to experiment with their sound and try out new ideas and methods. They've been doing so for about three years now. Now in the middle of a long tour, Lillie Lemon will perform its next show Tuesday (April 12) at the Sioux City Conservatory of Music.

Staying in the Midwest is nothing new for Lemon, who hails from Sheboygan, Wisconsin. She lived in the city on the shore of Lake Michigan for about four years. "Which is pretty much the longest I've lived in any one place," said the 28-year-old singer. "I definitely call that home."

Born in southern California, Lemon found herself moving with her family from state to state quite often -- she lived in Idaho and Illinois for some time as well. Lemon moved to Monterey in 2010 where she eventually met her future collaborator, Wobbles, through the open mic scene.

She broke off from her acoustic roots and decided to work toward "something better."

"I probably started writing songs in 2008 or 2009, and I really didn't like to play guitar -- I wasn't really good at it and I didn't really have a desire to improve," said Lemon. "But it was a way to express my music. It was never something I was attached to doing."

Lemon had almost no exposure to electronic music. Meeting Wobbles changed that. But her songwriting remained largely the same. Brooding themes and dark humor can be found in many of the band's songs.

One of Lillie Lemon's singles, "California Drifting," is about a huge earthquake that divides the state from the rest of North America. Stark and somber topics make for excellent Lillie Lemon tracks.

"It's not like super happy fun times," said Lemon with a laugh. "I've got a song about the Civil War called 'Burning Bridges' and I've got a lot of songs that are basically extended metaphors of really bad relationships."

Paired alongside the upbeat music, the lyrics still manage to shine through -- though maybe not right away.

Through live shows, the duo integrates looping and processing techniques. After Lemon ditched the acoustic guitar, she adopted the TC-Helicon VoiceLive Touch 2, which allows her to layer her voice and add live harmonies during performances. This tool alone gives Lemon a variety of things to do.

Most important, it's a ton of fun.

"We've written a couple songs together using that thing," said Lemon. "It's definitely a conveyor for songwriting. It's a whole new way of singing about song structure and rhythm and stuff. You have to be on tempo; you can't fake your way through it too much."

The looping and processing also adds a "building drama" to Lillie Lemon's songs. Tracks keep on building and building into a huge crescendo. Looping can become a component to the chorus of a song, adding layers of depth -- an element that is sometimes missing in some of today's pop songs. But that all boils down to the quality of the songwriting, which Lemon is never willing to compromise in order to make a "hit."

"You can make a pop song and still have good lyrics," said Lemon. "It can be done." - Sioux City Journal

It’s been an exciting couple of months for Lillie Lemon.

The emotionally charged singer/songwriter and her stoic bandmate, keyboardist Erica Wobbles, have been lining up a steady stream of local gigs. Their song “California Drifting” was featured on NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest page — you can be sure they’re crossing their fingers for a win when results are announced Feb. 12. And they ran a successful online fundraising campaign through Indiegogo for their new 11-track album of original songs, “brak.” An album release party is set for Feb. 28 at Monterey Church on Alvarado Street in Monterey.

Lemon, who turns 27 on Feb. 10, and Wobbles, 23, play electro-pop with a dark, twisty, jazzy sound. Lemon’s songs are packed with emotion, drawn from personal loss and harsh Midwestern winters.

“My emotions are really palatable: You can sense it, taste it and they are edible,” Lemon said.

“Lillie’s a very emotional person and that’s a good thing,” Wobbles said. “She cries during movies, gets wrapped up in things a lot. I’d rather be the person who gets wrapped up in it — you’re living life.”

In an interview before things really started cooking, Lemon exuded energy and regularly burst into song. She often finished Wobbles’ sentences, a testament both to his calm, subdued personality and to their ease with each other. The dynamic — funky and outgoing, quiet but confident — works well for them.

The two joined forces in 2011 after playing weekly open mic nights at the now-defunct Alternative Café in Seaside.

“It wasn’t until I let him take the reins on the album that he really noticed the depth of content in my tunes and the potential for some powerful production,” Lemon said. “He liked me during open mics because I gave him a lot of free reign over what he played. We meshed well that way.”

Lemon grew up in Wisconsin. The climate, with its brutal winters, became a common thread in her songs, and she found inspiration in the seasons and people’s ability “to push through these months of absolute misery.”

“The way they enjoy life in Wisconsin is so different than people in California, which I didn’t realize till I moved out here,” she said. “It kind of forces you to accept a life that isn’t ideal because you know that it’s going to turn around for a little while in June and July. ‘Please let’s get to June, the month it won’t snow.’”

Lemon and Wobbles have varying musical backgrounds. Lemon sang in choirs growing up and Wobbles is classically trained on the viola and bassoon.

“I got an associate of music when I was a teenager and when I was 18 I started playing in rock bands,” Wobbles said. “I was a professional bassoon player but it was not fun. No one’s like, ‘Hey, do bassoon.’

“I started playing in all these other bands. A lot of creative stuff was not happening for me. With Lillie, I create music.”

The two are very different in how they approach music.

“For me I don’t analyze lyrics as much as Lillie does. She can hear songs and identify what the lyrics mean,” Wobbles said. “I hear a song and don’t remember how the lyrics go. I hear the harmony, chords, instrumentation.”

Wobbles and Lemon are quite fond of a song called “Harrow Driver,” inspired by a poem Lemon wrote. A harrow driver is a piece of farming equipment used to till up all that is alive in the soil. True to her influences, seasons play a role: “Now I trudge along straight through December, I wanted to wait for you/ But I am tired here and spring is coming, I’ll carry on without you.”

“The songwriting is the best on the album on that song,” Wobbles said. “It doesn’t follow a cookie-cutter formula. It reads like a letter. The chorus is different every time and it doesn’t repeat. It tells the most powerful story.”

Now that the album is funded and a release date set, Lemon wants to go on tour. A trip back home to the Midwest is already planned. Lemon, whose day job is as an operations assistant at the Naval Postgraduate School’s department of National Security Affairs, is confident her boss will let her chase her dream.

“I sent him a track; it made him cry, it was so beautiful.”

Said Wobbles: “Albums are great, but my heart and soul is in the live performance. Even though our album is really acoustic, I’m not drawn to doing acoustic sounds live. There’s no manual for what I’m doing. I’m making it all up. That’s where my heart is.”

Lemon and Wobbles were joined on the album by guitarist Michael Glines and multi-instrumentalist Dylan Stokes. The release concert Feb. 28 starts with a pre-party hosted by Alvarado Street Brewery and Grill with Valley Soul and Vincent & Trevor of Moses Nose.

For more on Lemon, see www.lillielemon.com. - The Monterey Herald

Electronic music often caters to a sizable, yet admittedly niche audience. However, one group out of Monterey California strives to take electronic out of the rave and into the retirement home. (Well maybe not that far.) Lillie Lemon and her cohort Erica Wobbles bring singer-songwriter sensibilities to electronic music and will set up their multi-synth act at The Haul in Grants Pass Sat., August 13.

“We’ve been told we’re electronic music for people who don’t love electronic music,” says Lemon. “A lot of our fan base is in the 40s to 50s age-range. They like it for the songwriting. Then we have a lot of college-age people who like us because it’s something you can dance to. These different age-groups draw different interest from what we do.”

It’s clear to see why Lemon’s music is enjoyed by such a broad range of music lovers. At first listen, it may take a moment to adjust to this unorthodox approach to electronic, but the result is an endearing soundtrack-esque blend of voice and synth. The palpable whimsy in each track is likely the result of the group’s lighthearted, laissez-faire approach to writing.

“I feel like my songwriting is so unintentional,” says Lemon. “I don’t look at in terms of ‘I’m going to write a song about sadness or depression or something.’ I don’t sit down that way. I usually sit down with a keyboard or guitar and words just come pouring out once I develop some chords I enjoy. It’s completely subconscious.”

Wobble’s echoes this sentiment, taking a pictorial approach when writing the accompaniments to Lemon’s lyrics.

“I don’t know if it’s anything I could put into words, at least not consciously,” says Wobbles. “I try to figure out what the lyrics are trying to say. Like “Sinking” is kind of a water song, like we are sinking in water, at least that’s the metaphor. So I tried to implement the sound of a fog horn. You know a fog horn, in the distance. Or sounds that invoke the sense of water drops, or muffled sounds like being underwater. Some of it’s not intentional and just kinda happened that way.”

Unintentional or not the group stumbled on a delightful formula. At the end of the day, Lemon and Wobbles want to make palatable music that can be understood by many, whilst simultaneously abstaining from compromise.

“To be true to myself I need to do what I want to do,” says Wobbles. “And the people who maybe just want an electronic beat in the background to do drugs, won’t be into that. It’s really my job to pander to everybody or meet everybody’s preference.”

“That being said,” chimes in Lemon. “We’re not saying that people who DO do that won’t enjoy us as well.” - The Rogue Valley Messenger

Jessica Lillie, a 2010 graduate of Lakeland College, returns home on April 10 to play a show as part of her Great Midwest Tour, which showcases songs from her new album.

It was only fitting for Lillie, who is known by her stage name Lillie Lemon, to share her work with Lakeland College.Many of the tracks were written on campus and inspired by her experiences as a student.

“Lakeland has always felt like home to me. It was also the place where I began writing my own songs, so coming back with my full setup seemed like an easy decision,” Lillie said. “The album was partially crowdsourced, and a vast majority of it was funded by people I met as a student at Lakeland, so it only seemed natural that I should have a show debuting these tracks to the people that supported me the most.”

Lillie is an indie electro-pop singer-songwriter who studied writing at Lakeland College.

“Everything about the campus gives me the feeling of being at home. I’m really looking forward to seeing old friends and professors that taught me so much—not just in class but outside of it as well,” Lillie said. “This is the place where I learned to love and live alone, and where I grew into the person I was supposed to be; I can’t wait to bring back the gifts I developed while I was there.”

According to Lillie, some of her greatest adventures at the college took place outside of the classroom, including spending hours in Fessler Professor of Creative Writing Karl Elder’s office listening to stories, working summers as a resident assistant with Director of Residence Life Jim Bajczyk, “jamming” with fellow musicians Professor of Sociology Alan Mock and Associate Professor of History Rick Dodgson and even hitting a deer on the drive home from a concert with Instructor of Japanese Jen Siebert.

Additionally, her time as editor-in-chief of the Mirror created many memories of late-night fun at work and chats with former advisor Martha Schott and fellow staff members.

“Nothing prepared me for leading a band better than taking on leadership roles with the Lakeland Mirror,” Lillie said. “With the Mirror, there is tons of troubleshooting that has to be done under high-pressure deadlines.”

Aside from her music, Lillie currently works for the department of National Security Affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School in Montrey, Calif.She believes writing majors have endless career opportunities.

When it comes to aspiring musicians, Lillie advises that the music industry is rapidly changing. It is no longer a requirement to move to a large city in order to be discovered. With Youtube and social media, Lillie believes musicians must take marketing into their own hands.

“Scouts aren’t looking for talent—they’re looking to see that you already have a fanbase, a draw to your music. Endless social media is the lifeblood of new artists,” Lillie said. “Finally, I feel that I should warn you—it doesn’t get easier. The workload will not decrease, but that’s why you got into this, right? To work your hands raw and your face bloody for what you love.

“You’re going to feel broken or unsuccessful, probably for a long time. Hold on to those moments of brightness—there’s 45 minutes of pleasure for every 10 hours of pain in this business, but if you love it—truly love it—you know it’s worth it.”

Lillie’s concert will take place outside the Pub at 8 p.m. on April 10 and is sponsored by The Mirror through the Student Activities Foundation. - The Lakeland Mirror

Listen: The Sweet and Sour Electro-pop of Lillie Lemon


When you are rolling out a batch of vegan cheesesteak where the cheese is made up of a sweet potato concoction an adequate soundtrack is a must. My recommendation...a little bit of Aether: https://soundcloud.com/lillielemon/01-lillie-lemon-california

One of the more minute, but no less key, ingredients in the sweet potato cheese is lemon juice. What better way to celebrate that sour fruit than with its musician namesake Lillie Lemon? Lillie Lemon is an electro-pop duo out of Monterey, CA. Musically and vocally speaking, their new EP Aether sounds more sweet than sour. It is like sunshine and memories and cute little pissing teddy bears that come with their own potties. But if you delve into the lyrics, Lillie Lemon is dealing with some topics that are anything but birthday cake and unicorns. It all starts at the top as the opener, "California Drifting (the Fault Breaks)," takes a look at the future of the great state of California once the fault breaks. Spoiler alert: it morphs into an island and all the out of touch actors and actresses immediately are swallowed up by the ocean (I took the liberty of adding that second part). As depressing as this song could sound in the wrong hands, Lillie Lemon makes the disintegrating US coastline sound so pleasant and poppy.

Next up on Aether is the track "Sinking." This track takes the approach of an East Coast mobster, attaching concrete cinder blocks to the bottom of a person's feet and tossing them out to sea. Don't f**k with me or I'll sink your ass (but I'll sing about it in the nicest way possible). Okay, so I'm painting more of a sinking out of anger picture when the more appropriate one would be thematically depressing. It's less I'll sink your ass if you f*** with me and more of an if you f*** me and love me and befriend me, I'll bring you down. I'm like those cinder blocks on your feet, I'm going down and I'll drag you along. Since "Sinking" hasn't been released as a single, I'm not at liberty to post it here, just know that it is a good one.

After skipping a track, we move on to the fourth and final one on Aether, "Burning Bridges (Cinder and Dust)." This song is about exactly what it sounds like....taking some fuel and fire and lighting up a bridge. Lillie Lemon has their reasons: people are suffering and divided. Bringing down the bridges will idealogically ease some of their pain. Burning is a chance to start over and rise from the ashes like a human version of a phoenix. The track, and probably the entire EP, can best be summed up by the enchanting ending of "Burning Bridges (Cinder and Dust)." Here, over a psychedelic mishmash of electro-pop sounds, the band repeatedly sings, "All fall down to cinder and dust, with luck it will." Lillie Lemon seems to recognize that the future, the current state of human relationships and the perception of oneself may be bleak but their is no reason the music has to follow suit. They also seem to recognize that it isn't too late to start over and begin again.

Here's the radio edit of "Burning Bridges" (which cuts out that enchanting ending that is so necessary to sum up the EP): https://soundcloud.com/lillielemon/02-lillie-lemon-burning - Write.Click.Cook.Listen

Originally an acoustic project, the Monterey, California duo of Lillie Lemon and Erica Wobbles decided to focus on a more electropop-oriented sound, which resulted in the album /brāk/, which came out early this year. They have a new EP called Aether in the works, and they’ve just released one of its tracks, “California Drifting”, as a new single, which you can hear below.

“This track was inspired by my innate fear of earthquakes,” says Wisconsin native Lemon. “Long before I lived in California, earthquakes and tsunamis were a part of the undercurrent of my mind, my fear only existing in dreams. For this track, we sampled some true deep-sea earthquake recordings of an earthquake, sounds which are reflected in the timbales and other percussion.” - Pop Matters

Monterey, CA-based synth pop duo Lillie Lemon – comprised of Lillie Lemon (songwriter/vocals) and Erica Wobbles (keys, rhythm, production) – has been producing music that just WORKS. Everything about it is catchy and wondrous, and we’ve got the fun music video for their latest single “Burning Bridges” so you can get a little peak into what we’re talking about!

Shot exquisitely, the video starts as our protagonists wake up on a beach. Lemon looks completely confused as it cuts to a shot of them performing the song in and around the bed they woke up in. Footage of them trying to move the bed along the beach, carrying the birdcage they woke up with, and then waking up naked in that bed in front of a truck.

Basically it’s a video about a traveling bed. It’s pretty entertaining, especially with the synth mastery and Lemon’s beautiful, ethereal voice to carry it along. But the song itself has a more historical base to it.

“Our recently released EP, Aether, features synth pop landscapes drawn around four stories of heroic acts ending in failure,” elaborates Lemon. “‘Burning Bridges’ tells the forgotten story of the East Tennessee bridge burnings which took place during the Civil War. The Union conspiracy at Lick Creek was a failed adventure in rebellion and patriotic sacrifice, and I was moved by their heroism in the face of terrible odds.”

Keep up with the band and find out when to catch them on tour here. - Impose Magazine

Monterey, California electro-pop duo Lillie Lemon, comprised of Lillie Lemon and Erica Wobbles, are gearing up to release their new EP Aether. Today we’ve got the exclusive premiere of their new song “Burning Bridges.” The song pops and shines with addicting energy and strong hooks.

In their own words: This track was inspired by the East Tennessee bridge burnings of the Civil War. It’s a tragic story about the futility of the burnings themselves, and how so many families metaphorically burned bridges between one another during that time in our history.

Stream the track below and be sure to follow Lillie Lemon online for more leading up to the release of Aether. - Groundsounds

Lillie Lemon is an indie electro-pop duo based in Monterey, California (Lillie Lemon – songwriting, vocals and Erica Wobbles – keys, rhythm, and production). Their instrumentation utilizes primarily synthesizers and vocals and are fueled by a unique hybrid of acoustic and electric sounds. Lillie Lemon hails from the great Midwest, the land of long winters and short summers. She began her musical life on the shores of Lake Michigan in the dead of winter. Her songwriting is heavily influenced by the flux of the seasons, often substantial in lyrical content and dense in sound. Settling in Monterey, Lillie attached herself to the local music scene.

Erica Wobbles and Lillie Lemon crossed paths in Monterey, CA, where their vastly different musical influences created a combination of strong songwriting with tantalizing pop-synth compositions. Wobbles boasts a history in classical training and instrumentation alongside a self-taught love of synthesizers and electronic music. Lemon holds a degree in Creative Writing and has been a prolific writer for as long as she’s been able to hold a pencil.

Aether is an EP about the four elements and their disastrous side-effects. Earthquakes, drownings, and astronauts lost in space all play a part in bringing the darker side of this upbeat-sounding EP to life. Producer and musician Erica Wobbles is known for his electronic influences and wide variety of keys-related instrumentation. - New Millennium Music

A creative and imaginative video for a really fine song and a pleasure to have first showing here on Beehive Candy.

So here's the low down on Monterey-based, alternative electro-pop duo, Lillie Lemon.

The group is comprised of Lillie Lemon (vocals/synthesiser) and Erica Wobbles (synthesiser/production).

Originally from Wisconsin, Lillie Lemon moved to California, where she then met Erica Wobbles. Though the pair began performing small open-mic shows together, it wasn’t until years later that the decision to collaborate came to fruition.

Their first album, entitled ​ /brāk/, ​was a turning point for the duo, shifting from Lillie Lemon’s acoustic style into a more electronic sound. According to Lillie Lemon,​ “Stardust” is about a relationship gone awry that tragically ends in a car accident.

This is a really fine electro-pop song. Lillie's voice just seems so right for this type of music, which is in my opinion, pretty good in it's own right. Hopefully this gets much wider attention, as I have said before if the Top 40's of today were full of songs of this calibre, just imagine how great radio would be again. There is more about Lillie Lemon on their website. - Beehive Candy

Following the release of their most recent EP, the very promising Aether, Monterey, CA-based duo Lillie Lemon set about bringing their inspired brand of synth-pop directly to the masses. Entirely self-plotted, Lillie Lemon are currently in the midst of an expansive US tour as the road warriors will hit just about everywhere, man.
Examining some hard truths in the complexities of what it is to be human, Lillie Lemon’s aesthetic works as darker themes are juxtaposed against a huge, upbeat sound.

From coffee shops to colleges and from Arkansas to Alaska, the duo of Lille Lemon (songwriting/vocals) and Erica Wobbles (keys/rhythm/production) are out conquering the US one stop at a time.

We caught up with Lillie Lemon and sent them the SIMGE Survey to learn a little bit more about what makes them, well, them. Check out the band’s responses, stream Aether cut “California Dreaming” and catch Lillie Lemon out on tour in a city near you.

Check out survey answers on this webpage: http://speakimge.com/simge-survey-lillie-lemon/ - Speak Into My Good Eye

By Scott MacClelland

MONTEREY SONGWRITER Lillie Lemon launches her next national tour this Friday evening at Pierce Ranch Vineyards tasting room on Wave Street in Monterey. The gig gets underway at 8pm. It’s the first of 19 shows booked so far, from California through the Southwest and Texas, then up through the Midwest, though that number may actually double before she returns home. “We’ll be gone until July at least,” she told me. “We’re planning to hit the East Coast for the first time in May and June.”

Lemon and her partner, known by the stage name Erica Wobbles, are an indie electro-pop duo that uses synthesizers with live vocal looping and processing. If you’re new to this rapidly expanding technology, click the first of the two videos below, California Drifting, to watch and hear the two at work building a track. They say Lemon’s songs and Wobbles’ electronics “build crescendos and a unique hybrid of acoustic and electric sounds.” (Bass drop ‘wobble’ is a characteristic in electronic and dubstep music.)


She and he bring their distinctive talents together in a contrasting but complementary partnership. Hers are writing songs, singing, designing costumes and booking gigs. His are a deep background in music training, including classical, making instrumental arrangements of her songs and a mastery of contemporary musical electronics. They both have a keen eye for what’s possible. She calls their work together “experimental and wildly gratifying.”

In the photos and ‘official’ video of Stardust—the second video below—Lemon wears windmill blades on her back. They’re symbolic of her Midwest origins where, as she says, her songs are “heavily influenced by the flux of the seasons and often substantial in lyrical content.” Though born in Southern California, her memories of growing up were formed in Idaho, Illinois and Wisconsin. “I was a writing major in college, with an emphasis on creative fiction,” she says. “I found myself writing post-apocalyptic stories.” That’s when she started writing songs. “I picked up a buddy’s guitar, learned some chords and wrote badly.” She graduated from Lakeland College in Sheboygan in 2010.

“When you’re writing fiction you have to write many drafts,” she says. “Song writing and fiction are opposite. I sit at the piano or pick up my guitar. The lyrics are very spontaneous.” For song lyrics, “I do very little editing.” She counts on Erica—Eric Rowe—to give her songs musical form and shape. “I do reaching. He does production.” She adds, “I’m a vessel for the kind of music that he wants to create. He’s really into synthesizers. I had all these bare-bone songs.”

After college, Lemon flirted with joining the Peace Corps, but it wasn’t a good fit at the time. Still she wanted to provide service and instead joined AmeriCorps. With California Dreamin’ in the back of her mind, and despite being terrified of earthquakes, she arrived in Salinas as a literacy tutor. “I actually wrote California Drifting before I came here.”

Lillie Lemon and Erica Wobbles began working together in 2013. So far they’ve produced two full albums and a shorter EP (extended play.) “They cover a lot of genres,” says Lemon. Wobbles adds, “The CD comes with a booklet. Each song has its own page, with lyrics or a journal entry, in a literary format.”

Lemon says, “Working that closely with someone, hours every day, woodshedding music, chipping away, we found we were like-minded about stuff. It’s a really good partnership.”

Lemon and Wobbles put a premium on production values, both in music and appearance. “I don’t play guitar on stage anymore,” Lemon says. “I sing and play a little vocal synthesizer.” While working for the NSA at Monterey’s Naval Postgraduate School she did a lot of calendar bookings. “But it was trial and error to find out how to do it for booking our gigs. It’s gotten a lot more natural. I think we sound and appear skilled at making a strong first impression. My stage presence has changed a little. The more we played the more comfortable I became.”

Wobbles—Eric—comes from a music-loving family on the Monterey Peninsula. “My parents raised me in music.” Growing up he played viola and bassoon and piano. “Around 18 I joined my first band. I got by on my good ear.” He studied music theory with John Anderson and Sal Ferrantelli and piano with Barney Hulse at Monterey Peninsula College. “I got better on the keyboard, then that band dissolved when I was 20.” That’s when he went pro, with cover bands, in night clubs, churches and weddings. “I was a young kid in a band of professional musicians who were 20 years older.” Once he got into electronica, “I wanted to play my own music. For a while I was playing a lot of other people’s music that I didn’t want to play.” Computer technology was also a big part of his early years. “I grew up with computers. My dad taught me how to do electrical work and I did a lot of programming. I couldn’t do this music if I wasn’t computer literate.” (His parents run a box-office ticketing business with a worldwide clientele.)

Now full time musicians, when they are not touring, Rowe plays locally acoustic piano at a church and/or directs a choir. “Lillie and I could tour with just an acoustic piano but it’s not what makes us unique.” Exactly. They are ramping up and expanding. Lemon says they have their sights set on touring Europe. - Performing Arts Monterey Bay

Lillie Lemon - /Brāk/
Release date: February 28, 2015

Lillie Lemon delivers a sunny, acoustic-pop album that, with a few extra electronic flourishes, could easily find itself on Top 40 radio. Don’t get me wrong, Lillie, I’m not suggesting you go that route. I’m simply trying to highlight the fact that these songs have amazing pop sensibility.

What is most striking about Lillie’s lovely soprano voice is how happy she sounds even singing about heartbreak and loss. The juxtaposition hits hard. On Stardust she sings, “The blood runs down my face / I try to wipe it from my eyes,” as though she’s describing petting her favorite kitten.

Elsewhere, on the beautiful piano ballad, Still My Heart, you will immediately think of Ben Folds Five. And is doesn’t take long for you to be certain that the comparison is apt because two minutes into the song Lillie brings along one of her male friends to sing a few verses and he is a dead-ringer for Ben.

To sample more of Lillie’s traditional pop skills check out I Refuse, which drips with trip-hop electronic drums and bass, while still holding its piano acoustic based beneath the accoutrements—a lovely mix of modern and traditional. - Evolvement Radio

Monterey, CA-based synth-pop duo, Lillie Lemon, recently kicked off their expansive US tour for their latest EP, Aether. Bringing their music to the masses, the nine-month stretch of shows was plotted completely by the band.

The band started as the solo recording project of Lillie Lemon (songwriting/vocals) on the shores of Lake Michigan. While pursuing a degree in Creative Writing, Lemon relocated to the sunny bay of Monterey, CA. It was there, in 2011, that Lemon crossed paths with Erica Wobbles (keys/rhythm/production), a classically trained instrumentalist with a self-taught understanding of synthesizers and electronic music. After seeing each other at several open mic nights, Lemon and Wobbles decided to collaborate and found they creatively complimented one another. Together, the two combine acoustic instrumentation with electro-pop production, crafting soundscapes in line with contemporary acts such as CHVRCHES and Passion Pit.

Lillie Lemon calls the duo’s music “self-deprecating synth-pop with a dark sense of humor and upbeat sounding dance tunes.” The group’s lyrical content centers around the current state of human existence and a raw examination of the flaws of oneself.

Lillie Lemon is currently on their third major tour with plans for 150 performances over 9 months. - Music Emissions

Lucas interviews Lillie Lemon and Erica Wobbles live in the studio before their show at Dickson Street Pub! They talk Pokemon, Alaska, and more in this exclusive interview. Some slight technical difficulties toward the beginning but on the whole one of our favorite interviews so far this year!

Listen here: http://kxua.uark.edu/2016/07/18/lillie-lemon-in-the-studio/ - KXUA 88.3FM

There's nothing sour about Lillie Lemon. She and producer Erica Wobbles feature the reddish yellowish browns of a quietly rambunctious autumn season in their latest LP. The duo has the ability to encourage you to believe in whimsical fantasy and child-like merriment once again. Lillie Lemon offers brutally honest yet conceptually driven pieces that have already begun percolating around the internet.

The opposing musical backgrounds of Lillie Lemon herself and her producer create an immediately contrasting sound, but we think you'll be surprised by just how colorful a pallet of alternative electro-pop they've crafted. We were given the chance to inquire about the origins of their outgoing variations, some major musical influences, and some of the method behind the musical madness.

There's a striking variance in instrumentation and style between tracks like "Stardust" and "Harrow Driver" for instance. What are some stylistic influences that have led to such a colorful record?

Lillie Lemon: This album was intended to be a bit of a concept album which explores loss in the most painful step in the process of grieving: denial. Because grief can be such a kaleidoscope of emotions, I was strongly averse to underplaying the variety of ways in which we express denial. "Stardust" and "Harrow Driver" are partner songs that tell the same story from two emotional states. "Stardust" is quite a lot more aggressive than "Harrow Driver..." angry, even; meanwhile, "Harrow Driver" takes a more sensitive route.

Stylistically, producer Erica Wobbles and I have very different backgrounds. He's influenced by music in the electronic spectrum, especially groups like Passion Pit, Chromeo, Daft Punk, and Chvrches. I come from a more indie-acoustic background, and bands like the Mountain Goats, San Fermin, and The Tallest Man on Earth have a big influence on me. We were able to harness our different influences to create an album with a lot of variety that I think communicates our message pretty well.

You've somehow managed to paint vividly illustrative pictures of stories that are familiarly relatable yet paradoxically distant, most notably in "Harrow Driver." Is lyrical relatability actively on your agenda in this new record?

Lillie Lemon: I do recognize that my lyrics can be vague and sometimes hard to connect to. Songwriting has always been a very personal, private experience for me, so opening up tracks to a wider audience has been a challenge. I think "Harrow Driver" is a good example of this... the situation is very specific, yet the raw emotion of the track is easy to connect to. My attempt to get our audience to connect with the tracks a bit more takes the form of a companion booklet inside the physical copy of the album. Rather than just lyrics, the insert also includes glimpses into journal entries and letters that widen the lens of the tracks a bit. It's my way of asking forgiveness, I suppose, for being so cryptic at times.

How might you describe the creative writing thought process for a song like "Stardust", with its Daft Punk-esque vibes and electronic loops as compared to an acoustically driven song like "Stay Here?"

Lillie Lemon: The writing process for the majority of the tracks is surprisingly similar; I sit down with my guitar, strum a bit, and words find their way into the song. It's often very much a stream-of-consciousness experience. There's very little editing when it comes to lyrics for the most part; the first drafts of verses rarely experience major overhauls.

"Stardust" started out quite slow in comparison to its final configuration, whereas "Stay Here" remained relatively true to its original character. I knew "Stay Here" had to have a bit of a country flavor, so songwriter and country artist Casey Frazier found himself on board as guest producer. "Stay Here" wound up being a bit of an anchor track when Erica Wobbles picked up the album, giving us a nice reference to the acoustic feel most of the tracks display. I was craving that dichotomy on the album, so when more electronic tracks like "Stardust" and "Give Up the Ghost" started taking form during the production process, we were all pretty excited. - Baeble Music

FOR SUCH A CHARMING ELECTROPOP TRACK, A WHOLE LOT OF FEAR AND DREAD FUELLED ITS COMPOSITION.

Originally an acoustic project, the Monterey, California duo of Lillie Lemon and Erica Wobbles decided to focus on a more electropop-oriented sound, which resulted in the album /brāk/, which came out early this year. They have a new EP called Aether in the works, and they’ve just released one of its tracks, “California Drifting”, as a new single, which you can hear below.

“This track was inspired by my innate fear of earthquakes,” says Wisconsin native Lemon. “Long before I lived in California, earthquakes and tsunamis were a part of the undercurrent of my mind, my fear only existing in dreams. For this track, we sampled some true deep-sea earthquake recordings of an earthquake, sounds which are reflected in the timbales and other percussion.” - Popmatters

Performing as an electro-pop duo, Lillie Lemon’s music is fueled by dense synthesizers and processed vocals, fusing electronics with lyrics often inspired by nature.

Watch this full episode here: http://www.pbs.org/video/2365881198/ - PBS KQED, Amped and Wired

Lillie Lemon delivers a sunny, acoustic-pop album that, with a few extra electronic flourishes, could easily find itself on Top 40 radio. Don’t get me wrong, Lillie, I’m not suggesting you go that route. I’m simply trying to highlight the fact that these songs have amazing pop sensibility.

What is most striking about Lillie’s lovely soprano voice is how happy she sounds even singing about heartbreak and loss. The juxtaposition hits hard. On Stardust she sings, “The blood runs down my face / I try to wipe it from my eyes,” as though she’s describing petting her favorite kitten.

Elsewhere, on the beautiful piano ballad, Still My Heart, you will immediately think of Ben Folds Five. And is doesn’t take long for you to be certain that the comparison is apt because two minutes into the song Lillie brings along one of her male friends to sing a few verses and he is a dead-ringer for Ben.

To sample more of Lillie’s traditional pop skills check out I Refuse, which drips with trip-hop electronic drums and bass, while still holding its piano acoustic based beneath the accoutrements—a lovely mix of modern and traditional. - Evolvement Radio

Since releasing their first record back in 2012, Lillie Lemon and Erica Wobbles have always believed in fantasy and fun. Determined to be true to themselves and to ensure that the music world they’ve always loved remains vibrant and energetic, they’ve they inject some child-like wonder into everything they create and, as a result, produce tracks that stand out for all the right reasons.

As they continue to impress fans and critics alike and with their career showing no sign of slowing down any-time soon, as they continue touring and promoting their latest track “Burning Bridges”, Lemon and Wobbles took time out of their busy schedules and kindly agreed to this interview with our staff writer Rebecca.

PW: Please sum yourself up in five words.

Lillie Lemon: Synthpop with a sour twist.

PW: When did you first realise that you wanted wanted to be a part of the music industry?

LL: Music didn’t start to percolate as a career option for me until I started working with Erica Wobbles. I was an operations coordinator for the NSA at the time, and had just been promoted from a position with DHS. But I was never suited for it – I needed a creative outlet more and more as our project began to take hold, and eventually I realized I needed to take things to the next level.

Erica Wobbles: There was a point I hit in my teenage years when I realised that I would be playing music for the rest of my life. It was the one thing I was best at. It took me several years to figure out where I fit into the business, and I feel like even that is something that is constantly changing. I held down several church, wedding, and weekly nightclub gigs in my home-town before going on the road with Lillie in September. There was a point where I had a different gig every night, and even four in one day. Very much a working musician. Now we spend most of our time traveling to shows.

PW: Was there any one band/artist or song you heard growing up that made you go ‘Yeah, I want to do that?’

EW: I remember one of my turning points: a college musician friend of mine introduced me to some electronic bands and DJ duos, and I realised I wanted to be able to do that. I was intrigued by any sort of electronic music with live musicianship. It seemed like an undeveloped field where you can make your own rules.

PW: Which bands and artists would you say you’re most influenced by and sound similar to?

LL: I find myself influenced by the Mountain Goats when it comes to song-writing, though we definitely have that Passion Pit / CHVRCHES feel to our music.

PW: Can you remember the first concert you attended and record you bought? What impact did they have on you musically, artistically and personally?

LL: The first record I bought was Third Eye Blind’s self-titled album. I listened to it constantly. I was raised in a community that listened to a lot of country music and Christian rock – but when I first heard the funky pop rock 90s sound of Third Eye Blind, I realized it was the first band whose music had ever made me ‘feel’ anything at all. It made me branch away from what everyone else was listening to and lead me through a whole smorgasbord of music with genres I didn’t even know existed. I think in the end, it’s the band that brought me to alternative music.

PW: Is there a story behind your latest track “Burning Bridges”?

LL: This track was inspired by the East Tennessee bridge burnings of the Civil War. It’s a tragic story about the futility of the burnings themselves, and how so many families metaphorically burned bridges between one another during that time in our history.

PW: Which of your songs would you say you’re most proud of and why?

LL: I’m really proud of the way “Sinking” came together on the EP. I feel like the track really stuck well to the original intentions of the song and it conveys a feeling that most people who hear it can appreciate.

EW: I remember for the third track on the EP, “Can’t Get Home”, Lillie wanted to add a jam section to the arrangement. We’d already been doing the song a certain way live, but I immediately knew what to do and we fleshed out a really cool wandering jam section. It’s definitely an understated track, and I doubt it’ll ever become a single, but it’s still a favorite.

PW: Where do you find inspiration for your songs?

LL: I don’t actively search for inspiration – most of my songs occur to me as a matter of grace. Usually, I’ll be plunking around on a guitar and a piano and some kind of vocal line will apparate, and I’ll build a song around it, but it’s rarely forced and I don’t find myself editing lyrics often, if at all.

EW: I’m still figuring that one out. We seem to write in spurts. Often I’ll search for a new chord progression or a new piece of gear to inspire me. I’ll usually create some sort of jam, and we might write something to that. Or sometimes we work the other way – usually just piano and vocals, and then arranging something more electronic out of it.

PW: Is there any one song you wish you’d written? If so, which is it and why?

LL: Lyrically, I would have to go with “Autoclave” by the Mountain Goats. It’s got one of the best, self-deprecating choruses I’ve ever heard: “I am this great, unstable mass of blood and foam/And no emotion that’s worth having could call my heart its home/My heart’s an autoclave.”

PW: What to you, makes a perfect song?

LL: It’s a combination of lyrical content and clever composition to compliment the lyrics. It’s hard to come up with examples of this – but the one that comes to mind right away is Sufjan Stevens, Casimir Pulaski Day. It has a bit of everything – a slow build throughout the song, brilliant instrumentation to compliment powerful lyrics.

PW: I’d like you to put together your dream show line up – yourself and three others bands or artists who can be living or dead. Who would you choose and why?

LL: The pressure is to pick someone dead so we can give the world the gift of one more live show with them, but I find that kind of thing to be sort of selfish – if I were dead, and had one more day on earth, I definitely wouldn’t want to spend it playing with some low-level act and not spending time with my loved ones, so I’m going to have to turn down the option of picking a dead artist, for their sake. Instead, I’m going to pick my current heroes – the Mountain Goats because I completely adore John Darnielle’s songwriting; CHVRCHES because we’d be an awesome match-up, and Prince because – well, he’s Prince for crying out loud!

PW: How important are reviews and such like to you? Do you care what the press think?

EW: I think reviews are important inasmuch as they make people aware that our music exists, meaning that they’re important when they draw any sort of attention to us at this level.

PW: How has social media helped you in terms of getting your name and music out to an audience?

LL: If it weren’t for social media, I feel like a lot of our shows would go unattended. It’s expensive to keep up with printing hundreds of fliers, tough to paint a town with ads when you’ve never been there yourself. It gives us the opportunity to build our brand from behind our computers, and share our music with the world with immediacy. It’s also frustrating, however, because we have to compete with so many artists that have the same tools that we do.

PW: Would you agree that bands and artists need to be socially interactive in order to get ahead?

LL: Absolutely. I find it naive to think that social media doesn’t matter in getting your music out there. Some of the biggest current stars made their start on YouTube – Justin Bieber is only one example of this – and interacting with your audience is a great way to get feedback and increase turnout to shows.

EW: The social dynamic between fans and artists is paramount now; you can’t really get away with being a self-absorbed rock-star anymore. Fans crave these connections, and I think it’s healthy for the artists as well, because touring can easily lead to having a secluded life. I think if your newest songs have all turned into songs about touring and life on the road, it means that you’re losing the ability to communicate on the same level as your audience.

PW: Could you choose the best show you’ve played in your career so far?

LL: Our first album launch was probably the most memorable for both of us. The entire Monterey CA community came out in support of the event, including local papers and radio. We felt truly loved by our community that night.

PW: What are your future tour plans? Would you like to get overseas in the near future?

LL: We’re currently on tour until December, and our next one is starting up again around April 2016. We would love to go overseas, and we’re most interested in European countries at the moment – especially Germany, as we both have a lot of friends there now through Couchsurfing.

PW: You get to play in one venue for the rest of your career, anywhere in the world. Which do you choose and why?

LL: For me, it’s definitely Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado. Some of my favorite acts have performed there and the location is stunning.

PW: Finally then, Where would you like to see yourself five years from now? What’s your ultimate ambition?

LL: In five years, I’d like to see us touring internationally with the help of a label. Ultimately, a consistent, long-term performance and recording cycle would be ideal.

EW: The goal for me has always been to be able to live comfortably playing the music I want to play. I think any big-time goals beyond that should come from a natural place of loving what you do, and of other people loving your art enough to support you on whatever level you may be at.

To keep up to date with Lillie Lemon, check out their website, Facebook and Twitter. Their music is available on itunes. - PopWrapped

What brought you two together?

Lillie Lemon: We've been crossing paths for years in the local music scene, but it wasn't until two years ago that the two of us found out just how well we complimented one another musically. We bonded over electropop and classic Pokemon episodes.

Are there any artists you take inspiration from, either individually or as a duo?

We both draw a lot of inspiration from bands like CHVRCHES and Passion Pit.

What type of music do you have in your playlist now?

On our current tour, we've been grabbing CDs from every artist we play with along the way. We've also been listening to Every Open Eye, which is the new CHVRCHES album, and bands like M83.

How would you describe your sound or style?

We're self-deprecating synthpop with a dark sense of humor and upbeat sounding dance tunes.

Could you sum up your Aether EP in one sentence?

Synthetic landscapes paired with provocative lyrics and organic vocals.

Do you have a favorite track from that EP to perform live?

Definitely "Can't Get Home". It doesn't stand out as a single from the EP, but the vocoder combined with a building crescendo in the jam section is so unique in our set list that we're always a bit moved by where the song takes us.

What do you hope listeners can take away from your music?

I hope the music is fun enough that the first listen is enjoyable, but complex enough that listeners want to take a second look. - The Music Rag

Lillie Lemon is a singer/songwriter from Sheboygan, WI with a style that plays on elements of acoustic and electro-pop music . A few years ago, she moved to California to help as a literacy tutor in the AmeriCorps and never looked back. It was there that she met producer and musician, Erica Wobbles and developed the duo that you can check out today. Their newest EP Aether is out now via Soundcloud.

Check out our Q&A with Lillie Lemon after the break.
How did you get started in music?
Erica Wobbles has been musically inclined his whole life, and was classically trained on several instruments. I was always in choir but I didn't start any of my own songwriting until college.

How did you and Erica come to work together?
Erica and I would both attend local open mics occasionally in Monterey. I knew he was a keyboardist and I asked if he would do some keys for an album I was tracking, which later turned into /brak/. When he checked out the initial scratch tracks, he decided he wanted to produce the album. We've been working together ever since.

What sparked your transition from singing in the choir to pursuing music as a career?
In college, a few friends fooled around learning how to play guitar. I picked one up and it became a vehicle for songwriting, which is something I never thought I'd be doing. Soon after I was performing some singer-songwriter stuff as a solo artist. It was only ever a hobby until I met Erica Wobbles.

​What inspires your writing process?
Songwriting is a very natural process for me. It's not something that happens consciously - I usually just sit down with an instrument and words form themselves.

Is this something that developed over time or has the songwriting process always been second nature for you?
Songwriting I think came as a function of all the other writing I was doing - I was a creative writing major in college. It was a different kind of thinking, but it was never something I did until I was in my 20s.

What initially brought you out west?
I came to California to do a term of service for AmeriCorps in 2010 and never left.

That's interesting. What's a stand out moment from your experience in the AmeriCorps?
In AmeriCorps I was a literacy tutor for 4th grade students. For me, I was really just blown away by how quickly these lower-performing students blossomed with a little one-on-one attention. It wasn't a slow process - they could go from very low reading levels to reading off the page alone in just a few days of tutoring. It was such a cool thing to witness.

How have things progressed for your career recently? - Any major achievements?
We've just launched our EP, Aether, which so far has garnered a lot of positive feedback. We're also on the final third of our three month tour, which has been exciting and all around a great experience for us. In terms of accomplishments, being able to leave the full time job in exchange for making music is a huge step that we were both excited and terrified to take, but it's tour paying off.

Congrats on making the jump. Have the live shows evolved since the initial start of the tour?
Every live show is different depending on the venue - we have a fully synchronized light show that works for some spaces but wouldn't work in, say, a coffee shop, so we've become really flexible, adapting to each venue as we go. We can create a sort of singer-songwriter atmosphere with our mellow synthpop stuff, or we can turn a show into a high-energy dance set. We can be mature and dark, or upbeat and happy if there are kids around. I think that flexibility has really paid off. ​

Can you tell me about the creation of Aether? How did that project come together?
Aether is a project Eric and I have wanted to work on for a while. We decided to give ourselves a hard deadline, which forced us to think creatively and quickly to get things done. We've been performing these songs for a long time, which I think really helped solidify them into the tracks they are now.

Is there an album in the works?
We have another full-length album that launched in February called /brak/, and we're currently working on material for a third record, which we're excited about, but we don't want to give away too many details just yet. Suffice to say it's more like the Aether than /brak/ in terms of genre. - APT20ENT

STEP 1. PREPARING FOR BOOKING
Get a handle on your social media presence. When it comes to booking your own DIY tour, you’ll be sending venues links to your music online, so it’s important to have a consistent brand and look on each of these sites. Make sure your website has links to your social media. Be prepared with videos and be ready to provide images for fliers and more.

Create a template for your booking emails. Avoid re-writing your pitch by having a concise booking email that can be used over and over again. This template should include your available dates, a brief description of your music, and pertinent links to social media and streamable tracks. NEVER make a venue download an attachment to listen to your music unless they request MP3s.

Keep track of contact information for venues. Even if they can’t book you on this tour, they might be interested on your next go-around. Google Sheets is perfect for this. This spreadsheet should include the venue name, contact information, and any info you think you might find useful in the future. This information is also vital when you follow up with venues that don’t respond to your first contact.

STEP 2. COMMUNICATING WITH VENUES
Be professional at all times. Venues care about how you communicate with them, and they notice when you’re polite and professional. Treat your band like a business and the venue as a client, and don’t be offended if you’re not the right fit for their space. Be gracious always.

Give venues at least four months’ notice. If this is your first tour, you’ll learn rather quickly that many venues want six or more months of notice, especially if you’re touring the summer months, but you can probably get away with smaller venues and coffee shops if you’re a bit crunched for time.

Get contact information for venues on Yelp, Facebook, and Indie on the Move (IOTM). IOTM is a site geared toward indie touring artists that has an extensive database of venue and booking contacts. IOTM is especially useful as you can sort venues by city, capacity, and genre so you don’t waste time sending emails to venues that aren’t the right fit.

Keep a good calendar as you begin to fill dates. Google has a great (free) calendar app that allows you to create separate calendars and share them with multiple people. Make sure all of your bandmates are connected to your touring calendar and mark dates as they fill, providing details about sound, compensation, and other details.

If you’re down to the wire, use IOTM’s Do It Together (DIT) to help fill dates. IOTM can help you fill dates by contacting venues you haven’t been in touch with yet, sending potentially hundreds of messages in a few hours (a feat that might take you weeks). You get to field responses from venues and solidify booking information. IOTM charges for this assistance on an affordable per-market basis.

STEP 3. PREPARING TO HIT THE ROAD
Calculate the costs of your tour and plan accordingly. Make sure you’ve calculated the cost of gas, hotels, food, and drinks. Don’t rely on shows to cover these costs unless you have guaranties in place. With shows that compensate through ticket sales or bar sales, assume the worst and mark them as zero profit. It’s very easy to underestimate the costs of a longer tour, and planning for the unforeseeable – breakdowns, illness, and more – is vital if you’re going to survive the road and turn a profit. Unless you have a clear track record of selling merch and you have a big draw in the cities you’ll be visiting, never assume you’ll sell anything.

Hire a designer to make professional tour-related materials. Having a cohesive tour image will help draw people to shows and make it easier for venues to help promote you. Have a Facebook banner that matches the posters you’ll be sending. If you have the budget, make special stickers or t-shirts for your tour using the same imagery to give your audiences something special.

Use Bands in Town to list your tour dates online. I prefer Bands in Town because they have a mobile app, they link to your Facebook page, and their widget can be easily added to your website. Promote the app you decide to use so your friends can follow your tour. The app should also be one that alerts your fans when you come to town.

Have a budget to promote your tour. Hiring a PR person is expensive and we’re lucky to be able to afford it, but that doesn’t mean you can’t promote yourselves without one. Create a short press release that you can send to multiple press outlets, including hard copy papers and local event blogs. Promote on Facebook and target the location you’ll be playing. Follow up with venues to make sure they’ve listed your event on their various calendars and on their Facebook pages.

Have your vehicle inspected before your tour begins. Our first tour was a wonderful disaster when it came to car trouble, and much of the strife our Ford Econoline put us through might have been avoided had we taken the van to a mechanic before we left. Have a full inspection of your vehicle done, and don’t wait to replace parts that might be in need of replacing.

STEP 4. BRINGING IT WHILE ON TOUR
Social media doesn’t stop while on the road. Make sure you’re taking a lot of pictures and video so that your fans back home can follow along on your adventures. Continue to push your upcoming events on your social media, and utilize Instagram and other apps to share your adventures. Encourage each audience to follow you on social media, as well.

Collect emails and zip codes at each show you play. One of the biggest mistakes I made on my first tour was ignoring this advice. In a world of social media, it seemed counter-intuitive at the time, but I have since seen a noticeable difference in audience attendance when I send out emails to my fans vs. using only social media. As you build your audience in new locations, it’s important to have a mailing list to give venues a tangible idea of your draw. Facebook is great, but email targeting still has one of the best click-rates of any form of contact for my band, even with social media promotion. I use MailChimp for this, but there are lots of similar services out there.

Bring as much merchandise as possible. We found out very quickly that our initial stash of merchandise wasn’t enough. We are currently selling a lot of gear on the road, and we’ve had things shipped to UPS Stores a few times to keep up with demand. Don’t underestimate your potential sales and make sure you have enough gear on hand for your new fans.

Eat real food and don’t overdo it with drugs and alcohol. The quickest path to illness is junk food and booze. Bars often compensate with drinks, but don’t forget that hangovers suck. Instead of stopping at McDonald’s, find a grocery store and grab carrots, apples, a loaf of bread, peanut butter, and other fresh foods that you can snack on. Bring a cooler so you can keep fruits and veggies on hand. With a cooler, you can also carry pickles, which I’ve found are the perfect salty treat. Carry bottled water and avoid sodas. If you have to stop at a fast food restaurant, try a salad rather than a burger. Road snacks should include granola bars, nuts, and dried fruits. Keep multivitamins on hand. As an added bonus, grabbing groceries rather than burgers and fries will save you a lot of cash.

ABOUT LILLIE LEMON
Monterey, CA-based synthpop duo, Lillie Lemon, recently kicked off their expansive US tour for their latest EP, Aether. Bringing their music to the masses, the nine-month stretch of shows was plotted completely by the band. The band started as the solo recording project of Lille Lemon (songwriting/vocals) on the shores of Lake Michigan. While pursuing a degree in Creative Writing, Lemon relocated to the sunny bay of Monterey, CA. It was there, in 2011, that Lemon crossed paths with Erica Wobbles (keys/rhythm/production), a classically trained instrumentalist with a self-taught understanding of synthesizers and electronic music. After seeing each other at several open mic nights, Lemon and Wobbles decided to collaborate and found they creatively complimented one another. Together, the two combine acoustic instrumentation with electro-pop production, crafting soundscapes in line with contemporary acts such as CHVRCHES and Passion Pit. - Performer Mag

Werewolves, lesbians and even a hint at Donald Trump’s proposed immigration policies unite in Lycanthropy, a forthcoming concept album orchestrated by local synth-pop favorite Lillie Lemon. Look for it some time in late summer 2017.

“It’s a horribly dark and political take of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast,” frontwoman and namesake Lemon explains.

The tale involves a love story, with one of the two female protagonists betrothed to another man. Lemon says the story’s allegory was hatched from an obscure piece of history involving what has become known as the Valais witch trials. During the kindred precursor to the Salem witch trials, many innocent folks were murdered, between 1428 and 1447, after they were suspected of witchcraft and/or the ability to transform into werewolves. Apparently, hundreds were unfairly accused and executed as a result of these trials in Valais, which is now part of Switzerland.

Lemon and the multi-talented second half of the duo, Erica Wobbles, updated the stories of these trials to include the construction of a large wall to keep out the suspected werewolves, a la Trump.

Lemon says the record’s upbeat dance tracks, synth-pop and R&B moments are fueled by nods to everyone from Daft Punk to The Weeknd to the integral interludes that weave everything together in a style after Pink Floyd’s The Wall.

The aptly titled anthem “Build a Wall” concocts a pronounced juxtaposition of paranoia in Wobbles’ low-toned beats that fire with velocity just below Lemon’s unforced soprano. It creates triumph over a dystopian tyranny not too far from reality.

“Long hair matted, felt so alone, that side of the wall was always your home,” Lemon sings. “But you’re not a monster you’re just like me – don’t think about it, don’t think about it.”

The Saturday show at East Village Coffee Lounge serves as a kick-off to a western U.S. tour with fellow local pop rock star Casey Frazier. - Monterey County Weekly