Lily Wilson and Mark Browne Interview

Hi Lily and Mark! Thank you so much for the time and for letting me ask you both questions.

Mark: Hey Kel! It’s my pleasure to participate in this.

I will get this started by asking you Lily what are some of the newest things you've been working on? I've been getting the twitters that you've been writing and singing with other brilliant artists like Paul Trudeau, Bernie Barlow, Kelly Fitzgerald and Sonia Leigh ... can you share some of that with us? Is there a new album in the works?

Lily: I'm really happy to be writing a lot these days. I feel best when I am creating,and writing songs is just one of my favorite things to do! I've been exploring co-writing with some of my favorite musicians lately and that has been a blast. Each person brings something wonderfully unique to the table, and it's a great exercise to learn about other writer's processes and ideas. I'm slowly building a great batch of songs for my next project...

Mark with your musical super hero powers -- I can imagine you're busy writing, producing a lot of time. Is there something that you're working on right now that you would like to share?
I love your solo work on your MySpace any chance of a solo album? Some of your songs like - Energy One and Energy Two are so full of ENERGY and would make a great surf-skate set up of music or I can see those singles on the side of naked energy drink as Itune downloads. Great music as of course it all is. Just saying!

Mark: I'm in the middle of writing and recording my second solo project titled, “Highly Distracting Background Music #2”. It’s mostly the music I’ve written for various (music for) film projects over the last two years so, there’s great variety in the material and some surprises as well. The drag is, I lost my financial backing a couple of weeks ago so I’m having to start the financing process over. That’s been super frustrating. Stay tuned, I’m hoping to get something out by springtime this year. I’m also recording and writing for my (2) concept bands, The Plural(s) and Marange. The Plural(s) are more of a aggressive mod pop groove band (a la Police, XTC, Foo Fighters, Kings of Leon)and Marange is a groovy trippy electro-soft rock band(a la Annie Lenox, Pre Fab Sprout, Air, Zero Seven.).

The two of you performed together in a very small venue the first time I ever saw you Lily. Now I see you with the incredible Dream Band bringing in the folks. You all together LIVE is an awesome experience -- any chance you will do a LIVE CD or DVD in the future?

Lily: Thanks, and, yes! I will do a live CD. Molly Malone's is a great venue for that. It's like my second home now :-)and I love the sound guy there, Richard. He really makes me shine. I just booked a show there for May 13th, and we'll record that. It's just a matter of getting all of the magic together at the right time-the sound, the performance, the vibe of the room...

Mark can you explain the difference for you musically from coming off the road playing with Melissa Etheridge in the bigger venues to coming home and doing your thing on the smaller stages? Other than being different music and such does it reflect in your playing?

Mark: I know this might not make much sense but, I really don’t feel a big difference. Of course there are big logistical differences and differences in the material but at the core of my musical experience all live performance feels very similar. There’s a similarity in intent, focus, expression sincerity etc. It’s like an painter/artist picking up a different brush to paint with.

So what is it about the Cleveland Brown(e)'s?

Mark: I need(ed) a football team to root for since Los Angeles doesn’t have one. The Brown(e)s seem to resonate with me...somehow. Next year will be the Brown(e)’s big year!

The both of you have had the chance to be on stage together with Melissa Etheridge for such significant events like Live Earth, The Christmas Show on HD and to work on two of her more inspiring albums over the past couple of years. How does that feel being a part of that musical journey individually and as a couple?

Lily: It's always an honor to be asked to sing with Melissa. She is so inspiring- musically and personally. I really love to be a witness to all the good things she inspires wherever she goes too. It's fun to kind of be a "fly on the wall..." Getting to work and travel with her and with Mark is just a great thing all around. Mark and I met through music, so we're very much in our element when we're on the road together. Music is both of our passions; and to get to share those amazing moments on stage in front of thousands of people is a true blessing.

Mark: For me, playing with Melissa has been a wonderful experience. Being able to share some of those experiences with Lily has been really great also. Lily has a keen way of seeing some things that I might miss in the process. (Since I often close my eyes when I play bass onstage I guess I might miss quite a bit.)

As far as the musical side of Lily Wilson and Mark Browne on working and performing together please say in one word one thing about each other?

Mark in ONE WORD about Lily? Can you please tell us why you choose that word?

Mark:
Lilyisoneamazingsincerelovingandcreatveindividual! I chose that ONE word because it’s how I truly feel about Lily.

And

Lily in one word something about Mark? Can you please tell us why you choose that word?

Lily:
Rock. Mark is the one that we all lean on. He holds the groove down so solidly. He holds it all together in his quiet, confident way.

I'm so impressed with the direction the internet world has gone and the endless promotion for musicians and small businesses via TWITTER, FACEBOOK, MYSPACE, BLOGGER and YOUTUBE.
How do you feel about that complete revolution from say Circus and Hit Parader music magazines to the endless internet avenues? How does it feel to be so admired and watched by so many on YouTube?

Lily: It's hard to imagine that I was mailing out postcards to my shows only a few years ago! I save a lot of time and money with my email list, that's for sure! Youtube has definitely helped introduce my music to a lot of new people too. With Facebook and Twitter, I feel such a direct connection to my fans. It's really a whole new world; and I feel like the possibilities are endless. just have to remember to turn off the computer an pick up my guitar every day!

Mark you may have more to say about it all ... since well you've been around A LONG TIME and were probably in Hit Parader or Circus magazine! ;) With all due respect!

Mark: This is a fortuitous time for all artists who are self promoting . The internet with all it’s networking sites are great technology that allow artists to reach out more people. Except now, the work is harder and now the competition is even greater! Artists have to be tireless in promotion, booking and business planning. Being able to focus on the most beneficial promotion methods for their project and target audience is the key..
Marketing art is a business with very similar principals to all businesses big and small, Creating original concept/product, quality control, market awareness, promotion and, growth are all part of the scheme similar to many other businesses. I’m surprised how many established artists don’t focus their energy more on the potential of the internet as a research, promotion and distribution portal. It’s a whole new market place with all the pitfalls and opportunities from the previous business paradigm, ten fold. I’m amazed at the ease and accessibility available for fans to experience more of a particular artist and for the artist to reach out to their fans. This amount of exposure can be a liability as well for some artists.

Even with all of those new avenues and things you need the fans. What do you both have to say about your fans?

Lily: Oh definitely- it's nothing without the fans. They're putting the food on our table every day. Thank you fans!!! I love feeling like there's this network of people out there who all have a certain connection to each other through my music... I have gotten some really touching letters over the years from people who have found solace in my music, and that makes me so happy. That's why I do it. That's what my favorite music does for me- it lifts me up, makes me feel like life is good and all things are possible. (Even when it's a sad song...)

Mark: I think(our)fans are everything!(That may seem an oversimplified response but it’s the most accurate way to state my first thought..) I’m a huge art fan. Therefore, I always try to relate to that personal emotion and motivation when either experiencing, performing or writing music. The experiences for the fans will attract more fans and the potential for spreading the light is exponential. I think this is why some of us create our art.

Thank you both so much for taking some time out to answer some questions. I appreciate you both very much and look forward to the next LIVE SHOW and new songs!

Mark: Bye Kel. We hope to see you soon!

Namaste- Gratitude - Love

***Please take some time out to vote for Lily Wilson at the Radio Blue Crystal Vote 2009 in bracket 11. Be sure to get The Right Time on Itunes, CD BABY, Amazon and downloads at myrecordlabel.net.
Lily Wilson and Mark Browne Interview -Copyright 2009 - The Lily Wilson Eco-Friendly Street Team.