We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful The Lipsmackers. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with The Lipsmackers below.
The Lipsmackers, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.
Creating songs is a collaborative process for the Lipsmackers. In practice sessions, we bring an idea or even partially-created song to the other members and see how everyone responds. We share suggestions to both improve the song as a whole, and to include everyone’s own flavor to their parts. It’s important to support and encourage risk-taking and trying new things, even if they’re not expected to work right away. It’s also essential for everyone to understand everyone’s role within a song — some songs emphasize one instrument over another, and the other instruments need to move into a more supportive role. But everyone in turn gets a chance to shine.
We also draw tons of inspiration from our local Bay Area’s live music community. We have so many friends and family members in their own bands and we love going to their shows — but we also love heading out to shows where maybe we don’t know everyone that well. It’s awesome to be surprised by new sounds and to talk to those musicians afterward. It’s an endless supply of both creativity and community, and it motivates us right back.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
At the end of 2019, Grace and Melody met each other at a local open mic when a long signup list gave them a chance to chat and connect. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Grace and Melody started collaborating on cover songs for a local online music project called Concord Couch Concerts; local musicians submitted videos of themselves performing at home for a bi-weekly livestream “festival.” Simone, who had been making music with her own friends and boyfriend, was the video editor for the project, allowing the Grace and Melody duo to come onto her radar.
As pandemic restrictions lifted, Grace and Melody began playing out at local breweries and realized they wanted to expand the duo into a full band. Simone was just leaving another project and reached out when they put out a call for a bass player. The band has gone through several personnel and name changes, but are now the Lipsmackers, with Simone’s fiancé Xavier pulling dummer duty.
The Lipsmackers incorporate different instruments, influences, genres, and vibes. One song may be a peppy queer love song about dying with your beloved, while another may be a dark contemplation of picking up the pieces after a significant life change.
The band is playing shows throughout the Bay Area, and are working on recording their first album.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
As a predominantly female band, we’d want to encourage musicians of any age or gender expression to pursue exactly what they want to do, and to not let what’s seen as “mainstream” discourage them. On top of working on your own art, musicians should put themselves out in the world to meet people, find a community, and take up space. On a practical level, that can mean going to shows and open mics, and not being afraid to introduce yourself or share what you’ve created.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
We’d love to meet even more bands from around California and beyond to get to know and support, and possibly play shows together.
While the Lipsmackers love their fill-in drummer Xavier, we would like to find a permanent, dedicated, and like-minded drummer to continue on this creative wild ride.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/thelipsmackersband
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelipsmackersband
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lipsmackersband
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfH50J8wJTAOe-QCjLgk2Vg
Image Credits
Simone Chavoor Manny Medina Grace Saadeh Abdallah Saadeh Xavier Guerrero
