1. How did Art and Lisa start their musical journey?

1. Lisa: Art and I met at an open mic , and sang a couple of songs together.

Soon after we were invited to take over a different open mic and started

hosting it together every Thursday night. We’ve been hosting it now for

almost four years.  Shortly after we took over the open mic, we started

getting calls from people wanting us to come play at other venues. We

finally had to come to a decision as to wheather or not we were going to

do this full time or as a hobby. We’ve only been doing it full time since

this last spring. We started the CD in March, 2009, and released it on

July 31st, 2009

 

1. What were the musical idols of Art and Lisa and how was the duo able to form their own style?

 

2. For Me (Lisa) my music idols were people like Emmy Lou Harris, The

Everly Brothers, George Jones, Kris Kristofferson, Tammy Wynette, Loretta

Lynn, The Statler Bros., and so many more. I didn’t know there was such a

thing as «red dirt» or «americana» music growing up. It was either country

or western in our house. As I got older I went through a time of listening

to all rock and roll, but settled back into country within a few years. I

was also exposed to lots of gospel music growing up. My mom and her sister

were in an all girls quartet when they were in thier early teens in

Lubbock, TX. They would sing on the radio on Sunday mornings for thier

church. Naturally, thier love of music continued into thier adult lives

even though niether of them followed a career in music, they could have. I

remember at a very early age, listening to my mom and aunt sing some of

the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard, even to this day, mostly gospel

and some silly kids songs. I wanted to learn to sing harmonies the way

they did. I would follow my mom all around the house and help her with

whatever chores she was doing as long as she would sing, and let me sing

with her. At the age of around 12 , someone gave me a Simon and Garfunkel

record. I would go into my parents room and put it on the record player

with the headphones and play it over and over again, singing along on the

harmony parts. Studying it in my mind and trying to listen to myself and

imitate the harmonies.

 

It wasn’t until I moved back to Texas that I found a local radio station

that was playing Texas artists. People I had never heard of, but they were

great. I remember thinking I bet this station would play my songs if I

recorded them. They were the first station to play our CD.

When I met Art he already knew of all these Texas artists, having lived in

Bandera for twelve years already at the time. He started taking me to

concerts of Jimmy Lafave, Kevin Welch, Patty Griffin, Terri Hendrix, etc.

 

 We frequented Gruene Hall, Luchenback and Flores Country Store to see the

Texas artists, some big names to Texas and some not. I loved it. It was

like nothing I had ever heard or seen. The music was so real and fresh. I

couldn’t understand why these people were not all famous and didn’t have

big record deals. Art taught me alot about the Texas music scene and I

soaked it up. I guess that is where our Style came from. It’s a mix of

old country , red dirt , americana, and southern gospel, all melded

together.

 

       Art:  I grew up in Oklahoma on country and gospel quartet music. Though

amazed by the harmonies

of groups like The Blackwood Brothers, I was drawn more to the stylings

and lyrical content of Woody Guthrie

and Bob Dylan. It wasn’t until my college days when I was introduced to

people like Jimmy Lafave and Bob

Childers that I realized the two could become one. Taking real life

writing and combining it with the conviction

of old time gospel and I guess you end up with what we now call «Red Dirt»

music.

 

3. What was the inspiration behind your album «Learning to Breathe

 Again»?

 

                Lisa: I always felt that music was my «calling». So, after Art and I began

               playing together, people were constantly asking when we were going to

record this or that song that we had written. We started talking more

about it and began planning it in mid summer of 2008, not knowing which

songs would be on the album, except for one, «Learning to Breathe Again».

I had written the song when I first moved to Bandera, after a

heartwrenching break-up. I felt it was a song that would touch so many

people in todays times. I often have grown men come up to me in tears

after hearing it, telling me how much they can relate to the story it

tells.

 

1. How long did it take you to produce and record your album?

Lisa: A lifetime. It seems both of us have wanted this our whole lives. The

actual time frame was about four months. The recording end of it actually

went very quickly. We set aside four days in the studio with the

musicians. In two days all of the music tracks were done for all twelve

songs on the album. The next two days we did all the vocal tracks for each

song, and the harmony tracks. We had to wait to for, photo shoots, artwork

to be approved and come back, mixing and mastering, and of course there

was about a six week wait for the press, before we actually got the CDs in

our hands. We started the CD in March, 2009, and released it on July 31st,

2009.

 

Art: A lIfetime

 

5. You usually do concerts in Texas. When will you do concerts in other

parts of the USA and the world?

 

Lisa: At first we never really thought about touring much. We are just doing

what we love and hoping to make a living at it. We have just recently

started to venture out some from the state of Texas. However, traveling is

not cheap these days, so the money is a big factor. In spite of the

financial constraints, we are hoping to do some touring next spring

 

Art:  We recently did a couple of things in Arkansas… there seems to be a

pretty cool music scene there. So, hopefully

we will be there again this summer.

Our fan base seems to growing overseas. We are getting a bit of radio play

in Holland and beyond, so we hope to

be there in person in the near future.

 

6 What are your recommendations to those who want to follow in your

 footsteps?

 

Art:  Be real In all your music. If it doesn’t move you, it probably won’t move anyone

Else With your fans. They are your family, treat them that way and they will

love you.With yourself.  Just do what you can to make your world a better place.

 

Lisa: First, you have to believe in yourself. If you don’t believe in you,

why should anyone else? Set goals and do things to make them happen.

Be kind to the people around you. Put your heart into the songs you write. You have to be willing to expose your heart on paper when you write in order for your songs to

really touch people.That’s really hard to do sometimes, but it makes for some great songs

 

Thank you for accepting my invitation and best wishes from Miami

Florida

 

                                       

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