Lift rocks!
lift is a 3 piece musical wonder from atlanta, ga. they are molly bancroft (vocals & guitar), simone simonton (drums), & julie clark (bass), & they are one of my new favorite bands. even though i've not seen them live yet, i have listened to the songs that are on daemon records' website, & let me tell you, this band is rockin', & i will be buying their cds very soon!
from the songs i have heard so far, my favorite is "let us be," although i am sure when i get to hear all their songs, there will be so many more that i am gonna love. these girls have the most thoughtful lyrics & intriguing vocals i've ever heard. seriuously, if you want to hear a really excellent-sounding, talented new band then take a listen to lift. you will be more than happy you did. there is information at daemon records about the cds they have out so far, & also you can go to the band's website by clicking on the link below. so whatever ya' do this year, don't miss lift!
you can also vote for lift at sam goody's bandemonium, 'cuz they are the best band there. (the four bandemonium finalists will perform in panama city, fl, over spring break, and the grand prize winner gets music gear, recording time, and cash--go lift!) I would love to see them win it...just click on the link below for that as well.
in closing, i just wanna say, molly, simone, & julie, you girls rock!!! keep playing your hearts out, & i wish you much success an happiness. daemon has a few articles that have been written about lift & by reading them, you will get a better sense of what this band is like, although the best way to know how great they are is to get their cds (hint hint, buy 'em now buy 'em now!). ok, enough ranting, i suppose. i just hope you will check them out an enjoy them as much as i do.
molly, simone, & julie were nice enough to answer some questions for us here at AMP. thanks, again, lift, for taking some time to chat with us!
Kelli Kay (KK): What was it like performing at the ROCKRGRL music conference?
Molly Bancroft (MB): we basically rushed in there and rushed out, but for the time we were there it was great. A cool website for music, garageband.com had sponsored our show, flown us out to Seattle to participate, which was great. the club we played had some really good bands and the whole vibe of the conference was truly organized and great. We are all fans of the magazine, too.
KK: What other bands has each member been in?
MB: Well i started Lift with 2 guys in Boston back in '93 and then just moved myself to Atlanta in '95 to make a new Lift here with Simone and Julie...
KK: What are your plans for this year?
MB: to record a new album. we've been working hard and I've written a bunch of really good new songs that sort of take Lift to a new "dimension" if you will. I think we all want to get music out to the fans, as well as still trying to get a bigger label to have interest in us, since we want that resource of dollars to help get our songs on the radio and help us tour around more.
KK: What bands do you listen to?
MB: Lately I'm not that impressed with too many new bands. It's kind of a drag, actually. but most of the bands I do find out about are from reading one of my fave magazines, the Big Takeover. But as for what I listen to now, still love Catherine Wheel, Radiohead, old Depeche Mode and Nirvana... singer songwriters like Nick Drake, and I love ambient techno music right now a lot.
KK: How would you describe your music?
MB: It's not "alternative rock" anymore!!! (joke) I hate that term. Or "alterna- pop" as we were called for a while. I really don't know how to describe it in a catchy way. It's rocking but not in that straight-ahead guitar rock sort of way. Some descriptors would be: passionate, fresh, uplifting, innovative, using electronics +effects combined with big guitars --but mostly, memorable melodies, and meaningful lyrics - not to mention, Lift's rhythm section kicks ass.
KK: What would you like to tell your fans?
MB: Well we want to say thanks for all the great attention you give us by visiting our website, ordering our CDs and coming to our shows. Thanks for being open minded and being excited to listen to great music that doesn't copy the sound that is currently on the radio, but that opens doors for this new sound to become more popular... thanks for caring about us, since that's really what it is that keeps this going.
KK: How long have you been playing together?
MB: since '95 (when we had a 4th member, Dave patterson, on lead guitar) and then we took a year "off" in '98 and then came back together in '99 as a trio...
KK: Where is your favorite place to play?
MB: college amphitheaters. No kidding. When we opened shows for the Indigo Girls we played some really amazing venues-- college gymnasiums are not the best but I love being able to see a sea of kid's faces out there, all sweaty, standing and dancing out in the crowd, and the big booming sound coming out of giant speakers... it's like a huge rock club.
KK: Who has helped you in your musical journey so far?
MB: we have some great friends. Our graphic designer sort of became our temporary manager there for a while and helped us immensely just to get our music out there with a consistent "look" and of course, many other things too. Daemon Records helped us by distributing our CD Lifelike and the Indigo Girls for putting us in front of so many people on those tours we opened for them. There are always people involved helping. Sometimes the Music Business people (aka lawyers, managers, labels) are the ones helping the least but having some great friends and supporters along the way has kept this band alive.
KK: What do you do for fun?
MB: i love sports--tennis, racquetball, anything where I can be outside, really. Love writing songs in my little studio, love to travel to new places.
Kelli Kay (KK): What was it like performing at the ROCKRGRL music conference?
Simon Simone (SS): it was a blur! i mean, it was really fun and all and we met some really cool people, but we were only there (in seattle) for about 18 hours--and even though only about 4 were spent sleeping, it just wasn't enough time to get to hang out or see many bands other than the ones playing before or after us. hopefully, we'll have more time to soak it all in next time!
KK: What other bands has each member been in?
SS: i did quite a lot of studio work before finally committing to just one band (LIFT) --mostly singer/songwriter types, two of which include kristen hall and indigo girls.
KK: What are your plans for this year?
SS: i'm not even sure i can tell you my plans for this week!!!! but i'll try to focus here and stretch my vision into the coming year. hmmmmm, personally i plan to buy some more drum doo dads (geeky electronic things maybe) and i'm also "kicking" around the idea of a double kick drum pedal so i can do alex van halen/tommy lee/john bonham arena rock drum solos. my philosophy has always been that if i can't do it with one foot then it probably shouldn't be done, but philosophies can change. as for the band, we're going to record a new album and tour the USA. that's the plan anyway.
KK: What bands do you listen to?
SS: i listen to kitchens of distinction (my all time favorite band), old lift demos and rehearsal tapes so i can remember how far we've come and to also make sure we haven't neglected a potential hit! haha i also listen to catherine wheel, radiohead, and various old jazzters.
KK: How would you describe your music?
SS: i always describe it as passionate before anything else. then comes words like emotional, soaring, feel-good in a deep sort of way, uplifting, thought provoking, and if you really stretch it.....fun.
KK: What would you like to tell your fans?
SS: that i truly dig them for loving our music. when i look out and i see people swaying and listening--sometimes with their eyes closed--it's just awesome. i love it when they can just let themselves go and ride on the music like that. i love that.
KK: How long have you been playing together?
SS: molly and julie and i have been playing together for about 5 years... at least that's what i think it is!
KK: Where is your favorite place to play?
SS: well, here in atlanta i'd have to say that it's the echo lounge. it just has such a raw rock vibe. as for other cities, NYC's mercury lounge, chicago's elbo room, and dallas' club clearview are all very cool.
KK: Who has helped you in your musical journey so far?
SS: thank GOD this question isn't "who has hindered you in your musical journey so far" because i'd be typing and you'd be reading for days. no, i'm not jaded (wink wink)!!! well, #1 on my list is my incredible family. they keep me going with love, encouragement and support (good coffee is expensive!). anyway, we've had a few true blue through & throughs...let's see, amy and emily (Indigo Girls--IG) helped me/LIFT out alot. amy released and distributed lifelike on daemon and then invited us to open shows for IG. that was a great thing for us and our music. jodi hersh (our graphics guru, webmaster and friend) has also been at our side to weather the storms and bask in the sun. her contributions to LIFT are enormous and we love her for all her hard work and faith. some other helpers include bruce bennett, who recorded our albumlifelike, murray attaway, who lent his talent and enthusiasm to the mixing and coproduction of our september ep, rick beato, who produced a three song demo that got us label interest and a great management firm, our friend teena who gave us her basement for rehearsals for a year, and of course, my LIFT sistas. oh, and i shouldn't forget my high school band teacher who talked me into getting a bachelor of music performance degree--which at the time seemed crazy to me--and now still does.
KK: what do you do for fun?
SS: i got one of those kick scooters for christmas and i love riding it in the park with the other 12 year olds. after that we all go to the mall and then to a friend's house to download adam sandler "songs" from napster. i also love tennis, watching seinfeld reruns and long walks on cloudy days....but the scooter is my fave right now.
Kelli Kay(KK): What was it like performing at the ROCKRGRL music conference?
Julie Clark(JC): ROCKRGRL was awesome! We had a blast and we only wished that it would have lasted longer. It was also educational because before we went to the conference we thought we were "ROCKRGRLs" but apparently we were using too many vowels (ROCKERGIRLS).Whew! Glad we fixed that!
KK: What other bands has each member been in?
JC: Other than LIFT I played with Wendy Bucklew back in '94 and I toured with Shawn Mullins for 1.5 years during the "Lullabye" craze! LIFT is the most amazing band I could have ever dreamed of being in!
KK: What bands do you listen to?
JC: Joan Jett (my hero!), Patty Griffin, U2, Go-Go's (yes! I STILL like them!), Smiths, Marilyn5, Natalie Merchant, Wendy & Lisa, No Doubt.....to name a few.
KK: What would you like to tell your fans?
JC: We need more GREAT women musicians! Go to your local music store and buy a bass (or guitar or keyboard or drums!) and start learning NOW!
KK: Where is your favorite place to play?
JC: I feel like there are so many regions of the country that we have yet to play. It seems only fair to reserve judgement on that one........ask us that in a year or 2.
KK: What do you do for fun?
JC: I am heavily involved in animal rescue. I am spearheading a group of rescuers and we are hoping to raise enough money through grants and donations to open a rescue/shelter/pet therapy center.
