Exciting news for NYC based, Lizzie & The Makers as their lead singer speaks with us about new and fresh music. The band just released their first single, “Mermaid“ off of their upcoming LP. The 5 part band was formed by singer Lizzie Edwards and guitarist Greg McMullen after crossing paths in the music community in Brooklyn, NYC. Named after the famous Kentucky Bourbon, Maker’s Mark, Lizzie & The Makers are putting some soul into their new music. Lizzie’s vocals have a heavy, bluesy soul influence. The band offers listeners a rock sound with influences such as Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Allman Brothers. Capable of playing a 6-string guitar and pedal-steel guitar, Greg McMullen pours his heart into his playing. The band has played all around Brooklyn but is especially known for selling out NYC’s Rockwood Music Hall many times in the past. Lizzie speaks of her beginnings, her musical career and new music coming up in the future!
Play Too Much: Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with us. Let’s start out this interview with an introduction. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself as an artist?
Lizzie Edwards: I grew up listening to a lot of jazz, soul and southern rock. I also studied classical piano and loved moody composers like Chopin and Rachmaninov. I have a soft spot in my heart for artists like Kate Bush and PJ Harvey. I also love to get ready to AC/DC and Van Halen before gigs. So, I guess you could say I have a wide range of inspirations that I’ve channeled through my musical soul to find my own voice.
PTM: You’ve been classically trained in vocals, which is ridiculously impressive. Did you ever consider going the classical route in music? Would you say your training helped paved the way for where you are now as an artist?
LE: I did consider pursuing a career in classical piano. I was technically pretty proficient but was mostly skilled at the emotional expression of certain pieces. Vocally, I never felt my range fit into an appropriate classical category (alto vs. soprano vs. mezzo). I definitely tried, but it always felt like fitting a square peg into a round hole. I was more suited for the blues, rock and soul, which I realized in my early twenties.
PTM: Tell us a little bit about growing up in the Brooklyn Music scene. Being born and raised in NYC, what type of music or people most influenced you? How has being a musician surrounded by so much talent helped mold you into the artist you are today?
LE: I was able to attend a lot of jazz clubs as a kid, which definitely influenced my vocal stylings. I am a huge Billie Holiday fan and I also love Cole Porter. But one of my biggest Brooklyn-based musical influences was Sharon Jones. She was an electric musical force and so inspiring to me. I remember meeting her at JazzFest in New Orleans, actually. She was so kind and warm and welcoming. Her presence on stage represented everything I wanted to be as a musician and vocalist. And she definitely had a New York determination and swagger that permeated the room when she performed.
PTM: Before forming The Makers with Greg McMullen, you were working as a sound engineer. That’s such a helpful tool to have as a singer. Did you plan on pursuing a career solely in sound engineering? Was the thought of forming a band in sight?
LE: In college, I was in an a cappella group (I know, I know) and we recorded a few albums. I realized this was one of the only activities at the time that got me out of bed in the morning – I battled depression but could always wake up at 7 to do a session. After college, I wanted to record a demo and I realized I could probably save a lot of money and frustration by learning how to engineer and mix myself. I never thought of the situation as an either singing/or engineering career path – I just felt I could do it better myself and already had half the knowledge to at least commandeer protools and record a proper demo. I needed to work and only wanted to take jobs that were live music related – working as a female sound engineer was definitely challenging but I learned a lot and use those skills to help with our recordings to this day.
PTM: Tell us a little bit about the beginnings of you and Greg meeting and writing music and eventually forming the band.
LE: I was working as a sound engineer at Pete’s Candy Store in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. I needed to form a band at the last minute to headline a blues festival I was curating at the venue and Greg approached me after hearing about it. We formed something last minute, but definitely felt a wavelength. Greg sent me an instrumental of something he was working on and tasked me to write lyrics and a melody. I guess I did a good job because at the first rehearsal, we played the song and it sounded so good! We spent a few months finding the right players to round out the band and kept writing. He is my musical interpreter and I’m so glad we found each other.
PTM: You are preparing for the release of your LP. How are you feeling about this coming out soon? Tell us about the vibe or message you were going for in the production of the LP.
LE: We are SO excited to finally release this LP into the world. We have been working on these songs for several years and feel they are truly representative of our voice as musicians and songwriters. As far as the vibe/message – in the end, it’s really about being true to yourself and your musical soul and communicating your art through notes and lyrics. No thinking, no analyzing, just being and creating. We didn’t want to overproduce anything – that would distract from our authenticity and Reeves and Mario were the perfect producers to help us sharpen our voice as a band.
PTM: How exciting that your first single off of your upcoming LP has been released. “Mermaid,” offers awesome vocals and some catchy guitar riffs. What was your initial motive behind the lyrics and the making of this song?
LE: Initially, I really had a hankering to write a groovy blues/soul song. I felt like we had a lot of rockers and really wanted something people could groove to. I wrote a pretty slow, mellow blues progressions and brought it to Greg. It needed some oomph, some sass and movement. He immediately channeled The Dap-Kings and added this bouncy energy and riff that took the song to outer space. As I was listening to the instrumental demo and nursing a broken heart, I sat at Pete’s Candy Store and just started to write and observe. I processed the feelings I was experiencing while responding to what was happening around me and the words just poured out of me.
PTM: The music video for “Mermaid,” turned out great! There’s a lot of energy there. Whose ideas and inspiration were behind the creation of the video?
LE: I have to say – all of the credit goes to David Milone, David Silver and Alex Fogg of Alphawave Studios. I brought them the song and told them I needed to make a video but emphasized I had NO idea what I was doing, haha. They listened to and absorbed the track and immediately came back to me with a story board and ideas. This was all them. And they really got me/the vibe of the song.
PTM: We are more than excited to check out this LP when it’s released. The single and the video are fantastic! This was such a wonderful opportunity being able to chat with you today! Is there anything you’d like to add before we go?
LE: I can’t wait to share the rest of the album with you! It vacillates from rock to blues to ambient noise to dream pop and it really feels like US – our sound that we have been searching for the past 10 years.
