It's My Kind Of Interview - Mardi Lumsden



Mardi Lumsden!


As a follow up to our 'New To The Scene' post on the most awesome-ly awesome Brisbane group, Mardi Lumsden and the Rising Seas, we've got a special little treat lined up for you today! Singer-songwriter Mardi Lumsden was kind enough to take some time to answer a couple of our questions which is a big deal for a couple of reasons. Firstly, she puts the Mardi Lumsden in Mardi Lumsden and the Rising Seas. Secondly, we love her music. Finally... this is our first ever artist interview on It's My Kind of Scene!! Even better? It's definitely not going to be our last artist interview... we've got some more lined up for the next couple of weeks. This is 'It's My Kind Of Interview' with the uber-talented Mardi Lumsden. Get excited!


Q. When the year is done and dusted, what do you hope Mardi Lumsden and the Rising Seas have accomplished?


ML: By the end of this year I want to have started recording our debut album. My husband / banjo player and I have just bought a church which we are converting into a home so I am hoping it will be an inspiring space and give us room to set up a bit of a home studio.

 
Q. You're no stranger to winning Q Music Awards, walking away the winner of the Folk/Ballad 'Q Song' prize in 2010 for the incredibly infectious track 'Classified (WVTM).' Have you set your sights on the revamped Queensland Music Awards for 2012?


ML: You've got to be in it ... I have a couple of new tracks I might enter but I'm particularly excited about the new Queensland Music Awards category, Children's Music. I think there are a lot of people making fantastic music in Queensland and QMA is a great way to find new music and recognise talent.

Q. Congratulations! You've just been selected to undertake a tremendous space voyage to Mars. It takes a lot of time to get to Mars... so what albums will you be taking to pass the time AND why?


ML: Hmmm ... I am assuming I am taking my iPod so I can take most of my collection. :) Sufjan Stevens' Age of Adz is fantastic and has a good spacey vibe to it, so that would have to come. A good amount of Iron and Wine (I have Around the Well on repeat at the moment), Bon Iver, Gillian Welch and Lucie Thorne would be necessary and I like the irony of listening to lo-fi folky music while on a space mission. Also a hefty dose of some of my favourite Brisbane artists (Alan Boyle, Chris Pickering, Sue Ray, Tim Carroll, Cam Elliott, Dan Parsons, Emma Louise, Steve Grady, Cub Scouts, Inland Sea ... shall I go on?) to keep me from getting homesick.


Q. Brisbane's music scene is pretty darn exciting right now. Have any of your contemporaries caught your eyes and ears?


ML: See list above (and many more). There is so much good music coming our of Brisbane (and Queensland). There aren't a lot of places to go and hear the kind of music I love so it is about knowing what is happening and getting there. I love The Round, a songwriter's space at Dowse Bar on a Wednesday night. It is three songwriters talking about their songs and playing in a striped back setting. The room is always completely attentive and as a songwriter there is no greater compliment.

 
Q. Where can we see Mardi Lumsden and the Rising Seas over the next couple of months and what can fans expect from the shows?


ML: I am focusing on writing this year so we won't be playing too many shows. Saying that, Pennay and I are doing duo sets at the West End Twilight Markets on 14 April (with Pear and the Awkward Orchestra and Inland Sea) and supporting Phil Monsour at his album launch at South Leagues Club in west end on 21 April.

A big thank you to Mardi for taking the time to have a virtual chat! Head on over to Mardi Lumsden and the Rising Seas official website for more fun and more awesome music.

New To The Scene - Mardi Lumsden & The Rising Seas



Mardi Lumsden!


Brisbane's growing and vibrant music scene is full of bands you can describe as 'little secrets.' Underground acts that are slowly building a reputation, but don't have anywhere near enough people talking about them. Mardi Lumsden and the Rising Seas might just be Brisbane's best kept little secret. They are an addictive, folksy five-piece made up of talented multi-instrumentalists and led by the cute, quirky and endearing singer-songwriter, Mardi Lumsden.

Lumsden has one of those incredible genre-bending voices that sees her jump between folk, pop, alt-rock and country with ease. You only need to hear her for a moment before instantly warming to her vocal style; it's easy to fall into it and you'd be hard pressed to stop it from bringing a smile to your face. Listen to 'Pieces of the Story' and try not to smile. Matching the vocals in quality (and 'smile-to-face' ratio) is Mardi Lumsden's songwriting. Clever and relatable, these are songs that perfectly target the lives of young (and young at heart) adults. 'Wherever You Go, There You Are' and 'Classified (WVTM)' speak on a multitude of levels about love, life, loss and how we think about the future. The charm is in the positivity present on each track. You're never worried that Lumsden's about to go all, "NEVER MIND I'LL FIND SOMEONE LIKE YOU," and the absence of any melodrama is a nice change of pace from a lot of music going around.

With two stellar EP's to their name, Going Is Finding and Where You Go, There You Are, buzz is building for a potential debut album. The band's official website lists that they are currently "busy writing" so 2012 could be a big year for them. What else should you know about Mardi Lumsden? How about this... she's got her own radio segment on 612 ABC Brisbane's Saturday Breakfast show! Each fortnight, she talks about Brisbane's independent music scene which is really exciting to see. A local performer supporting and promoting other local acts is very cool. Now, what do you have to do? Go out and get some Mardi Lumsden and the Rising Seas EP's and if you're in Brisbane, hit up Souths League's Club at West End on April 21 to see them live, supporting Phil Monsour's CD launch.

It's time for Mardi Lumsden and the Rising Seas to go from being one of Brisbane's best kept little secrets to a band thats name is on everybody's lips. Spread the word!

Out On The Town - QLD Music Awards 2012 Launch

Queensland Music Awards Launch

@ Black Bear Lodge

We put our scheduled interview with Adele on hold last night* to head on down to the Black Bear Lodge for this year's launch of Queensland's biggest music awards. Following a successful debut in 2011, the Queensland Music Awards will be back on August 14 at the Old Museum and nomination are open now for all the exciting acts coming out of Brisbane and beyond. Last year's big winner, emma louise (Song of the Year - 'Jungle'), will surely be in contention once more, as will It's My Kind of Scene favourites Inland Sea and The Medics. The latter were also winners last year, walking away with the Indigenous music award for 'Beggars.' 

You can also expect to see some nominations for new favourites, Timothy Carroll and Mardi Lumsden. Both artists performed mini-sets at the launch and by each act's third number, I was already planning to hunt down their music and find out where and when they're playing live. The debonair, engaging and overall fantastic Timothy Carroll will be playing Woodland next Friday (March 9). Do I dare brave the hipsters for quality music. Yes. Yes I shall. You should too, because Carroll's voice is quite possibly the best Australian male voice I've heard since Matt Walters. Combining the sounds of Kim Richey, She and Him and Feist, Mardi Lumsden was enchanting alongside her banjo playing husband. She looks like an uber-Lisa Loeb/Zooey Deschanel love child too... extra points! I see that Mardi Lumsden and the Rising Seas will be supporting Phil Monsour's CD launch in West End, April 21... at Souths Leagues Club. They deserve a more kick ass venue.

So... back to the Queensland Music Awards. Know some friends in awesome local bands? Tell them to get their nominations in now through the Q Music website! You can find all the info on how to enter, plus read about last year's winners! For the emerging talent... I've got a little something for you too. The Billy Thorpe Scholarship is up for grabs again in 2012, offering new local bands or solo artists the chance to win a $10 000 grant to put towards building their profile. Not too shabby. Get your application in quick, because this could be the chance of a lifetime for a new artist. Entries close April 30.

Alright, that's it... spread the word kids. Let your friends in local bands know and get those nominations in!

*By interview with Adele, I meant getting my daily dose of Grey's Anatomy. What of it?