1) Who are you, who is in the band, who does what in the studio and on stage?
I’m Atzi, free-lance composer and songwriter of the band. I started Lipsync for a Lullaby years ago, we were a guitar band back then. Current members are friends who shares love for new music and drinks.
I play the cello and on main vocals on stage. David Townhill plays the viola, and Kate Miguda plays the violin. Dave and Kate both sings occasionally. Ed Lucas has recently joined on the contrabass. Scott Jamieson plays the drums. They’re all wonderful musicians of exceptional calibre and mind.
2) How long have you been writing and performing in this way?
We changed our instruments from guitars to strings in 2010. Transition in style of music followed, and we feel we’re settled in this string quartet arrangement. At least for the moment anyway. Reverting into acoustic instruments and its possibilities through amplification has been somewhat exciting. Any one long chord we play sounds a little different each time. We feel very exposed on the stage, and it’s a great feeling when each gig is a bit of a challenge.
3) How exactly do you work / write / record? Have you ever done it any other way? If so, how did you do it before and why did you chose this method for your current music…?
I normally score all the music before bringing it to the band. We’re still looking into the best ways to record our music. So far we recorded at most unique studios in Edinburgh, all of them comes with quite a character. Your Loyal Subjects’ Douglas have the church hall for his Edinburgh Recording Company. There’s a cocooned studio room with particularly low stone ceilings at Junk Tech. We also tried the Reid Concert Hall at the University. I’m in a process of putting all of these together, hopefully to it’s going to result in an interesting sounding album.
4) How do you feel your studio/recording style informs the way you perform your music live? Does it make it easier or harder, better etc…?
It works both ways for us. The music evolves and gets tighter the more we play live on stage. The confidence in our playing really makes the difference. At the same time, referring to the scores at recording process helps us to think twice about harmonies and make amendments.
5) What’s been happening lately and what’s new with you?
We got a couple of music videos scheduled to be released soon, one made by the Jolly Milkman crew, a young film production company starting up in Edinburgh, and another by my animator friend Will Anderson. I’m credited for my music in his last BAFTA winning film.
Our only hard copy record available is The Lonely Blues EP, recorded by YLS’s Doug Macdonald at his church hall. It can be bought online from our website and comes with hand printed envelope and waxed seal.
6) When was the last time you played Edinburgh (and where)? What do you remember about that experience?
We played a headlining slot at the Queens Hall as part of Tentracks’ Fringe event called Decagram. It was a collaborative gig where I got to write big 20 min tune for 12 piece orchestra and 3 bands. I got to conduct the orchestra too. Lots of work got into it, certainly have been a memorable one. But the band only got to play one song from our usual repertoire, so I’m looking forward to playing the full set at LIMBO.
7) If you’ve played Limbo before, what did you like/rate about the experience? If you’ve not played Limbo before, what have you heard about it?
We played at your sister event called Versus, some years back. The members of the bands on the bill played in each others’ songs. There was some magic in the event itself, and we are thankful for the LIMBO crew putting on such ambitious night. The crowd absolutely loved it.
8) What’s next, coming up after this gig, for you and what are you generally looking forward to right now…?
We’ve recorded a lot of materials in recent months, and I’m in a process of putting them together. We shall see how they turn out.
9) How do you feel about Scottish independence and the whole ‘Yes’ campaign? Have you decided which way you’re voting yet (and, if so, what’s your decision)?
I personally feel that in a long-run it’s a very good move for this country. It’ll probably take a long time to adjust, and there may be some negative consequences. But if the people here are willing take on the challenge, anything is possible.
10) Is there anything else you feel strongly about that you’d like to tell us about?
I really hope we get to play to the new audience at the LIMBO. What really keeps me going is when someone from different musical background tells me how she appreciates our music. It reminds me that music is just music before it’s classical, rock, hip-hop or whatever else, that I can continue on making music like ours.
