website stats

Lisa Maxwell


Lisa Maxwell
Pictures copyright respected owners

Interview With Lisa Maxwell By Chris 12/12/06

Lisa Maxwell is a great aussie singer songwriter a discovered.
Great rock tunes that are catchy and also well written and a joy to the ears
Read on then check out her stuff as she is really good.


Lisa Maxwell Website

1. How did you get into music?

I have always had an interest in music, from nagging my parents to buy me a recorder when I was 6 to teaching myself how to play the guitar when I was 15. It has always been an obsession for me. Professionally, I started with the Arts Victoria funded Bent Incubator project a few years ago.

2. Who were your idols growing up?

Believe it or not, the Spice Girls were a big influence for me… until I heard them, I never listened to contemporary pop music – I used to just listen to my parents’ music collection. I definitely idolised Dave Grohl for a while there, too.

3. Who were your influences?

Musically, bands like Nirvana, Powderfinger and Foo Fighters influenced me early on. I find that people’s attitudes, actions and behavior also strongly influence my writing – I find people fascinating.

4. Are you happy with the responses from the latest release?

Yeah, the response has been great!

5. What have responses been like to your music on the web?

Excellent, people seem to be eager to find new music on the web, so it seems to have been really well received.

6. Has the Internet helped with your music?

Definitely, thanks to things like Internet radio and podcasting, my music seems to be reaching the right audience worldwide. I found out I was being played on college radio in New York and I hadn’t even sent them a CD!

7. Do you think tools like MySpace are useful?

They definitely help, I don’t think bands can rely on Myspace and You Tube as their sole means of promotion, but it’s definitely great for communicating with fans and networking – I met Jack Dahlqvist (who now plays bass in my band) on Myspace, so it’s certainly useful!

8. How did the recording process go for the new album?

It was interesting… like any creative process; it had its highs and lows. It was funny, some of the earlier tracks recorded for the album ended up being released as my “Bad Day” EP, so I found I was constantly recording new songs. I definitely learned a lot about music production and performance, and found that I developed a lot of production ideas as recording progressed, to the point of using parts of my own recordings and demos in songs.

9. Was it different to your earlier releases?

Yes and no… I think the sound seems to be getting darker and nastier, although it still has that pop-rock element that the EP had. It still sounds like me!

10. What inspires you when writing music?

Anything and everything – good, bad and interesting people, life in a small Victorian town, late nights, early mornings, glandular fever, the music industry – the list goes on!

11. Have you had much response from radio?

From alternative radio stations, definitely. I think they’re always going to be more progressive than commercial radio, just because of the freedom they have to play what they like. People who like my music have played it – I couldn’t ask for more than that.

12. What has been your favorite gig to date?

My most recent gig was at the Golden Vine in Bendigo – that one is pretty hard to beat. There was a great response from the crowd, and I was really happy with my performance.

13. Has the Melbourne Street Press help with promoting your music?

I’ve had some help from Melbourne street press with promoting gigs when I have played in Melbourne.

14. Have you had much response from overseas labels regarding your music?

I honestly wouldn’t know, I haven’t pursued any. I have had a few overseas distribution companies contact me, though.

15. Is it hard being an independent artist in Australia? I think it’s generally a challenge to be a songwriter/musician, major label or indie. Music is such a subjective thing – so you’ve got the politics of the business as well as the tastes of the audience to deal with. But there’s nothing wrong with a challenge, now, is there?

16. What is your favorite venue to play at?

The Espy in St Kilda is pretty damn awesome… the Golden Vine is great too.

17. Do you think Idol is the downfall of the major label?

Not really, “best-of” CD's on the other hand… major labels are always going to push ultra-commercial product, whether a TV show is involved or not. Sometimes that commercial product is actually really good; sometimes it’s Idol.

18 Who have you has helped you out the most?

Jamie Durrant, who co-produced my album and the “Bad Day” EP and released both on his label, has been a great help and a wonderful person to work with – a stupidly talented one, too. Jaq and Tee at Cracked Media decided to use my track “Harmonic Rock” on their podcast The Bleeding Edge, which has gained a lot of exposure, so they too have helped out a lot.

19. Have you had much response from Triple J? Haha, not that I’m aware of but then again, I don’t really listen to Triple J these days I don’t actually know what they do play anymore.

20. What next for Lisa Maxwell?

Some more gigs, a few more music videos I’m working on one at the moment and singles from my album. I’m currently writing and demoing songs that will most likely end up on my second album, so I guess I’ll eventually get my butt into the studio for that. Who knows after that, world domination? Maybe!