Interview with
Lindz Riot (vocals) of Mary And The Black Lamb
MARY AND THE BLACK LAMB was formed in 2007. It was a brainchild of Lindz Riot and Nixon Cutz that began as a recording project that flourished into an up and coming live music group with the addition of Jordan Caverly, Matt Kelly and Scott Brindley. With their strong and cool debut album ‘As The City Sleeps’ out, this band has high hopes of going from unsigned to signed.
Reflections of Darkness (RoD): How would you like to introduce MARY AND THE BLACK LAMB as a band and your music to those who have not heard of you before?
Lindz: MARY AND THE BLACK LAMB is definitely for those looking for a simple rock band that’s a bit on the dark side with a huge diversity from song to song and they have stories you can fall into. We’ve got a bit of an electronic feel while we bring in other elements such as string sections. It’s driving in the guitars and band element, but soft in the vocals, piano, and ambience. Most of the dark tales are sung from the feminine perspective, so it’s harsh and fragile all at once.
RoD: When it comes to influences, are there any bands or persons that have inspired your creative work as well as your style?
Lindz: Our biggest influences would have to be EVANESCENCE and THE BIRTHDAY MASSACRE to be honest. They are the reason me and Nixon Cuts came together in the first place to start creating our music. Every member of the band is a fan of one or the other. We like to call ourselves a musical child that was parented by those major acts.
RoD: What or whom inspires you when you write lyrics/create music?
Lindz: My biggest influences as of late have been Ben Moody and anything he’s collaborated on. I also am amazed by Tuomas Holopainen of NIGHTWISH and strive to think and write like him more every day. Also the lyrics of VAST songs by Jon Crosby I really hold close to heart and some what use his writings as a frame work for my own lyrical stories. It’s all about the delivery and its something he’s got down to a science.
RoD: Do you need to be on a special mood to be able to write/create?
Lindz: It’s a must actually. It starts with two scenarios: a real life event or a fantasy story I’ve dreamt up. Through these intense emotions that come and go and really believing in the story I have before me, I try to dig deep into the character and bring out their story. Whether the story is mine, someone else’s, or a mystery identity the lyrics and atmosphere come out either all at once or over many years. Usually I’m really inspired when big life events or life lessons occur. These experiences bring forth a side of me that make me believe I have to look strong on the outside to carry on with my daily life, but underneath a lot of thoughts and emotions are stirring. That’s where song writing has become my outlet. It can be a really dark, yet colourful time. Mostly the loss of loved ones, break ups with friends, or realizing my limited time on earth brings forth this mindset and mood.
RoD: Do you write mostly to express your feelings or are there other reasons?
Lindz: Writing started as a fun hobby for me when I was 14. I kept practicing it because I loved bettering the ideas and stories. Once I had my first heart break it became a way to channel my emotions so no one else had to suffer the brunt end of the unhappiness I was going though. I guess in a way it went from being a selfish thing to a selfless thing, especially when I started writing for others later on. Now writing is just a way of keeping sane. Being an adult was not what I expected, well, life is not what I thought it would be. But it’s not a terrible thing! It’s just how I deal with it. Going to my room at night and writing down lyrics and melodies is my escape from all the craziness and madness.
RoD: What drives you and makes you keep working with music?
Lindz: Without music I would go numb, lose connection to my emotions and who I am. I’d have no other outlet that is so powerful and lets me be who I am. Whether is lessons, studying, rehearsals, band practices, or writing sessions, music has to take up at least 50% of my week or I feel like I’m wasting my time and not focusing on my life’s purpose. For many years it was actually the notion of being told I couldn’t do it or I wouldn’t be successful with music that kept me going. I was also very competitive in my later teen years and really liked to keep one step ahead of those locally. But with maturing my reasons have changed now these days.
RoD: If you could not use music as a creative outlet, what would you use instead?
Lindz: I’d probably paint, sketch and colour, or design tattoos. I actually do a lot of that when I need to work with colour. But that maybe happens once every 2 months. It’s nice to have a different outlet to go to though.
RoD: You recently released your debut album ‘As The City Sleeps’ out, what would you like to say about it? Like for example would you like to tell me something about your main source of inspiration and maybe describe the process of making the album?
Lindz: Our album ‘As The City Sleeps’ has been out for a while now, it seems recent because we are always on going with the promotion up until now. We are very proud of it! We feel it was a great start and a solid stepping stone to where we want to take our sound and ideas to in the future. I’ve been writing for that album since I was 15 years old. Only ‘Departed’ and ‘Gone’ made it to the final cut through out the hundreds of songs I’ve put together. Songs like ‘She Is’, ‘Stay Away’, and ‘Forgot You Now’ came from my early twenties when I started to write for heavier music, breaking away from my upbeat pop rock style. The rest of the songs came to be through the help of Nixon Cutz and Matt Kelly before we contacted our producer. I told the guys my vision for each song and the process to completion was very smooth.
The process of recording the album took a lot longer than we had imagined it would. It started in April of 2008 and we weren’t done until around November of that year. This happened because we went after hours from our jobs and did 2 songs at a time. We thought it would be a process like booking off 2 weeks and completely dedicating that time to doing the whole album. But instead this gave us more time to think out our ideas and develop a confidence in each songs direction. We really focused on two songs that were polar opposites of each other in personality. This way we had a black and white and could bring out the different elements in each one. That’s why in our album you will find a huge diversity in sound from song to song. Kind of like a story book with a new short story on each page. Once it was done we were absolutely stoked and really felt we had accomplished something good.
RoD: Which song or songs are favourite at the moment and why?
Lindz: I always hold ‘Emily’ and ‘Stranger’ close to my heart. ‘Emily’ because it is a true story of a girl I once knew who battled depression and her story was so powerful I had to write a song for it. Nixon Cutz really brought it to life with the guitar he wrote and the whole song grew from there. It’s most reflective of our sound and what I would like to see in the future of MARY AND THE BLACK’s songs. Symphonic Rock! ‘Stranger’ is a classic favourite locally and amongst all the band members. It’s a great example of what Matt Kelly is capable of in his writing and producing. I love the mystery and mood of it. Though Matt Kelly is not in the band anymore we still write together and it’s wicked stuff.
RoD: Would you like to tell me when your love for music begun and how you have worked to achieve your goals and become the musician you are today?
Lindz: It’s started in grade 9 for me when I decided that Visual Arts wasn’t the path I wanted to take for my creativity. I had already been listening to a few artists like Moby and Dido and actually liked a lot of main stream techno at the time like Love Inc. Though I thought the music was great I wasn’t really sparked until I found BLINK 182 and CHEVELLE and then knew I wanted to start a rock band. By grade 11 once EVANESCENCE hit the radios I knew that was the direction I wanted to take with a band. Though that was the turning point, I actually owe the thanks to my father for teaching me guitar at the young age of 7 years old. He had the patience to show me songs from THE BEATLES, JOHNNY CASH, and THE EAGLES and if it wasn’t for that I don’t think I could have picked up the bass as confidently as I did when I was 15 years old. I guess you could say music has always been there as part of my life, but it didn’t become by everything until I was about 15 and started taking my musicianship seriously.
The musician I am is always changing. Once I grew out of my old puck rock style and roots I started to take up classical singing lessons at the age of 20 and attempted to understand the piano. It was uncomfortable at first with ditching the guitar, bass, and old style of singing, which was a lot like the style of Hayley from PARAMORE. I wanted something more powerful and darker with rock music and my writing and I am still working at it today. I do have future plans to take up the cello and write for orchestras. Those are just future goals I have planned for once I am happy with my voice and piano playing.
RoD: When you listen to music, what is the most important for you, I mean do you listen and read the lyrics or just enjoy the music part or kind of take it all in at once?
Lindz: I take it all in at once, and it can be a real over load. Because of being in the studio so much I know how to pick apart all the instruments, ambience, vocal harmonies, you name it. I try to be less critical and more entertained these days. Usually it’s always the voice that gets my attention first, then the rest of the music is discovered from listening to the song over again. I really enjoy symphonic music because there is so much going on and then it becomes like a game or challenge to listen to all of it! At least lately I’ve been able to get into such artists as ENYA and BJÖRK and just enjoy their music in its strange simplicity.
RoD: How has your own taste in music changed through the years? What do you listen to today?
Lindz: I go through fazes, I have my whole life with music. I listen to a lot of everything, but I will admit I have my obsessions that can last for a few months. Like I stated before, it started with Techno and Punk in early high school and by the end of it I was into heavier bands such as A PERFECT CIRCLE and KITTIE. Once college I hit I really fell into my skin with everything EVANESCENCE had to offer through their demos and what shaped me as a musician today. In late 2005 I found THE BIRTHDAY MASSACRE and was really blind sided and inspired by the idea of synths and Industrial music. Since then I’ve been through fazes of Metal, Grunge, Industrial, Rockabilly, Country, Trip Hop, Electronica, and just recently Celtic. I believe my obsession with VAST’s music went on for a year straight starting last Christmas actually. But through it all I will say that dark symphonic rock has had a place in my heart and in my writing and since I found EVANESCENCE at the age of 17 that hasn’t changed one bit.
RoD: What did you listen to when you were younger?
Lindz: Obviously the SPICE GIRLS and THE BACKSTREET BOYS!!! But on a serious note: My dad mostly raised me on JOHNNY CASH. I knew most of his songs by the age of 9. I’m grateful for it and I think my dad really pushed his music not only cause he was a big fan but cause he was very lucky to meet him when he was a teenager and it kind of kept him going to play in bands and keep music in his life. Years later when I found out about Johnny Cash’s death and that we shared the same birthday I felt even closer to him, because I’m heavily into Zodiacs and Horoscopes like that. Haha, it’s written in the stars!
RoD: If you were hit by a car and lie dying on the ground - but you got to sing one song that people would remember you for, a song that would sum up you, which song would that be?
Lindz: Wow that’s a really dramatic question actually! I’ve never been in that situation and hope I never have to be! Can we say something more epic like hit by an elephant or a tank? Well, if I had to pick a song I’d say it be ‘Hello’ by EVANESCENCE. I know it makes no sense since it’s about Amy Lee’s little sister and I can’t even relate to her situation. But that song is by far the most real and emotional ballad I’ve ever heard. It’s helped me through the worst of times. I actually have been meaning to get the lyrics “I’m still here, all that’s left of yesterday” tattooed somewhere on my body. Those words send chills down my spine every time Amy sings them. And they also remind me of the chaos I’ve had to endure and stay strong through, like the strength of my yesterdays need to pull me through the struggles of today. I can’t imagine myself singing something uppity like MICHAEL JACKSON or QUEEN while I’m in agony in my last moments of life while lying on the ground; maybe leave that for my funeral. Epic deaths? Not my specialty.
Thank you Lindz Riot for taking the time to answer this email interview! For further information about MARY AND THE BLACK LAMB please visit http://www.myspace.com/maryandtheblacklamb and http://www.facebook.com/maryandtheblacklamb.
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