You and your friends go to your favorite venue one night to check out some live music. You get there and you look up on stage and you see the band about to perform. “Oh no, not another hot chick with a mic!” is heard from one of your friends. Well, it’s heard in many venues and many people don’t even give a female fronted band a chance because they think it’s a gimmick. If you think that about the Illinois based band Mind Drop, then to quote the great Rob Halford, “you’ve got another thing coming!”
Mind Drop consists of lead singer Shauna Lisse, guitarists Adam Deases and Jason Beck, bassist Chris Ruzic and drummer Robert Bull. This tight and solid unit of rockers has seen several personnel changes since its inception in 2006, but all the pieces came together in 2011 when its current lineup was solidified. Life is the music industry can be tough for an indie band as they pretty much do everything themselves while trying to juggle day jobs to put food on the table. With an EP of new material having just dropped, Mind Drop are poised to take it to the next level and lead singer Shauna Lisse filled me in on all the details.
Hey Shauna, how are you today?
I’m doing well, things are going really well. We have a new EP called The Awakening we just released and we’re really excited.
Now, the band had an EP and a full length album prior to you joining in 2011, so this is your first EP with them?
Yes it is, I came on-board in September of 2011, but the band formed back in 2006 when I was still in high school. They found me through a musician’s website called Band Mix. I had been putting ads on there as well as Craigslist. They contacted me and I auditioned and a few months later I was welcomed into the band.
Was it a conscious effort by the band to replace their previous male singer with a female or were you just the best candidate?
They wanted something different and they were auditioning everyone, but they weren’t really sure what it was they were looking for. I auditioned for months before they told me I was in the band. I think they were really getting a feel for how we are clicked. They liked what I brought to the table and we just fit together really well.
I read on the band’s bio that you are based out of Rockford, Illinois. What type of music scene are you competing in there? Is it thriving and competitive?
I’m actually from Madison, Wisconsin and they guys are from different cities in Illinois that are near Rockford, so we just say Rockford because most people have heard of it or know where it’s at. The scene is pretty active around here, but I don’t know how competitive we are of each other. We have each other’s backs and we also do shows together.
So, it’s not too cut throat there? If you put up a flyer for your bands show, a rival band doesn’t come behind you and either tear it down or put their poster over top of it?
No, nothing that extreme is going on here. Actually, we don’t see too many posters here. I remember seeing more back in the 90s in coffee shops and everywhere, but now it seems to be all Facebook and internet based.
Does the band tour much outside of Illinois?
They toured as far out as Buffalo, New York before I joined and since then, we’ve gone as far as Redding, Pennsylvania. We mostly focus on the East coast and mid-West.
Let’s talk a little bit about your EP The Awakening that was just released.
We recorded it at Groovemaster Studio which is owned by Johnny K (Disturbed/Staind/Nonpoint) and it’s produced by Matt Dougherty. It’s a four song EP and we’re really excited for everyone to hear it. “Dissect” is the first single and we shot a video for it. We put up pre-order bundles on our website and the response was overwhelming.
It’s been a while since the band released an EP or a full album. Why just an EP this time around? It seems to be a more common thing these days, with not only indie bands but even bigger established bands.
There were many reasons behind our decision to go with an EP. It was definitely the most cost efficient for us especially with the quality that we were looking for.
It also works both ways because it’s the most cost efficient for the consumer as well. I think more people would be willing to take a chance on the EP at a cheaper price.
Yeah, that’s true and that’s what we’re hoping for.
Mind Drop “The Awakening” (Teaser)
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So, what got you interested in music? Were you the class clown, craving attention or the shy, creative introvert?
Music and singing came to me as a form of therapy. My grandfather died when I was four and we used to have a closet at his house where we played with puppets. After he died, I would go in the closet and play with the puppets by myself and kind of sing and it helped me get through it, although I didn’t really understand it. In kindergarten, my teacher would have me get in front of the class and sing. She was fascinated that I knew the basics of singing at that age. I’ve always craved attention, even at birth. I was born premature and weighed one pound and fifteen ounces, so I needed that extra attention even back then. I also come from a very musical family with my grandma being a music teacher, my aunt was in different bands and my uncle loves to sing karaoke.
Have you come across any double standards being a female fronted band? I know it sounds crazy to some since this is 2013, but I hear a lot of stories.
I think I sometimes get stereotyped by some people, especially at shows. I’ve had people come up to me after the show and tell me that they were hesitant about giving us a chance because there was a female singing. They gave us a chance and thought we sounded great and they wanted to let me know that I changed their minds. I do love to prove people wrong. I want people to see that we’re not a gimmick, that we have passion and we love what we are doing. I’d like to be seen as a role model when I am up there doing my thing.
Has that been a huge hurdle for you and the band since joining the band?
It’s been one of them, but lack of money and lack of time as well as vehicle problems have also been problems. As you can imagine, it’s tough doing this by ourselves and without a label. Although, now we have reliable transportation, so hopefully that problem is over.
Yes, I talk to a lot of indie bands who struggle with those same issues, but when you make it big, it will give you something to look back on and laugh about.
I know, right!
Let me digress back to something you said earlier about being up on stage. So, how do you guys balance that rush from being up there doing your thing with the daily grind of a day job? I mean, if you do a good job at work you don’t have a crowd of people cheering you afterwards (laughs).
Oh yeah, there’s nothing that compares to that rush of being on-stage. We all do have day jobs and most band members have families and kids, so they’re putting food on the table and providing; that’s what pushes them. I remember last year we did an eight day run through a few states and then we had to come back to reality and it was tough. Our day jobs can be mundane and boring and that makes hitting that stage that much more special.
Well, let’s keep our fingers crossed that you guys will ride the momentum of this EP, which packs more punch in its four song content than most full albums do, to bigger and better things. I’m going to be keeping my eyes on you guys to follow that progress. Shauna, thanks for taking the time to talk to me and I wish you all the best with this new EP.
No, thank you Johnny for wanting to talk to us, we appreciate it. I hope fans will order the new EP because we’re really proud of it. The support so far has been pretty overwhelming and we truly appreciate it.
