Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ace, Mike, and Leah. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Ace, Mike, and Leah, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
In 2021 during the pandemic, we were lucky enough to start working with The Oracle Management after they heard some of our music and saw tons of potential. They wanted us to develop our sound a bit more and start adopting a more “cohesive” sound as our early songs were a bit all over the place. We are 3 people who love all styles of music so back when we were writing our first songs, each song would sort of sound like a different band! Our management suggested we work with record producer Steve Evetts on an EP to develop the band’s sound. Steve has worked with many legendary artists such as The Cure, Dillinger Escape Plan, The Wonder Years, Sepultura, etc. When our management first suggested it, we were a bit nervous about having someone else join the creative process but we trusted their guidance and took a chance. The 3 of us flew to LA from Boston in December of 2021 and spent 2.5 weeks recording 6 songs with Steve. The band has never been the same since.
Steve did not ask us to change ourselves as musicians or songwriters. He only brought out the absolute best in us and somehow, without compromising our versatility, made all 6 songs sound very cohesive together. The entire process changed how we write a lot, but only for the better. It’s hard to put into words what a real, professional producer can do for your creativity. Basically, he just allowed us to really open ourselves up and polish all of our ideas and make them the best that they can be. From that point on, whenever we’re writing, we ask ourselves often “What would Steve say about this?” We are currently in the process of releasing each song as singles with the 2nd song coming out on April 7th.
Ace, Mike, and Leah, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
All three members of the band got into music at different points in our lives. We started playing together because we were 3 people who had the exact same vision for the type of band we wanted to be in. We were sick of being put into creative boxes by other people. Groundlift allows us to really let ourselves go, creatively speaking. Versatility is the main thing we are after, but also maintaining cohesion. Just being competent players and being able to execute any musical idea one of us comes up with is something we really pride ourselves on.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
Being a full-time musician in a band is a lot different than what most people think it is. It seems most people have this idea that all you have to do is write songs, play shows, and have fun. However when you’re a band whose starting out, it’s nearly impossible to keep track of all the things you need to do. Booking shows, social media management, constant content creation, constant individual practicing, rehearsals, etc.
Booking all of your own shows and doing all of your own social media is basically a full time job by itself – that’s why most bands who become successful hire a booking agent and a social media manager. In today’s industry, it’s so much more than just having good songs. You have to develop an even stronger social media brand to even stand a chance and that can be extremely difficult to navigate. Are we spending enough time on the music side? Are we spending enough time on all the other stuff? Its a fine line!
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
We believe that because of streaming and the availability of all music today, people’s musical tastes are wider than ever before. Most of the time when you ask someone “What do you listen to?” they often reply with “A little bit of everything.” That’s sort of what Groundlift originally set out to be. That is our goal. We wanted to be a rock band that was capable of many different styles and flavors but still had identifiable traits that were constant throughout each song. Slowly, our sound has evolved into having heavy elements of hard rock, funk, power-pop, and prog. You’ll have to listen to the music to hear what we mean!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.groundliftband.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/groundliftband/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groundliftofficial
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/groundliftband
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyhHs9yczAa82XG7_XneDAw
- Other: Pre-save link for our upcoming single ‘Bottleneck’ available April 7th. https://ffm.to/3jna2kn
Image Credits
Jeremy Saffer Chris Polubinski Dave Habeeb