We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lia Braswell a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Lia, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

There was a time early in my career as a drummer when I was playing for a band that seemed to have what I had always dreamed of wanting to be a part of. There was a sense of community, creativity, and camaraderie that I was enamored by, having been 19-years old and dealing with a painful situation amongst my friend group. I was not expecting to go far with music. I was playing in DIY punk bands that were more about cultivating fun than making money. So when this band having been somewhat established and playing bigger shows asked me to join them, I didn’t hesitate.
We did a lot together. We went to movies together, traveled together, made food together, we even lived in the same house together at one point. It was sort of like a family. But when I started to question the business aspect of things, it got weird.
While there were some amazing times with this band, there were many more that were caught in a very dark, manipulative trend. I was too inferior to advocate for myself and there were things that were highly unusual, things that I did not realize were unusual at the time but are very much so now as I’ve looked back on it. It was almost like being a part of a cult. Three years into being a part of the band I decided to leave. I didn’t know where I would go or what would happen next. The tour manager at the time even said, “you’ll never find another band this good to tour with.”
Ten years later and it is still the best decision I have ever made. Not only have I toured extensively since then, but I have been so much more capable of knowing my worth. It took some therapy, close loved ones, and sobriety to get to a place of gratitude rather than resentment. I learned a lot at that time, mostly that when you are in a situation with either a band or a creative project, watch out for the language of familial love especially when you are young and talented. There was this idea planted in my head that this was the family I never had, the older brother I always wanted after losing mine when I was seven. Making sure I know what I need before jumping into anything is crucial. I am thankful for these lessons.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

The main thing that got me where I am at today was pursuing what I most enjoy doing without any expectations at all. I started out in the DIY scene in LA, playing venues like the Smell and Pehrspace fresh out of high school. My bandmates and I would get together nearly every day and work on new music. We were lucky to have the space to do it, but we did not take it for granted. I have been drumming and singing with multiple bands ever since.
I think the problems that I solve for the people that I play for is that I always show up to the first rehearsal over-prepared. I listen to the songs and practice them as much as I can so when I show up to the first run together it is easy to make minor adjustments according to what the live show would need that may be different from the recordings. I also have made sure that my equipment sounds good both on stage and for studios. I constantly get compliments on my snare which always makes me happy because it’s my favorite thing I own. Also, I make sure to be easy going and to stay humble.
I am most proud of myself for getting sober. It was probably the hardest thing I’ve done as an adult, besides leaving that band I mentioned. I did not realize that drinking was creating a lot more issues than I realized, especially when I was on tour or playing big shows. I also am just really proud of my work ethic. I don’t always realize it, but the attention that I put towards music is something that is inherent to my nature now. It is more of a lifestyle than anything else. I am fully devoted, but I know now not to put all of my eggs in one basket.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Considering the streaming industry does not have the artist’s best interest in mind, it is up to anyone who listens to music or attends shows to provide the support that artists need in order to keep going. One thing that I would do is, if you ARE streaming and you ARE a music lover, you should vocalize the urgency to provide more streaming income and make sure to support anyone who is holding those accountable for not advocating for musicians and their needs. We actually do need money to make art, unlike what CEO of Spotify, Daniel Ek thinks. People like him need to start paying artists with their billion dollar revenue.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I would normally like to share stories where my resilience came from really disheartening situations, but I’ll just settle on one that is a bit less cancel culture and a little more personal victory. I was on tour in Europe and the night before two shows in Paris, we played in Madrid. This person brought us to a small restaurant where they served dishes such as razor clams and octopus. I had never tried either of these before but I thought, when in Madrid! The next day, we arrived at the venue in Paris and I got really sick. It was the worst! I was struggling to keep my head out of the toilet. They even left a bucket next to me for the entire set. Yet, I played! I played the entire set without anything coming up and it was a great set. The band was super supportive and amazed that everything went well. I rested the next day while everyone went to the Notre Dame (a DAY before it burned down) and played the set again, this time feeling much better.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @liawearsbraswell
• Other: https://liabraswell.bandcamp.com

Image Credits

1. Tyler Matthew Oyer
2. Brooke Olsen
3. Alejandro Lomeli
4. Unknown
5. Cortney Armitage