Passenger Profile: Lisa Richards

Lisa Richards

This month's featured TAXI member is a self-taught musician, singer, songwriter with many successes already. A professed delinquent, it was a showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show that actually inspired Lisa Richards to turn the corner on drinking and drugs and head on down the road to a career in music. A fascinating story.

What first attracted you to music?
That's a good question... I don't actually know. I mean my mother was a concert pianist, but she pretty much stopped playing when she began to have kids and I am the youngest of 8 ... and she was just beginning to play again when she had a car accident which left her with a severe brain stem injury that rendered her unable to play and confined her to a wheel chair. That happened when I was 7. I had a couple of months of piano lessons before her accident. I always remember there was music in the house even after her accident. I mean, nobody played an instrument, but the record player was heavily used and mum liked all these tragic passionate singers liked Edith Piaf and Nana Mouskouri and dad was crazy about Yma Sumac. There was also a healthy dose of musicals, in particular The Sound of Music, Oliver Twist, and My Fair Lady ... also lots of classical piano pieces and big band orchestra as well as Victor Borga, Black Sabbath, and Captain Beefheart and the sounds of the humpback whales ... So it was a very eclectic household, musically. The thing I noticed was that music held so much emotion and I always felt like I had so much inside that there were no words to express ... so in retrospect, I think it was the freedom of expression that it offered me and that when I was singing along with records I felt good, I felt strong, I had very intense feelings and I was pretty messed up and depressed even as a small child and the songs provided a channel and an outlet for this secret life.

Are you self-taught or did you learn to play at school?
I am self-taught on the instruments I play. I have tried to study piano a number of times and tried to really get into the theory, but for some reason none of it sticks to my brain. I have taken some guitar lessons, but basically I am self-taught. I am always on a self-study program with guitar and piano trying to learn more. I studied singing for about 15 years with a number of wonderful teachers and mentors...mostly classical technique. I began singing at 21 ... kind of a late bloomer by today's standard.

Who are some of your current musical influences?
That is a tough question. I think I do the exact opposite of what I probably should do. I no longer listen to music for enjoyment. Since my life is so full of music (I make a living teaching voice), I don't actively listen to music and when I do, it's music from the '30s or '40s or music that is in any language except English or instrumental music. I'm not saying I don't get influenced by what I hear because obviously I do, but I couldn't tell you what my current influences are, as I kind of stumble along to the beat of my own little drum. I always try to work with producers who know what's going on out in the world so they can help shape the songs I write into something that is more commercially viable.

     Some of the people that I love are Nina Simone, Julie Miller, Mercedes Sosa, Katell Keineg, Eva Ayllon, Astrud Gilberto, Cat Stevens, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Louis Prima, Frank Sinatra. Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen, Ricki Lee Jones, Ella Fitzgerald....

Do you remember the very first song you wrote? When was it, what was it called and was it good?
The very first song I wrote I recorded in a studio as part of a sound engineering class ... I had just moved to Canberra, which is the Capital of Australia. I remember nothing about the actual course even though it went for months and I did everything from mic'ing to mixing ... but the part I do remember, is that my project partner decided we should record my song for the project, and so we did. And after I recorded the vocals, the studio owner took me aside and said, "Do you know you have a great voice, very unique and you could sing anything?" That was the first time anyone had told me I could sing. After that I began to play the song to people to see what reaction I got, and suddenly I was the "new singer in town" and I was in a band. I also performed that song as part of a dance performance called "Drifters" and the newspaper called me "a rising Blues singer." Do I think it was a good song? Well at the time it was precious to me because it was the first song I wrote and sang and recorded but no ... it was a pretty terrible song. It had no chorus that I can recall and I wrote it on piano ... I don't remember what it was called, but I remember the first line was, "why why why, nothing ever happens round here."

What made you want to pursue music as a career?
Well, I had absolutely no ambition to do anything at all. I was a teenage delinquent. I drank, did drugs, stole, cheated, and lied, and I wanted to make my career getting high. I wanted to stay high until I died, which I hoped would be soon. Then one day I was drunk, 14 and singing along to The Rocky Horror Picture Show with a bunch of other delinquent teenagers and a little voice popped into my head and said, "maybe you could sing" to which an opposing voice in my head replied, "Don't be so stupid, who do you think you are? That's for other people, not you." So I managed to subdue this voice for a couple of years, but as I got older that voice got louder and instead of singing I became a teenage groupie because I was sooo painfully shy the thought of actually singing was not even a remote possibility so I got drunk and seduced boys in bands until finally, that voice would not be silenced and I actually started to sing, even if I had to be so drunk to actually have the courage to sing that I couldn't sing in tune. I call music "the disease I can't get rid of." Music is what gave me life. Making music saved my life and led me to a better happier life. I've never actually thought of it as a career ... It's my life line ... That could be another one of my problems!

You were born in Australia, moved to New York and landed in Texas. What was your impression of the local music scene in these areas?
Australia is a huge country with a small population and most of the people live along the east coast, so if you are touring you have a very limited area to tour and a very limited number of music lovers to support the music scene. When overseas artists tour Australia, they generally do three dates. Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane. There are a lot of bands in Australia but it's hard to make a living. Even artists with major label deals often have to have a day job.

     New York City ... there's always a lot going on there and when I was living there, there was a healthy down town music scene. It's very industry oriented...everyone seemed to be trying to get labels, managers, publicists out to see them ... building a buzz. At least that's how it was when I was there...It's a very busy city.

     Texas ... Specifically Austin because that is where I live. Lots and lots of songwriters here. Lots of music clubs and lots of music. There's almost an anti industry vibe here, which is kind of odd.

     The fact that I live in America is a strange accident attributed to the master of my life named "music." I did not plan to ever go to NYC and I had never even heard of Austin before I arrived here. I got married to a local Austinite and that's the main reason why I live here. The whole "coming to America" thing is a story in itself and the 'getting married and living in Austin' is another fascinating story that I won't prattle on about here.

How did you first hear about TAXI?
Maybe I saw an ad in a magazine or somewhere. I came to the Road Rally as a guest of a friend a few years ago and then when I recorded my last CD I thought I'd join.

With so many successes at international songwriting competitions and four CDs of original material out, why did you become a TAXI member?
Well -- it's tough out there. I have invested more money in my brilliant career than I care to think about. I have always had a short tolerance for the business aspect, the schmoozing, the having a plan and the keeping to the plan, having the self-confidence and self esteem to promote myself, ability to juggle 63 balls in the air ... So I decided to join TAXI and submit my songs and take a rest from the other bits and keep writing songs.

Have you learned anything from TAXI?
Well, I love the Road Rally. I always learn a bunch of stuff at Road Rally. I've been twice now. I think the thing I've learnt is just to keep writing and singing and recording and submitting songs, keep working on my craft.

How has TAXI helped your music career?
I've got a new relationship with a company that has so far put me on four compilations in Poland, all released/distributed through major labels over there. That is the most concrete thing that has happened. I've been on the same CDs with Amy Winehouse, Corinne Baily Rae, Nina Simone, and Duffy. In fact, on the last one Amy Winehouse is track #1 and I am track #2, so that is neat.

What achievement are you most proud of so far?
I did a tour last year in the UK and the Netherlands and I think that is the thing I am most proud of so far ... and the Polish CDs.

What future goal are you now striving for?
I plan to spend two months in Australia next year. My dad is 91 and I feel that time is precious. So I will be booking shows and setting up workshops and lessons so I can bring in income while I'm in Australia. Right now I am in a reflective mode. I have a bunch of new songs and I would really love to find a great, musically compatible arranger/producer to write and record with me who would want to do a 50/50 songwriting publishing/profit sharing deal. My favorite thing is writing and singing and I really need a collaborator to make it all come together. I also want to do more co-writing in general and would love to try some long distant co-writing via iChat. I also want to tour Europe and tour Poland. So I'm not actually in the striving part at present ... I'm in the contemplation part and the seeing what life brings me.

Well there you have it. Touring the world, releasing a fifth CD of original material, forging new business relationships thanks to TAXI, and madly in love with the Road Rally. Sounds like another satisfied TAXI member to me! See you all next month