Buskers of the Day: Live Lounge

The changing economy is spurring a radical new approach to living and making a living; and for a growing number of creative musicians, that approach is working just fine. There is a new appreciation for all things indie and the unshackled minds that are at the forefront of the music revolution; case in point, Live Lounge, the UK based trio of criminally creative minds who are wielding musical tools of inspiration across generat​ions, decades and continents. Melding classical, jazz, funk, pop, rock and a front lady with vision, power and passion, listeners are in for a swinging from the chandeliers good time. “As a band we are diverse,” says Howard Nash – Violinist for Live Lounge. “We are always encountering drop-down menus on sites such as Reverbnation, where the option ‘I haven’t a clue’ never appears.” But perhaps their tagline says it best; ‘Live Lounge- Dare to be Different.’

And different they are; in sound, style, background, experience and experiences, together creating music that has the meat of life ingrained throughout. From playing Royal Albert Hall as a classical musician, to the iconic, ‘cradle of British pop music’, The Cavern Club in Liverpool to busking, it is their collective savvy and motivation that drives them to success. “It’s more about chemistry and musicianship than choice,” explains Howard when asked how Live Lounge came together, “we kind of auditioned some (folks), but it’s the people that matter.”

The youthful femme fatale front lady and tremendous vocalist of the band, Michaela Glover, is only 22 years old, but has been fronting bands since she was 13. Additionally, she plays bass and is adding percussion to her repertoire. Chris Taylor (sometimes Chris Moretti when he feels he needs a stage name), plays guitar and backing vocals, while Howard Nash, is the resident violinist, who had a “serious classical upbringing, including playing Royal Albert Hall a few times and other cool gigs.” He plays both acoustic and electric violin. He and Chris are the self-described ‘old gits’, who have careers that go back a long ways, and paths that crossed throughout, without either ever realizing that the other was a musician, and certainly unaware that they’d be working together in the future.

“As a public sector ‘straight-laced’ employee for about 30 years,” explains Howard, “with no track record of creative/song/poetry writing, the experience of being inspired to write lyrics, matching those to someone else’s music, and building a song arrangement around those, has been one of the most rewarding and satisfying experiences I can think of!”

Working on perfecting their craft of musicianship, has delivered them to many interesting venues and performance opportunities, including, the streets of the greater UK. One of the best—(or perhaps worst) stories of their street performance days was while busking at a bus station. “A little old lady got off the bus. She saw and heard us playing and saw that we were raising money for children,” says Howard. “The Metro/public transport staff was helping us by holding and shaking money buckets. She approached the bucket, found her purse to get some money, and at the point of putting money into the bucket, her false teeth fell out of her mouth into the bucket. We laughed so much we almost stopped the song, but the ‘Metro guy’ calmly picked her teeth out of the bucket and handed them back to her.” They learned a few good tips for busking, such as to make sure you can be heard (maybe a busking amp), interact with the audience, and make sure there is a way for the audience to find you after (banner, cards, t-shirt with website etc…)

To be clear, the old music dream works fine for many people, but nothing that can yield great happiness is without risk. Street performance, busking, innovating, creating anything new is often fraught with wrong turns, dead ends and setbacks. They are central to creative work. “Some hardships of busking are being cold, fingers don’t move properly and playing hard and enthusiastically when no-one seems to be there or to care.” One of the biggest advantages of street performance, according to Live Lounge, as well as many buskers I have spoken with, is human connection; very simply, “that you can have some amazing experiences that are so different to a regular gig. You get to have conversations with your audience that are not usually possible.” And like most musicians across the board, Live Lounge feels passionately about keeping live music alive; whether it is on the streets, traditional venues or non-traditional spaces. Music is an essential part of any community and integral to the human spirit.

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