Lillian and the Muses at Summervale!
Photo by Luke Awtry
On week five, the muses came and brought soft, raging sounds for the people to listen. They drank cool beverages and ate pizza baked by the flames. And in return for such good tidings, the people danced.
This Thursday at Summervale, Lillian and the Muses take the stage to gift us a small taste of divinity.
While Lillian Sebeirt has been creating under the name of Lillian and the Muses for a few years, the Muse’s current instrumentation only formed within the last year. The current ensemble is comprised of Lillian herself on lead vocals, Phil Cohen on guitar, Eli Goldman on upright bass, Ben Rogers on pedal steel, Maria Hamilton on the harp, and Connor Young on trumpet. The band members met in a myriad of ways. Lillian and Eli have been playing together for over 10 years, while Ben and Maria were introduced to Lillian through Eli. As for the sweet sound of trumpet in Lillian and the Muses’ music, Lillian heard Connor blowing away on his instrument and felt moved to leave him a note in his tip jar, thus beginning their musical connection.
With such a large group it is easy to imagine that rehearsing might be difficult, but Lillian mentioned that it’s “one of the beauties of Lillian and the Muses” that the Muses are given the option to join in on songs that they want to be a part of, or maybe sit a song out. Given the band’s powerhouse selection of instruments, the group is equipped to make a spectrum of sounds and music - and they are not afraid to use this spectrum at Summervale. Be on the lookout for the dynamic musical playing as, song-by-song, Muses may appear or disappear on the stage.
Lillian says that her muses appear in her dreams. As the main songwriter of the group, Lillian says that about a third of her lyrics will reveal themselves to her while she sleeps. She will have dreams in which music will start playing or she will start singing. Once she wakes from these spells, Lillian will hit record on her phone, which is preemptively opened to voice memos so as not to waste precious time.
Lillian notes that she has been singing forever. When she was born, her father was gifted a guitar which she has grown up along with. Lillian started her career singing folk songs with her dad. While she writes many on the guitar, she dabbles in any instrument she can get her hands on. “I'm always jonesing to get my hands on a new sound or a new feeling.”
The song that shows Lillian and the Muses’ swath of sound the best is their single “Spring” which was released on Spotify in 2021. Lillian notes the fluidity of their sound. “It’s evolved over time,” the songwriter shares. Lillian struggles to find the perfect genre name for her music but has settled with Indie-Americana-Beauty-Country.
“We kind of play along those lines of massive heartbreak and joyous euphoria of being in the throes of love.”
This is evident to the listener. Lillian and the Muses is feminine and soft, but once those heavier toned instruments come into play, the music transforms into a great groove. The band incorporates sounds that are both romantic and heart wrenching. Audiences might notice the lack of percussion in the band's current styling. Lillian made this choice intentionally for that softer, sweeter, and more intimate sound in their music.
Environment has everything to do with the creation of Lillian and the Muses’ music. Lillian is greatly inspired by natural beauty of Vermont. A native Vermonter herself, she left Berklee College of Music after a year to return to her home state. She is grateful for what Berklee was able to offer her but says that returning home has been more conducive for her musical career than any school could be. Lillian transferred to the University of Vermont where she majored in anthropology and minored in music.
Lillian also notes the importance of environment while performing. She enjoys performing outdoor venues because it immerses all participants; the musicians, the audience, and the music being created, into the backdrop of which the songs were written about and inspired by – Vermont. This past year, the band performed in the Winooski United Methodist Church at Waking Windows. The day of their performance the rain beat down on the heavy onto the slanted roofing beside the steeple. The windows of the church were left open to allow a comfortable air flow. “Even though we were inside, this outdoor element was coming in this dramatic and epic force of nature. And for me, always incorporating those elements of nature really adds to the music because it's part of the music as far as I'm concerned,” recounts Lillian.
As of now Lillian and the Muses are in the process of finishing up a new record, titled State of Romance, which listeners can expect in the next several months. Be sure to give them a follow on Spotify and keep your eyes out as they release singles, music videos, and surprises leading up to the album. Lillian also notes that she loves engaging with people on social media and at shows, so say hi this Thursday, at one of their upcoming dates, or on Instagram:
26th of August at the Burlington City Arts Lunch Series
26th of August at the Wishbone Collective in Winooski at 7:00pm