PREMIERE: Catching Up With Emma’s Lounge + Stream “March”

Coming up out of Asheville, NC, rockers Emma’s Lounge are an ensemble that blends a variety of sounds and styles that can be electrifying yet heartfelt.

Today, GroundSounds is premiering “March,” the latest single off of the band’s forthcoming album Confluence. The track brings a funkier vibe than their previous teaser, “Gimme Yer Love,” calling to mind long nights a little further south down in New Orleans.

Listen to Emma’s Lounge’s “March” below and stick around for an interview with the band. Look for Confluence out October 12th.

Hi Emma’s Lounge! Congrats on your new album. Can you tell us a little more on who you are and how you first got into making music?

Hi GroundSounds! Thanks so much for featuring our music– we really appreciate it!

We are a “Space Age Folk Wave” band from Asheville, NC. Our crew is composed of me (Logan Venderlic) on guitar and vocals, keys player and spine-tingling vocalist Meg Heathman, violinist and endless fun-machine Emma Forster, bustling, dexterous and intuitive drummer, Mackenzie Richburg, and prodigious hybrid artist Brendan Bower (lead guitar, bass, keys, vocals).

We solidified as a group in May 2017. After playing solo for over six years, I set out to start a progressive variety band. By that, I mean that I want to play in a band that can play almost any style of music and I want to keep our audience on their toes.

Eventually, I met all of these wonderful people and, with our powers united, we’re able to create really great, beautiful, ridiculous music.

What’s your songwriting process like?

Well, we’re still trying out all sorts of things as a group. I still write a lot of songs myself, including “March,” but we’ve started to collaborate in lots of different setups. For instance, on our upcoming album, Confluence, we have a tune called “Get Out (Of Your Own Way)” that was a full collaboration with me, Meg, and Emma. We just met up at my house one night in a triangle with our computers and a shared Google Doc up and went at it. It came together super quickly!

And that’s just the writing side. Kenzie and Brendan aren’t big on writing lyrics but they shine on the music side. Usually, one of us brings in some lyrics and chords and then we bring it to fruition together.

What was the inspiration behind “March”?

Growing up in rural Appalachia, experiencing the social pressure of pre-determined life-paths fueled by ignorance and shitty modern country music with buzzword lyrics that mean nothing.

“March” is the product of years of angst and is a coming out party for me. It’s me, fighting back against leading a life of quiet desperation.

This one is super fun, live. We work to create an inclusive, hate-free atmosphere at our shows, so I relish in doing my little rap in the breakdown of the tune. It feels like a little musical high-five with our audience.

Who are some of your biggest influences/favorite artists?

I was recently asked this elsewhere. It’s so difficult because there are so many. Here’s a very slightly modified list from my other list: David Bowie, David Byrne, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, John Prine, The Cars, Elvis Costello, Odetta, Aretha Franklin, Rage Against the Machine, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Connor Oberst, blink-182, Deer Tick, Jack White, Jonathan Richman, The Shins, St. Vincent, Vampire Weekend, BIG Something, Shovels and Rope, Bill Withers, The Clash, The Doors, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Lou Reed.

Any new artists/venues/purveyors of the arts you could turn our readers onto?

These guys aren’t exactly new, but if you don’t already know BIG Something, Dr. Bacon, and/or The Fritz, please go see them live immediately. That is an order. They are some of our favorite bands. They make great music and are genuine, wonderful people.

Where can we follow you and where can our readers catch you live next?

You can follow us with any of these links:
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

And here’s a current list of our announced shows:

9/30 – Schuylkill Haven, PA – Meeting of the Minds Festival
10/4 – 10/7 – Pittsboro, NC – Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival
10/13 – Asheville, NC – Asheville Music Hall (Album Release Show)
10/20 – Boone, NC – TApp Room
11/1 – Charleston, SC – Charleston Pour House
11/2 – Wilmington, NC – The Whiskey
11/3 – Macon, GA – The Hummingbird
12/13 – Raleigh, NC – Raleigh Pour House
12/14 – Charlotte, NC – Thomas Street Tavern

Any parting thoughts? Open platform!

I asked Meg, our keys player, resident message deliverer, and accountability manager, for her take on this. Here’s what she had to say…

“We as a band and as a society have much work to do. ‘March’ was written from a place of angst. We can all look out into the world and see injustice in its perpetual shape shifting form. If we were to take time to pay attention to it, we could be overwhelmed by its magnitude. However, there also exists beauty and magic. We just need to be able to adjust our eyes to see it, to feel it and to open ourselves up to be fueled by it. It’s that fueling energy that is exactly what’s needed to be the resistance. Change comes from the inside and nowhere else. We have to learn to be our own first responders. In order to do that, we must clear away all the clutter and allow for emptiness. Only in space and stillness can we find what we need to be able to respond to any situation that we find ourselves in with truth and integrity. It’s high time to make change happen in every direction. We ALL need to begin to study our own personal impact on mother nature and her human beings. This is how we take the power back! This is how we march!”