Hey, Modern Drummer readers. I’m not very good at updating myself via the interwebs, but I thought this would be a good opportunity to wean off of that in some way or another. My name is Lia Braswell, and I am twenty-two years old, living in the good ol’ San Fernando Valley. My mom has been a musician for practically her whole life, so I was programmed to be one as well. I started playing drums when I was about nine. I lucked out because my mom’s ex-husband happened to be a studio engineer/builder who turned our garage into a comfortable recording studio in three days out of the few years that he lived there. The recording aspect of it was short-lived due to unfortunate circumstances, but I’ve been using it as a rehearsal space, which has been nothing short of a blessing.

I started touring four years ago, and I’m just starting to get the art of it down. Right now I’m riding to Portland with Gothic Tropic for a mini tour up the West Coast. Touring in autumn is my absolute favorite (besides the fact that I’m too insanely distracted by the beauty of the scenery to get any work done). Last tour I went on in August was in Europe, where we had this incredible tour manager, Ingo, who updated my iTunes with tons of rad, obscure bands that I had never heard of before, and I’m just getting into the collection now. “Klacto Vee Sedstein” by Blue Rondo A La Turk is turning the cloudy, smooth drive into magic. I hope my bandmates aren’t too distracted by my awkward head banging in the back seat.

Anyways, I also play in a band called Le Butcherettes. We just finished our new album, which is supposed to be released early next year. I am really looking forward to getting back on the road with Teri Gender Bender. She and I get along like no other. We are similar in age and compare our experiences of life and pain and growing up, which keeps our bond as both bandmates and close friends extremely strong. Omar Rodriguez-Lopez produced the album and tracked bass. We recorded it all at Infrasonic Studios in Los Angeles. Making the album was really special for me because we all became really close and it all came so naturally. The album is really dark and heavy, but complements all of our individual styles as best as possible. I consider Teri and Omar family and cannot wait to show the world what we’ve got to show for our efforts. Advertisement

I’m honored to be contributing to moderndrummer.com, as I have been a fan of the site for years now. All of you drummers get me so inspired and ready to play right away!

Until next time,

Lia

 

For more on Lia Braswell, go to tumblr.com, facebook.com, or lebutcherettes.net.  Photo by Marilù Manta.