Nardo Lilly’s Debut Album Takes Wing

BY COLLEEN FOSTER

Brushing off those pop culture paradigms, she defies classification in any either/or, black/white, good girl/bad girl dichotomy. As the title track of The Wing Woman LP goes: “For once could I be the love interest / As well as the comic relief?”

Listening to her inaugural studio release, it’s easy to picture this singer-songwriter nailing that “As well as.” But not by hiding her goofy whims -- rather, boldly using them to fuel our collective crush on the lion-maned, guitar-strumming bundle of paradoxes that is Nardo Lilly.

Northern Virginia native Annie Nardolilli, whose surname-bending musician identity is further evidence of her creativity, is clearly educated in ways that go far beyond her Temple University Bachelor’s degree. From Les Misérables to Yuri Gagarin, Smokey the Bear to Neil deGrasse Tyson, the breadth of her allusions shows off an eclectic pop culture palate.

And, like a spicy food whose capsaicin has a delayed kick a minute after you bite in, the punchlines of her songs sneak up on you. For example: with a slick bluesy electric bass riff, the perennial crowd favorite “Benedict Cumberbatch” enumerates all the traits she desires in a boyfriend. It’s a hefty shopping list, from “look[ing] like David Beckham in his underwear” to “all that 1940s Humphrey Bogart swag.”

But then she flips the switch: “But if I’m supposed to look like the girls in magazines / Then I’ll hold men up to the standards they set up for me / So if you’ve gotta’ have your model / I’ve gotta’ have Benedict Cumberbatch.”

Ha. This is no pining ingenue. The joke’s on you. Or even better, you’re in on it.

Performing live, these twister lines come with a sly smile that pops the bubble. Gigs have included Libertine, Acre 121, and Ebenezers in Washington, D.C., the IOTA Club & Café in Arlington, Virginia, and World Cafe Live in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

This whimsy translates effortlessly on the recording, available as of a month ago on iTunes, CD Baby, and Spotify and intended soon for an old-school compact disc. It is the long-awaited culmination of a summer in the studio under the tutelage of producer and engineer Ken Barnum at Recording Arts in Springfield, Virginia.

Her own guitar and vocals shine center stage, a lyrical pop/folk alto reminiscent of Ingrid Michaelson and Vanessa Carlton. She is backed up on all nine original compositions by Kyle Harlos’s smooth strums on the bass, Corie Schofield’s soulful violin that can morph into a good ole fiddle when it needs to evoke the 1860s (check out “Appomattox”) and Ethan Drake’s reliable percussion.

“Kitty Hawk” has a pensiveness to her future, an earnest recognition of where she is but reminding any standby not to underestimate her. “Don’t think that just because I’ve found my wings / Means I’m going anywhere anytime soon / But now you see I can fly across the beach / And in due time / I’ll make it beyond the moon.” Alright, then. We are buckled in and ready for takeoff. Let’s go along for the ride.

PS: Follow Nardo Lilly’s Facebook page and Twitter to stay on top of her performance schedule and new song releases.

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Colleen Foster is a freelance writer, editor, artist, and language teacher in Arlington, Virginia. She carries Bachelor's degrees in Spanish and English from Shenandoah University, and her work previously appeared in Luna Luna in "10 Signs You're A Politi-Kid."

Tuesday Playlist Of Gloomy Vintage Spook Songs

Is is too depressing to even think of it being only Tuesday? Fear not, beauty. These vintage spooky, gloomy, dark Tuesday songs are here for you; bring your magic back.

Interview With The Magical Andrea Diaz Of Superhuman Happiness

BY LISA MARIE BASILE

Lovely, talented, gorgeous Andrea Diaz, who are you?

I am a brujita living and working in Brooklyn with my two little parakeets, Sol and Luna. I'm a vocalist, songwriter, and visual artist. Dancing and reading keep me sane. I recently got a new black bicycle, which I promptly named Nightrider. For those of you who are astrologically inclined, I'm a triple Gemini--( sun, rising, and moon). So far, my life revolves around learning to accept ( or at least try to manage) all the whims, desires, and paradoxes within myself and to channel them into something worthwhile. Because of this, I took on the name DIA LUNA to help me empower myself in my creative projects.

Being around you is magical and powerful. I remember when we did a spell together on your roof. It worked. You've got such an aura. How do you approach infusing your life and music with magic? 

Thank you! I could write forever about this so please forgive me if I go full Gemini now. I've been called a romantic on more than one occasion. While I'm not particularly sentimental, but I do believe that romance is a crucial part of life and music, and that it comes from being sensitive and childlike in our relationship to the world. Truly, a lot of magic comes from appreciating and engaging with the beauty in the people and things that surround you. Those are the things that end up being my inspiration and my motivation to create. The element of play is also hugely important.

Recently, I was at St. Dympha's on St. Mark's for my bandmate's birthday party on a sunny Sunday afternoon. There were two guys playing soccer on the sidewalk, kicking the ball to passerbies. Some people ignored them, but others did not. It was amazing to see an unassuming stranger do a trick and kick the ball back to them! Right away I knew what the guys were doing: they were creating a moment, they were creating community with one tiny, silly gesture. Obviously I couldn't resist and I joined them right away. By the end of the night we had a circle of more than ten people having the time of their lives just kicking a ball around! It was simple, but exhilarating. That's how it works. I feel the best when I give myself to the moment, relish whatever joy I can, and don't take myself too seriously. 

Tell us about Superhuman Happiness, your band. 

I became the lead vocalist for Superhuman Happiness a year and a half ago. My bandmate, Stuart Bogie likes to say it's dance music for the emotionally complicated, which I find both hilarious and accurate. We're releasing a record in September and all of the tracks are pretty intense conceptually.

There are lots of questions about our relationships to technology and our relationships to one another, all set against the backdrop of day to day life in NYC. It's called Escape Velocity, which in scientific terms, is the amount of force that it takes for an object to supercede the gravitational pull of the earth and blast off into space. There's definitely a lot of intensity and the feeling of wanting to break free--it's a very introspective record in a lot of ways. We don't let anyone get too bummed out though, because the tracks are super danceable and they got the funk!

What other projects are you working on? 

I have another project called The Duchess and the Fox, with my friend, and downtown music legend, Joe McGinty. We like to call it nouveau cabaret music since it's minimal in instrumentation--just piano and voice. It's very lyrical and a lot of the songs revolve around hanging out in bars, dreaming of old flames, and walking around cities at night. We will be releasing an EP at the beginning of next year! I'm also planning on finally unveiling a solo project called DIA LUNA, an electronic pop project I've been working on under the radar. So yeah, lots of things happening in their cycles, always!

What are your inspirations?

Oh lord! So many! The paintings of Frida Kahlo have always inspired me because of their vibrancy. She crafted a whole universe and mythology in her work. The diary of Anais Nin was hugely influential for me as well. She's so breathtakingly precise in her description of the creative process, and in her portrayal of what it is like to live as an emotionally aware woman. Both her and Frida lived the magic and both were way ahead of their time. In terms of music, Nina Simone's recordings have been one of my pillars of inspiration since I first heard them in high school. There's one recording in particular that I found recently, which totally blew me away. She's performing "Sinnerman" live. At the end, all the backing instruments fall away and there's just her playing this crazy piano tag and singing, "Power, Lord! Don't you know I need you lord?" I mean, holy shit. It gives me shivers every time I hear it, because you hear the truth in it, and you can really feel on a visceral level, her desperation and her power at the same time.

Where can we catch you next?

We're also doing an East Coast tour to promote Escape Velocity, so if you're not in NYC, you might be able to catch us there! Check out the dates here. The next Superhuman Happiness show in NYC is in November.

Superhuman Happiness is playing on November 11th with Antibalas and Santigold at Brooklyn Bowl. Tickets can be purchased here.  Check out more about the Duchess and the Fox here.