This interview is part of our month long collaboration with Gender Amplified, highlighting some of the dynamic members of their community. 

Describe who you are and what you do, both professionally, and who you are as a person beyond work:

I’m Lyd Marie (she/her), I’m a producer, songwriter and percussionist with a passion for bringing community together. I’m the co-founder and percussionist of the all-woman world folk band Ley Line and have a fully self-produced solo project that I describe as “Sade Americana.” I love to travel and learn new languages and I’m grateful that music has taken me to so many places over the years!

I’m Aviva La Viv (she/they), singer/songwriter, designer, and multidisciplinary artist/performer. The throughline of my work and passions is, “a better world is possible”—whether through my work as a civic technologist designing better government services, writing and performing social movement songs, or leading the creative direction for Tone Shift Collective, I truly believe in creativity as a force for good in the world! 

What’s a non-conventional phrasing or framing to explain what you do?

Lyd: “Human Spider”: I build webs to connect people and opportunities and always have my hands in 8 different projects at once.

Aviva: “Conscious Creativity Fairy”: flitting around to all my projects, passions, and people, sprinkling on some magic to make them “fly”—with purpose. (Plus actual iridescence/sparkle, if you ever see me in person,)

Is there something that you read, watched, or listened to that changed your approach to your craft, job, or to music as a whole? 

Lyd: My friend and brilliant producer Mary Bragg once gave me the advice “finish the song as it is today.” This has helped me put aside perfectionism and see the potential in a work in progress.

Aviva: Similar to Lyd’s—someone gave me the advice once to just release your music (or art of any kind) when it’s at 80%, because it will probably never really get to “100%” done. It’s scary to put ourselves out there, but if you hold everything too close to your chest, your work will never make it out into the world. 

What’s your advice for good musical collaborations? 

Lyd: Listen closely. A good collaborator is constantly adjusting and responding to the energy in the room. You need to listen in order to respond.

Aviva: Trust your instincts. When I was recording my first EP, at first I didn’t always speak up on my intuition because I didn’t think I had enough “experience”, but then someone else (usually a cis man) would voice what I was thinking. It showed me I actually knew what I was talking about (especially for my own music!).

What’s your advice for artists who may be having trouble finding community or collaborators? 

Lyd: Offer your skills and expertise, even if it feels like a bit of a stretch or a lift. When you lend a hand it always comes back around. And don’t be afraid to ask for what you need! You never know, someone might be eager to jump on a project with you!

What’s your advice for creating spaces where community can thrive and grow? 

Lyd: Consistency. We’ve all had that day where we really want to go to the function but we need to care for ourselves instead. Knowing that there will be another opportunity to connect and take part helps establish a sense of trust that this community is one I can lean and depend on. I think that grows a strong foundation.

Aviva: Creating a warm and inclusive environment—we’ve been exploring the concept of “community not cliques.” We can’t take credit for the original idea, but essentially it’s creating spaces that are inclusive, expansive and growth oriented, have space to learn and unlearn, and are collaborative, vs ones that are exclusive, contractive, gatekeeping, performative, and unspoken hierarchy. 

What’s something happening in the music industry at large that makes you feel hopeful or inspired? 

Lyd: I’m excited to see artists redefining success in the industry. Whether it’s opting out of label deals and releasing independently, seeking out alternative venues and space to perform, collaborating across disciplines, artists are realizing that there actually is enough space for everyone to thrive instead of competing for the same spot. I’m hopeful that this spirit of collaboration over competition will make this career path more accessible and possible!

Who’s someone you admire? 

Lyd: I know it’s a bit sappy but we wanted to say we admire each other! I really admire Aviva for tying together her music and activism. She has performed at some big protests and uses her platform to advocate for marginalized communities. As Nina Simone said “an artist’s duty is to reflect the times” and I think Aviva’s music does that so well.

Aviva: Lyd inspires me so much! She has this amazing way of making things happen and believing that big things are possible—it’s infectious! Plus, she truly is a wizard of serendipity—she knows so many awesome and authentically wonderful people, which makes for the most beautiful collaborations. The way she connects with people, whether on stage, at an impromptu jam, in the recording studio, or literally on the street, is truly her superpower.

Who’s an artist you’re excited about right now, or listening to a bunch lately? What do you like about them?

Lyd: Caroline Rose. Not only did her breakup album get me through a really difficult moment in my life and deeply inspire the music I’m soon to be releasing from my upcoming album “4U,” but her unconventional and unapologetic approach to navigating the music industry is a huge inspiration.

Aviva: Right now I’m feeling really inspired by artists like Batya Levine and Aly Halpert—other queer Jewish artists who are using their voices to create movement music that speaks to the intense moment we are in. We need more songs for collective resilience and courage in the face of tyranny and oppression, which is what I’m currently focusing on in the recording process for my new song “Shalom Achshav (Peace Now)”.

Can you describe a project you worked on that was personally significant, or you learned a big lesson from?

Lyd: In 2021 my band Ley Line released our visual album “We Saw Blue.” We filmed over the course of 4 months in Brazil in 2017. I remember it felt like it was taking forever to finish it and put it out, and when the pandemic hit we felt we had missed a chance by not releasing before the lock down. We ended up premiering the film in 2021 the Paramount Theater in Austin, it was almost every audience member's first live show in a year and a half. That show was one of the most memorable moments of my life and still resonates deeply with everyone that attended it. It’s such a good reminder to trust the timing and don’t rush the process.

Aviva: Recording and releasing my double EPs, “Vigilant Love” Volumes 1 and 2 (2021 - 2023), was my first time professionally recording my own music. I’d been writing music and performing for years, but had focused the last decade on my design career because it felt more “stable”. So this was a crash course in arranging and music production, taking my solo songs that were just me and my guitar, to full band, full effects, etc. It totally expanded my creativity and showed me that I had skills in areas I didn’t even realize. It was super validating. It also made me passionate about sharing that knowledge with other artists, especially other women and queer folks, to help demystify the whole thing—it’s never too late! 

Does Tone Shift have anything coming up that you’d like to plug? 

Our next monthly Listening Party & Artist Mixer is on May 15th, so if you are a woman or gender expansive artist or producer with new music coming out or a recent release, we’d love to feature you! And in June we’ll be producing a Pride Showcase with an all queer lineup, more details to come!

Keep up with Tone Shift Collective:

https://www.instagram.com/toneshiftcollective/

About Gender Amplified:

Founded in 2007 at Barnard College in New York City, Gender Amplified is a non-profit organization that aims to celebrate women and gender-expansive music producers, raise their visibility and develop a pipeline for them to build equity in the music industry.

The movement also connects passion for music with technical skills that can be used in a wide range of scientific and arts based fields, areas in which women are traditionally underrepresented.

Learn more here.

Follow: https://www.instagram.com/genderamplified/