Name: Lawrence Liao
Location: San Francisco, CA
Relationship to music: Listener/Concert Goer
Industry: Tech/Finance
I thought Lawrence was perfect for this project because he sees a lot of bands live. (Something I am very envious of.) He has been supportive of Five Song Project since day one and gave me some ideas that I tackled in my hiatus week a few weeks back. Today we talk about some of the concerts he has been to recently that have really left an impression on him.
5songprjct: First, thank you for your insight about the blog last month(ish.) I like hearing from readers about what is working and what isn’t. I see what makes sense to me, but I guess I don’t really experience my blog a reader, more of a behind the scenes tinkerer. I hope that the new changes help to make it more user friendly.
I see a lot of posts from you about going to concerts. Do you usually know the band that you are going to see or do you just wing it?
Lawrence: I know the band most of the time, but I’ve never been afraid to wing it. I will hear a band somewhere, like NPR, which does this thing on Fridays that sometimes feature a band that‘s playing in the area. They’ll play a song or some clips and I’ll go check them out. Friends send me music that they think I might like and I’ll make a point to see them if they come to town. I definitely make an effort to see the openers at shows. This is how I discovered The Colourist, who opened for The Naked and Famous. I had no idea who they were and they were just awesome. I love seeing bands I don’t know, because it’s how I found a few of my favorite artists.
5songpjct: How do you find out about concerts? I feel like I always just miss something or find out that the band I want to see is playing when it is too late to do anything about it.
Lawrence: The main way I find out about shows is by following bands on social media. Spotify also lists if bands you follow are gonna play a show in your city. It requires a bit of work, you have to be committed to it. I also subscribe to a lot of concert venue mailing lists. There are about a dozen or so in San Francisco. I try to see bands live as often as I can and buy stuff at shows to support artists more directly.
5songpjct: I suppose that musicians aren’t making a lot of money on their music anymore, especially with how easy it is to hear it for free.
Lawrence: Yeah, I don’t think they make much on albums anymore. Take The Naked and Famous for example, they’ve been around for about ten years and only have three albums. It seems like they tour a lot, and when you’re on the road you’re not in the recording studio. In this day and age you probably make more money touring, that’s why I buy things at shows.
5songpjct: How was the show last night? (Lawrence had seen The Naked and the Famous the night before the interview.)
Lawrence: It was incredible. Working on this project and thinking about what to write and how I think about songs really opened up the experience. I have to admit, I got a little emotional last night. I had heard the songs before the concert, but for some reason hearing them live, I got a little choked up a few times. It was probably one of the most enjoyable concerts I’d been to in a while. I had seats in the second row with a great view. When they liked my post (on instagram) I just flipped out. It was the second time that’s happened after posting photos from a show. Being acknowledged by the band is pretty cool.
5songpjct: What was the first concert you went to?
Lawrence: It was a long time ago, but I’m pretty sure it was Erasure the Innocence tour. It was the summer of 1988 and the ticket was maybe $3 for general admission. I went with a bunch of high school friends and had so much fun. They are great in concert. Tons of energy. Looking back, I pretty much know all the words to the songs on that album.
5songpjct: What is the theme of this week’s songs?
Lawrence: I had a little trouble finding a theme, since you left it open ended. I think I’m one of the people you chose because I see a lot of live music. So I wanted a theme related to that. When I read what your other contributors chose, they had some really fun and interesting themes, and there was no way I was going to be as creative. So I thought about the songs from artists I had seen recently.
5songpjct: What was the hardest thing about picking your five songs? (If you had a hard time)
Lawrence: Yeah, I felt like picking songs, after reading what your contributors had already chosen, was challenging. I wanted to pick songs that had meaning to me personally. You talk about your project as getting to know people five songs at a time. I wanted to stay true to that. Of the bands I’ve seen recently, which songs did I connect with the most? Which ones tell my story?
Assignment for April 22, 2018
Today you get a sneak peak of the songs coming up this week. They are available on the Spotify playlist. The songs are also playable by clicking the song title which will launch the YouTube version of the song. (When it is available)
[1] Daniela Andrade. “Black Sheep.” [Available via YouTube, unreleased single]
[2] The Naked and the Famous. “Girls Like You.” Passive me, Aggressive You, Somewhat Damaged, 2010
[3] Eisley. “Defeatist.” I’m Only Dreaming, Equal Vision, 2017
[4] The xx. “Islands.” XX, Young Turks, 2009
[5] Kina Grannis. “In Your Arms.” Stairwells, One Haven, 2010
HAPPY TO BE posting new content again. I post Sundays-Fridays. Come back tomorrow when we talk about Daniela Andrade and her cover of “Black Sheep”