Inspired by Hayley Williams, singer Tonia Broucek fronts the fast-emerging pop-punk band that aims to release its first full-length album this summer after a West Coast tour.
THE BAND: The Lippies
WHAT THEY PLAY: Feminist pop-punk
WHERE YOU CAN SEE THEM: June 6 at the Local First Street Party in downtown Grand Rapids (following a West Coast tour)
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There’s a lot to tackle for a young band that’s just starting out: booking tours, making records, rehearsing, networking.
Cultivating a socially responsible message doesn’t usually make it on the to-do list for most DIY groups, but The Lippies aren’t most bands.
For starters, their origins are somewhat legendary: During a Paramore show in Detroit in 2012, lead singer Hayley Williams pulled a young blonde woman from the crowd to sing the bridge of the group’s ultra-famous tune, “Misery Business.” There’s even a video capturing the moment on YouTube : With seemingly all the confidence in the world, the blondie nails it.
The lucky lady was Tonia Broucek, who started The Lippies last year with bassist Lawrence Kole and guitarist Taylor Shupe.
Broucek had experience playing shows in a number of more folk-leaning outfits, while Kole had been playing in a number of bands: the Celtic-punk outfit Ten Second March, The RedLights, and the still-active indie-punk group Daggerdown.
After posting online in search of a drummer into ’90s riot grrrl tunes, the trio linked up with David Sparks and started penning tunes.
“The goal was to play fun music with a message,” Kole said. “That message comes from a feminist point of view and it’s a message of equality across the board. No gender, no race, no age – just universal equality for everyone.”
In a relatively male-dominated industry, it’s a relevant message with sturdy music behind it; The Lippies pump out polished, driving pop-punk. And a lot of it – the group released the six-song “The Lippies EP” in December and is planning to lay down a newer batch of songs this summer.
“I think we have between eight and 12 new tunes nearly completed now, so when we get back from tour we are going to take some time in the studio to record a full-length record and try to get that out by mid to late summer,” Kole said. “Maybe sooner; we work pretty fast.”
For now, however, The Lippies are focused on an upcoming West Coast tour that will take the band through California, Nevada, Arizona and Colorado – as well as a couple of dates with veteran Grand Rapids ska-punk band Mustard Plug (starting with Friday’s show at the Tiger Room in Fort Wayne, Ind.).
GETTING HELP FROM FRIENDS IN THE UNDERGROUND SCENE
As exciting as the upcoming tour is for the foursome, Kole said putting it all together hasn’t been easy.
“It’s definitely a huge undertaking as we’re booking everything ourselves. Being in a DIY band is a ton of work,” he said. “But everything is coming together and it looks like all of our shows will be pretty good. We have a ton of friends in the underground scene that have helped us out putting this together.”
The Lippies were able to show off some of their newer tunes recently during a Record Store Day performance at Vertigo Music in Grand Rapids, which also doubled as a release show for the group’s split 7” record with another up-and-coming West Michigan punk act, Black Monuments.
“Playing a show at one of your favorite record stores is a cool thing. People were jammed into the aisles and really seemed to get into it. I also heard that we were both loud as hell,” Kole said, laughing. “But it was really a highlight for us to be able to do that and we are grateful to (Vertigo honcho) Herm (Baker) for giving us the opportunity.”
The next local show for The Lippies will be June 6 at the Local First Street Party in downtown Grand Rapids, just days after the group returns from their West Coast tour. Despite the somewhat frenetic pace things have taken and the welcomed attention that band has gotten, Kole said the band is staying focused on what’s ahead and remaining a part of the local music culture.
“We are truly amazed and grateful at the attention we have been receiving. It also feels great that there is life in the local scene again and people want to go see live music at local bars, venues and DIY spots,” Kole said. “We have so much talent in this city right now and it’s cool that it is being appreciated for what it is.”
Learn more about The Lippies here.
VIDEO: The Lippies, “Sidewalk Talk” (Acoustic)
VIDEO: Tonia Broucek with Paramore in Detroit
PODCAST: The Lippies on Local Spins on WYCE
Copyright 2015, Spins on Music LLC