An Interview With Married Duo NOMAD & LOLA On Their Just Released Debut EP and More!

The modern-day power music couple, NOMAD & LOLA, combine their vast musical knowledge and expertise with charisma and steamy chemistry in their debut EP, NOIR, released recently on October 4th. The husband and wife duo carefully selected five iconic tracks that they re-imagined with a dark pop cinematic twist.

The couple are joined by an all-star cast of consummate musicians on their debut project. The artists performing on the EP include: Phil Lassiter (trumpet player for Prince), Dave Hooper (Drummer for Dave Koz), and Dmitry Gorodetsky (Bassist for Charlie Puth), Richie Pena (Drums/Programmer for Babyface).

Pulling from their incredibly diverse backgrounds, the husband and wife duo have brought their best assets together to create their own style in the reflection of legendary couples, such as Sonny & Cher, Johnny & June and Captain & Tennille. Together, the two united their talents and wide spectrum of musical influences to breath new life into five classic songs from the worlds of rock (Pink Floyd’s “The Wall”) to love ballads from the 40s and 50s (“Besame Mucho” and “Similau”). The EP also includes Nancy Sinatra’s smash 60s single “Bang-Bang” and a mash-up of Nina Simone’s “Summertime” and George Harrison’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”.

Learn more about Nomad & Lola in the following All Access interview-

So what does a typical day look like for this band? 

We’re married to the band (as well as each other) from the moment we wake up we are working on music in one way or another. We’re our own label so we have to cover every aspect of our careers from the music itself to promoting, marketing, as well as developing our act as a whole. 

What is on tap for the rest of your day and week?

Each week something new is at the forefront, its a revolving system of updating the NomadAndLola.com website, contributing to our various social media channels (@NomadAndLola), reaching out to music supervisors and other music taste makers, as well as writing, recording and mixing our songs. In addition to our music we also own two music libraries and work with other artists and composers creating music for TV & Film.

Now that we are more than halfway through the year, how would you say that 2019 is treating this duo so far? 

2019 has been full of lessons, we’re constantly evolving as artists and this year have truly found our voice and overall sound as a duo. 

What are some goals that you have for this year and how close are you to reaching them?

Our goal for 2019 was to release our debut EP NOIR, to create an awareness about the band and to solidify relationships with music supervisors as well as gain access to a manager and booking agent. We have done everything except land a manager and booking agent. 

Can you recall the moment when you thought you could be in this band together? 

It was about 10 years ago, we were separate artists in our own rights and playing at my sisters birthday party and the sparks were ignited. 

Has anything surprised you about this musical journey so far? 

Music plays a heavy role in all of our lives, with that said it is crazy how hard it is to get support as an indie musician, it seems very hard to get others to support your art.

How did you come up with your name?

The short answer: NOMAD is an actual nomad, who has spent decades traveling around the globe performing his music and the music of other artists. As a child LOVELY LOLA was prophesied to, with many of those prophesies coming true. So it only made sense to pay homage to that prophet whose name is LOLA.

How do you think your hometown has influenced the sound and how you both carry yourselves in this band?

Your home will always have an impact on your life regardless of where you come from. In our case, it is the various experiences we have gained from our travels around the world that have inspired us to create our sound. Although Nomad is a tried and true New Yorker, and I’m a badass Los Anglian. 

Why would you say that you two work so well together? Where is one of you weak where the other is strong and vice-versa? 

Together we’re a perfect blend, NOMAD is the genius producer and music maker behind our sound. Whereas LOLA is the storytelling lyricist. NOMAD can harmonize like an angel and Lola’s vocals are deep and rich with tone. 

Why does this duo work?

Because we have to…let me explain. If you’re called to music and you ignore it, a part of your soul literally dies away. Or at least it seems like that to us!  🙂 

Let’s talk about your newly released debut EP, “Noir.” What was it like putting this collection together?

NOIR came together like an unplanned party that turned into a rage! We have always had a passion for great songs, so we took a collection of our favorite songs that we felt deserved another round of celebration, put our own spin on them and voila! Like Nomad always says, it wasn’t until Van Halen did their famed covers album, Diver Down that paved the way for their hit 1984 album. 

Did anything surprise you about the overall process?

We learned a lot about the art of marketing on this album, you can create a masterpiece that can go undiscovered if not promoted correctly. 

How did you go about selecting the songs to cover on this EP?

We have several classic covers that we have performed over the years. NOIR is a collection of 5 covers re-imagined in a dark pop cinematic style. Honestly, we wanted to make an album that Quentin Tarantino would enjoy listening to.  

What was it like working on the classic Nancy Sinatra song, “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)”? How involved with the making of the video were you both?

We have often times been compared to a modern day Sonny & Cher. Ironically, (or not so ironically) Sonny Bono wrote the song – Bang Bang – and Cher was the first to perform it. However, it was Nancy Sinatra’s version that was launched into pop culture fame with the Kill Bill soundtrack. We took our inspiration from all of the above! 

How do you think your sound has grown over the years? 

NOMAD is a lover when it comes to songwriting, a solid mashup of John Mayer meets Jack Johnson with a little Jason Mraz on the side. LOLA started out in country then moved over to a more edgy rock pop sound a la Katy Perry, Lady Gaga mixed with Grace Potter. Over the years we have blended our various artistic flavors to create our dark pop cinematic sound with whimsical surprises in each collection of musings we conjure.  

What about your songwriting process? How has that changed?

The process hasn’t changed at all, NOMAD will create a cool track and LOLA adds the story with her word-smith ways. Or we’ll sit together and strum a guitar until something pops up! There are clear roles for each of us. NOMAD is the music maker, LOLA is the storyteller and together they are able to paint the wildest pictures into the imaginations of the listener. 

Where do you think you are both happiest- in the studio recording new music, on stage performing or elsewhere?

LOLA loves the writing process, creating new stories that reflect their personal lives as well as tapping into the world around them, NOMAD thrives in the studio and dies a little each day he doesn’t get to play in the studio. 

What has been a favorite show of yours to date? 

LOLA’s favorite show is from years ago at a place in Santa Monica called the Attic, we had the entire bar singing along to one of the songs we were playing. Being able to hear the crowd sing along is the ultimate reward. 

What do you think makes an ideal performance for this band? 

The audience is key to every performance. In our shows, we have a ton of audience participation so if the audience is not feeling it, neither are we. 

Where are you excited to play at next?

We love playing locally in our hometown of Burbank, CA. However, we are excited and eager to start our Wine Tour. We will be touring up and down the CA coast stopping at various Wineries all along the way! 

How do you think being musicians and in this band gives you all the most joy in life today?

Music is life. 

We are currently living through a very trying and politically charged time right now so I am curious to know how your own music is reflecting this time period? If you don’t think it is, why is that?

It seems that in today’s current mindset songs like Bang Bang can be frowned upon. We feel it is important to embrace all sides in our music especially emotions that are as passion filled as gun violence. Although we do not choose to use our musical platform to express our political views at this time, we do get involved as much as we can starting with our local community. Hopefully we can all band together and make a myriad of small improvements which compound into a big difference for the better! 

Who would you love to work with in the future? 

There are so many incredible artists that we would love to work with, the top being Paul McCartney and P!nk. 

Who are some of your favorite artists right now? 

We love classic story-telling artists like Paul McCartney, Billy Joel, Tom Petty, but we also love amazing players like, Tommy Emmanuel, Steve Vai, Jacob Collier and the list goes on and on! 

What do you think would be a dream collaboration for this duo?

It would be an amazing experience to collaborate with someone like Sir Greg Wells or T-Bone Burnett. 

Where would you love to hear your music being played? A TV show, a movie, in your favorite store, etc…?

Our music is cinematic so we’d love to hear it be used in that capacity for any film that our material has a synergy with… As well as a theme song for a badass show like True Detective, NARCOS, Better Call Saul, Big Little Lies etc…

What do you hope is the message of your music? 

That we are real people, not some soul-less A.I. generated artist that is doing whatever the machine tells them to. 

What do you hope people continue to take away from your songs?

We strive to connect with our audience by creating music that they can escape to. 

Is there anything else that you would like to share with our readers about your music?

There is plenty more to come! We will be putting out some of our original music in early 2020. Subscribe to and follow @NomadAndLola for new music, videos, live concerts, giveaways and more! If you want to learn more about what it takes to have a career in the entertainment industry, be sure to follow @TheCareerMusican which is NOMAD’s podcast where he interviews various industry professionals providing valuable insight and tips from the Pros themselves. 

For more info:  NomadandLola.com