An Interview With The Austin-Based All Female Pop/Rock Band, THE MRS.!

Meet the Austin-based, all female pop/rock band THE MRS! On March 10th, they release their self-titled debut album, featuring new single “Blink Of An Eye” now available at all digital outlets. Check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yCiIedYCWs&t=5s

The 11-track, self-produced album is designed to connect with today’s contemporary woman who strives to live a full and active life, without limitations. They are sexy, modern, liberated and unapologetic wives and mothers who rock.

THE MRS includes founder Andra Liemandt (drums), Jenny Mason (bass), Mandy Prater (guitar/vocals), and Larissa Ness (keyboard/vocals). They broke out onto the music scene with two Top 20 Hot AC singles titled “Enough” and “You Told Me” from their EP, Enough.

Band founder Andra Liemandt was inspired to study the craft of drumming after taking her daughter to music lessons. Feeling inspired, she sought out like-minded female musicians who would form the nucleus of THE MRS. After logging many hours in the studio, the band’s passion and message came to fruition and their movement starting to gain traction and pay off.

THE MRS has been featured on Good Morning America, Huffington Post, People, Cosmopolitan and Buzzfeed, among other outlets.

Their music speaks to the modern woman, exploring the daily reality of wives and mothers, while offering a support network and a message of empowerment, in an effort to shift the cultural tide. The group’s purpose is to uplift and strengthen women and community, so they can live their best life ever and deflect any negative self-talk that may occur when they look in the mirror. Emphasis is placed on personal relationships, careers, marriages, families and friendships.

THE MRS is excited to share their debut full length with fans and looks forward to live performance dates and touring in the near future.

Learn more about The Mrs. in the following All Access interview:

*answers by Andra Liemandt, Founder and Drummer for The Mrs

Thanks for your time once again for another All Access interview! What are some words you would use to describe 2016 for you and your music? What were some of the highlights? What are you most excited about for 2017?

Words to describe 2016 for The Mrs: inspiring, creative, explosive. One of the biggest highlights of 2016 was writing our debut album together — over the course of two weekends! — quickly followed by our radio tour in the Big Apple, where we played Billboard, met with People Magazine and Rachel Ray, and even jammed together on the subway! It was an incredible, adventure-filled year, and we are so grateful for every second.

Our debut album launches this week. We are so excited to share our new music with the world and to play for our fans. We will be celebrating during SXSW here in Austin, and can’t wait to see where else we end up this year!

Growing up, did all of you always want to be musicians? Can you recall your earliest musical memory? Could you see yourself doing anything else today?

I got a little taste of the music scene back in high school, dating a few musicians, but it really wasn’t until later in life that I fell in love with the drums. Once I started drumming, it awakened a part of me that yearned to create, and to make something with other people. I quickly knew that this was where I wanted to be.

Not long after that personal discovery, I had what seemed like a wild idea…why not get the girls together for a band, instead of a book club? I immediately called Jenny Mason, my best friend, and shared my idea for this journey. She wholeheartedly jumped onboard with me, and found her calling with the bass.

Larissa (Ness, keyboards and vocals) and Mandy (Prater, guitar and vocals) have music in their blood, and have been following their performance passions since a young age. We’ve all fallen deep under the spell, and there’s no turning back.

How did you come up with your name? Was it hard to narrow down one name that described this group?

Funny story…the very first band I was in was called The Mombos, and my husband wouldn’t let me forget it as we were brainstorming names. Ha! Keeping that in mind, I searched for a band name that reflected all facets of who we were and what we stood for: moms, wives, friends. “The Mrs” encapsulates all of those roles.

If I didn’t live here in LA, I would live in your current home of Austin. Can you talk about the energy of the city and how you’ve all been influenced by its rich melting pot of culture, music and everything else?

One of the things I love most about Austin is that it is a fusion of food, music, and high tech. You can go out every night of the week, in any part of town, and hear amazing music. Being surrounded by such talent is both inspiring and empowering. There is also this beautiful sense of community here, from personal friendships to city support in business and the arts. It truly is a city of dreams, and of dreamers.

On that note, much of our outreach with The Mrs is community-driven, from partnering with SAFE Alliance on our song “Draw the Line,” to connecting with local music producers. Austin is a YES town filled with possibility, and we feel lucky every day to benefit from, and contribute to, this engaged community.

You are about to release your debut self-titled album on March 10^th. How does that feel? How long has it taken to put this collection together? How is this music different and/or similar to the songs on your previous EP, “Enough, The Mrs”?

It definitely feels exciting, but to be honest, I don’t think ‘exciting’ quite covers it! We actually wrote the album as a band, over the course of two weekends, and recorded it in ten days. Our producers were a little nervous about being stuck in a room with all of us girls for two weekends, but the process proved cat-fight free, and even therapeutic as we all just vibed.

Our new album, much like our debut EP “Enough,” is a soundtrack that women of all ages, mothers, and the men in their lives can relate to. We set out to create music that we can share with our kids, and that will lift up and energize women like us who want it all: careers, marriages, kids, and meaningful friendships.

Let’s talk about your current single, “Blink of An Eye.” Where did the inspiration for this track come from? In general, how do you four go about getting a song made? Has this process continued to change over time?

“Blink of an Eye” is all about the importance of pausing to enjoy the moment and celebrate the journey. It’s hard to pin down one single point of inspiration; it’s really a reflection on how life in general moves by too fast, from kids growing up, to growing older, and careers flying by.

Our writing process has always been the same. We find strength in writing and recording together, and actually those are some of our favorite times spent together. While we all bring different song and music ideas to the table, we are fundamentally collaborative, and always have been.

This March, you are heading to SXSW to perform. Is the first time that you have played a show at the festival? Got any other shows lined up this Spring and Summer?

This is our first time playing SXSW, and we’ve got two great shows lined up: the Be Found Party, hosted by Mario Lopez at The Belmont on March 12th – a free event with RSVP, and then at 8pm on the 18th we’ll be on the outdoor Texas Rockfest stage at 7th St. and Neches. With our debut album launching this week, we are really looking forward to getting out and playing more shows to share our music and our message. There may even be a tour in the future, but you’ll just have to wait and see; keep up with our Facebook page for upcoming events and dates!

Do you ever find that it is difficult to keep up with your social media followers? How do you stay engaged on your Twitter, Facebook and Instagram pages?

It’s a challenge for all bands these days, isn’t it? With information overload, social media can certainly be challenging — the messages pass by in the blink of an eye! But we do try to stay engaged, and we love talking with our fans. We know they relate to our message, and we want to provide that deep connection both on and off the stage.

Who are some of your favorite musicians? What musicians would you love to work with in the future?

It is tough to only list a few, but some of our all-time favorites are Madonna, U2, Michael Jackson, Prince, Elton John, and George Michael. The list of musicians we would love to work with is so long and we don’t want to leave anyone out, so you’ll just have to stay tuned to see what the future of The Mrs holds!

At the end of the day, what do you hope is the message of your music? What do you hope people take away from your songs?

We are all connected through our experiences, and we hope to give our fans songs that they can relate to and be inspired by. We’re on a mission to connect with and empower women who strive for a full life, and we want them to hear their own lives reflected back to them on the radio. We hope they roll the windows down and sing along with us!

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

I think the music really speaks for itself, and this whole journey ties back to gratitude for those we share it with. Thank you for the interview and the opportunity to share our story!