aaron x lily

[aaron eklund]

CONVERSATION BETWEEN:

Aaron & Lily

[lily mccarthy]

LILY hi! this is lily mccarthy? i got your number from a friend of mine and candidly have had a couple drinks with some persuasive bandmates so...hello? if you know nothing about this i'm so sorry.

[aaron eklund]

Aaron Hi. Yeah, Jack gave me a headsup. I'm Aaron. Never been set up via text or Sadie Hawkins style, but here we are. At least something to laugh at right off the bat I guess?

[lily mccarthy]

LILY Ah. Well I'm sure it's easy to put together then that I'm friends with Sylvia. Me either, the closest I think I ever got to something Sadie Hawkins was the song. But the world's a little different these days so I guess set ups on tour it is? You can admit it's a little crazy, haha. I don't mind.

[aaron eklund]

Aaron Yeah he mentioned as much. Friends of his, friends of hers, the chain keeps going. I don't mind either, if anything it's an interesting story. I got 2 questions. What city are you in, and what are you drinking?

[lily mccarthy]

LILY How do you know Jack? Definitely unique. But 1) I'm in Calgary, ever been? and 2) Moscow Mules. My cheat way of saying i'm preserving my voice with ginger.

[aaron eklund]

Aaron We met at a bar a few months back. Walked into a spirited discussion about drivers and traffic haha. Nah I've never been that far up north. Your first time there or Canada? I'll be honest now, I didn't do much looking up of you. Felt cheaty. How goes the tour?

[lily mccarthy]

LILY Ah. Between his small town and her...Britishness, I'm sure that was a time. First time here, not first time in Canada, I have a few friends from here but they're from the eastern coast. Very kind of you, though I'm sure you got a rundown of some sort. Probably a biased one involving a playlist - tour is good though! 9...shows in I think? Admittedly it blurs. What do you do?

[aaron eklund]

Aaron You know Jack, never a bad word about anybody. I was trying to come in blind as I'm sure you were since I'm not on the internet. 9 out of how many? How's that bus life? Currently I got a woodworking space, I've been making furniture and things for a while. Selling to people, commissioning type deal. Before that, mechanic stuff. Been in LA for the past 3 years.

[lily mccarthy]

LILY Haha, after a certain point I was told to avoid the internet anyway. 52...and it's always an adventure in its own right. Has its positives and its negatives, as do most things! That's interesting though, how did you get into that? And are you liking LA?

[aaron eklund]

Aaron Yeah can't really say I envy or aspire to that. Sounds like you know how to deal with it though. Damn that's a big tour. You put a little dent in it already. Any favorite place so far, for the crowd or otherwise? I liked auto and shop class in school, ended up working with cars and wood. Just a familiarity and hobby that progressed, I enjoy it and don't have to work for anyone. LA's like home, I was born way up NorCal but came to LA when I was young. I was gone for a few years in the army but back now. You're from where?

[lily mccarthy]

LILY Oh, I wouldn't fully say that, but I've gotten better. It's been a steep learning curve. It's not counting the 8 in Europe later either, so 60 total I guess. Seattle for my first show was fun, I always look forward to the big cities, and then Red Rocks always. My favorite venue. Ah, that's right, Jack mentioned something about you serving. What a life you've seemed to live already - and always fun to see an interest develop into a career or sort. I'm from Albuquerque, New Mexico originally. Been in California almost 6 years now.

[aaron eklund]

Aaron No handbook or celebrity welcome wagon? Just get thrown to the wolves? You must be done in 2025 then. This is your first right? Hey I know Red Rocks. Never got to go but I like those outdoor venues. Especially at night. That’s sweet of you to say. Never been to NM but it looks nice, and I like the license plate. Must be different from CA though.

[lily mccarthy]

LILY Easy way to weed out the weak, but my brother's in the industry too so. I had a bit of a head's up. Yeah, fully wrap in March with a break in December. It's why this timing is kind of funny. And it's my second, but first in terms of this scale? Yeah though, it's something special on that stage at night. I'll never forget it. Yeah, very different. But I was also pretty different when I moved too, so. Helped me grow into the changes and then my career took off right when I thought I had a handle on it. Running ever since :)

[aaron eklund]

Aaron Damn that is an adventure. I suppose it’s best to do it all at once, as much as you can anyway, instead of constantly all over the place. I hope the bus is nice and you get to stay at hotels sometimes. I gotta say, for someone being run ragged on tour, you sure sound incredibly kind and optimistic despite. That or those mules are workin overtime.