From the MUSIC SIDE

Liz Draper

Photo by Emmet Kowler for MPR

rocks from Southern Minn and beyond

She plays bass. More specifically, she plays both upright bass and electric bass, and is obviously excellent at both.

If you live in Minnesota, and have not been living under a rock for the past couple decades or so, I guarantee you’ve heard her work, whether you know it or not. She has played with Soul Asylum, The Okee Dokee Brothers, The Cactus Blossoms, Davina and the Vagabonds, Orkestar Bez Ime, Joyann Parker and

Low. Not to mention performing as a solo artist and in a number of jazz groups and as a classical session player. You don’t get that much musical action unless you are an exceptional artist and know how to work your butt off.

One more thing about Liz Draper: she is from Southern Minnesota! She spent much of her formative years in Mankato, and once again calls that her home base. But, oh, the things she has done and seen in between, not to mention the amazing things yet to come.

I sat down with the artist, who is currently part of an international tour with one of Minnesota’s most popular active bands,

Low.

Your dad is a jazz drummer. Is that how you originally got interested in music?

I was definitely always surrounded by music and encouraged to play from as long as I have memories. I took violin lessons when I was 4 and piano lessons at the age of 5. Hard to say if I would have been interested in music without my dad’s influence, but probably.

How old were you when you started playing bass? And why bass?

I believe it was technically ninth grade. I really don’t remember exactly, but I took my brother’s electric bass and started playing that in conjunction with guitar which I had already been playing. I wanted to quit the school orchestra, which I had been playing violin in, but my folks encouraged the idea to switch instruments instead, which was a great idea.

Bass was in all the genres of music I listened to: punk rock, hip-hop, jazz; it was a natural fit. Now I know that any instrument can pave a path in any genre, but bass was where it was at for me! I loved the rhythmic and foundational role of the instrument. I fell in love with the timbre and pretty much everything about it.

You attended three different high schools: Mankato West, Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan, and Perpich Arts High in Golden Valley. When/how did you know you wanted to go to an arts high school to pursue music?

I was very restless. I saw two viable options for myself-dropping out and hopping trains, or auditioning for arts high schools to study music and put my energy into something positive.

I was in an art club when I was maybe 13 or so, and we took a trip to visit PCAE (Perpich Center for Arts Education). I knew immediately that art school was where I belonged. At the time, I was into visual art, not music, but always had it stuck in the back of my head that I would try to get into an arts high school if I was accepted.

I was never much of a fan of classrooms (which is funny because I do a lot of coaching and teaching these days in public schools), and when I became a teenager, even less so. I had an insatiable need to see the world and not let school get in the way of my education. I was playing in the Mankato Symphony Orchestra, doing jazz gigs with my dad, playing in various punk bands, commuting to Minneapolis for private lessons (I wonder what my life would have been like if Zoom was a thing...?) I craved more.

You went on to major in double bass performance at the University of Minnesota.

Yes, when I was at Perpich, through the PSEO option, I was able to take free classes at the University of Minnesota with Chris Brown, who was the principal of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra at the time. I performed in the U’s orchestra so was already working toward my undergrad degree in high school. I was able to get a bit of a scholarship to continue studying with him and complete my degree there.

And a full-time professional career begins, whatever that may entail.

Making a living in a creative field is tough. Anyone that can pay bills making art has my utmost respect. Is it now, or was it ever, difficult to make a living as a musician in Minnesota? Do you think it would be easier in other parts of the country? Do you have any advice or wisdom to offer anyone starting out on this path now?

I don’t think it’s “easy” to make a living with music anywhere. It all depends on what you want to do. The Twin Cities is full of talent and amazing music. It was also a great home base. I’ve spent a lot of time touring, traveling, and doing stints in other places, like New Orleans.

Maybe if I was trying to be a pop star or something, it’d be better to be in LA or something, I dunno. Not really interested in that.

As for advice, I would say, know your worth and follow your heart. And strive for excellence. Work your a-- off. And then work a little more.

You were living in/working from Minneapolis when the pandemic hit and you moved back to Mankato to get away from the inevitable crowds and to spend more time with family.

Yes. I was living in a little studio in a high-rise apartment building right in downtown Minneapolis. I had to take an elevator every day, which in the beginning days of the pandemic seemed questionable. All of the common community areas of my building had been closed.

I heard you recently “auditioned” for the band Low. How did that all come about?

It wasn’t so much an “audition.” It was more of an invite to go to their place and make some music. They gave me their new album before it was released and asked me to learn the material. I did. We got together and played it. They gave me a whole list of material to learn. I did. We gelled, and now I’m playing shows with them.

You mentioned you are going on tour. Where are you going and who are you touring with?

First, I’m doing a fly-out weekend with The Okee Dokee Brothers in the D.C. area, then they are flying me to meet up with the Low crew in Chicago for a three-week U.S. and Canada tour, covering the East and South. Then home for two weeks and back out for three weeks in Europe. Then home again for a couple weeks and then back over to Spain. Low has a big following overseas, so I’ll be heading over there regularly with them.

Is this your first European tour?

No, this is not my first European tour. I’ve done a couple of tours there with The Wild Goose Chase Cloggers and shows in Norway with Davina and the Vagabonds. I also did some jazz and new music performances in the early 2000s in France, Ireland and Hungary.

Are you looking forward to going out on tour, or is it a grind?

I am chomping at the bit to get back on the road again. It’s weird, for someone who gets restless easily, I also love the routine and discipline within the chaos of being on the road. My brain can shut off and just focus on the daily tasks at hand — loading in, sound checking, playing a set, possibly some media and radio responsibilities thrown in here and there — and then waking up and doing it all over again.

I love exploring new places, eating new meals, making new friends, or seeing old friends in faraway places. A few years ago, I had a few pals plan a whole trip to Alaska based around the towns I was performing in. That was super special.

What’s challenging about being gone on tour?

I’m a fairly active person, and sometimes it can be a real challenge figuring out ways to stay healthy while touring. I try to wake up early and

go on jogs, seek out healthier food options.

It makes a huge difference when people in your crew are also interested in trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle while touring. I’ve turned down tour offers after figuring out that it would be mean people smoking on the bus and only stopping at fast food restaurants and food every night. Not my scene. Thankfully, it seems this crew and I are on the same page. I mean, they already had kombucha on their rider...

I heard you are also playing Rock the Garden with Low this June. Have you ever played this event before? Are you nervous? Excited?

This will be my first time playing Rock the Garden. I hope to meet Sleater Kinney!! Maybe I’ll wear my “show me your riffs” shirt of theirs I got in the ‘90s out in Olympia.

I’m extremely excited for this whole year. Next week, I get to play the Big Ears Fest — this is something I’ve always wanted to attend let alone perform at. What an honor it would be to shake Patti Smith’s hand! We get to play right after her on the same stage, so maybe even our green rooms will be mixed.

Sometimes I still get nervous about performing. but once I step on the stage, that usually disappears. I know I’ve put in the work and it’s time to just let it flow.

Photo by Paul Lundgren

And now just a few James-Lipton-style personal questions to finish it up. How many different genres of music would you say you play and do you have a favorite?

I have a really hard time with the concept of “genres”, especially in this day-and-age where you can literally hear any sort of music with the swipe of a thumb from the comfort of your own living room. We don’t live in bubbles and everything is cross-pollinating.

I think it’s important to dive into source materials and know your musical history. I play in a Balkan band, a slow core indie band, an “alternative R&B band, and do “jazz” (what is jazz now since it was just once pop music...?), doom metal, “contemporary classical”, etc. I absolutely love ethnomusicology and diving in, so I guess the music I play just reflects that.

Who do you listen to when it’s just you?

This is a hard one to answer. There’s too many. I don’t use a streaming service or app, but I often find myself going to KFAI’s website and streaming Dan Rien’s “Century Song” or Jon Jon’s “Sound Verite” program.

Can you name a couple of your favorite places to play?

Nope. Anywhere that has good acoustics, treats you fairly, and doesn’t have an ignoramus sound person is good with me!

I especially like playing outdoor guerilla-style shows. My old acoustic doom metal band, “Up the Mountain, Down the Mountain,” used to play everything from tunnels to abandoned slabs of cement structures. In summer 2020, during the middle of the pandemic, I built a pontoon to be a floating stage and traveled down the Mississippi with a couple of friends from Duluth (Kyla Orla/Ollah and Clancey Ward). We played traditional Americana music doing pop-up shows along the way. We called it the “Mississippi PonTour.”

These types of shows are just as awesome as to me as playing Orchestra Hall, Lincoln Center or First Avenue.

How would you describe your relationship with music?

Music is a way of life. I feel so fortunate to be able to make a living performing music I genuinely love — with and for people that I care about. If/when there comes a point that I can no longer make a living playing music that I believe in, that’s fine. I’ll always compose and make music. I will just have to find a different job. 