Happy to share Canvas Cafe’s first guests… Liz and André Anjos from Portland, Oregon!
What is Canvas Cafe?
This is a place I get to interview artists in a way that readers can learn more about them outside of their music career. I value connection and enjoy learning both the small and big details in peoples’ lives. So please join me as I dive in deeper! I had a lot of fun coming up with these questions and excited to share the results with you. Grab a cup of coffee or tea, cozy up, and enjoy!
Liz and André Anjos (Counter Records) have a history of music together; as college sweethearts and bandmates, to now married, and often touring together with their respective bands, Pink Feathers and RAC. Here’s a little peak inside their lives outside of music.
Ready? GO!
LIZ
(Photo: Mallory Turner)
Share your favorite breakfast recipe.
My favorite breakfast is chocolate chia pudding! It’s easy to make, nutrient dense, and satisfies my sweet tooth. I run or workout almost every day and this is one of my favorite post-run meals. The recipe is based on Running On Veggies’ Hydrating Chocolate Chia Pudding.
Pour into a bowl, top with the remaining half banana (sliced), berries, granola, and voila! This is my favorite particular combo but you can mix and match with any fruits or toppings you desire.
Share about a photo you took that brings you peace or inspiration.
I took this photo while hiking Mount Meakan in Hokkaido, Japan. I love exploring big spaces with vast landscapes.
Who was your music inspiration growing up?
Gwen Stefani of No Doubt and Shirley Manson of Garbage. It was inspiring to see women fronting otherwise all-male bands with such command and charisma. My moniker Pink Feathers was inspired by the album art on Garbage’s first album.
Share about another passion other than music.
I started running competitively as a senior in college and haven’t looked back since! I love setting big goals and seeing how much faster I can get. I’m currently training for the New York City Marathon this November and my dream goal is to qualify for the 2020 US Olympic Marathon Trials.
(First photo: Jon Duenas / Liz’s story on Magazine feature Music for Miles)
This photo was taken at the Oregon Wine Country Half Marathon, one of my very favorite races. You can read my recap here!
What is your favorite cafe or restaurant?
This was made by one of my favorite bakeries in Portland, Lovejoy Bakers. I had a Game of Thrones finale watch party for my birthday this past weekend and they made this beautiful lemon meringue cake for the occasion!
ANDRÉ
You’ve done a lot of traveling.
Share a photo of a favorite place from your travels.
It’s hard to pick a favorite but one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen was the Batu Caves in Malaysia. Huge steps filled with monkeys and at the top is a small temple within a massive cave system. It seems like something out of Indiana Jones.
Take a photo of one thing you cannot live without.
Bo and Juno! You can see more Bo + Juno here!
What is the first thing you look forward to doing when you come home from a long tour?
It sounds boring, but sitting on my couch and playing videogames. Having a daily routine is highly underrated.
Share about the time you first attempted to produce music.
The earliest recording I ever made was around 7 or 8 with my friend Filipe. We recorded a “talk show” with musical interludes. I would play the batman theme on piano, or some other random creation. A little later I found a recording program in a cereal box called Hip Hop Ejay and I wrote my first songs in that program. It was quite primitive but a lot of fun. It was the first time I could layer sounds on top of other sounds.
You take stellar pictures. What camera do you use?
Thanks! I use a Fuji X100T with the telephoto adapter. It effectively turns it into a 50mm lens
.
It’s fun because it’s small and doesn’t look like a nice camera so it’s easier to blend in. It looks almost vintage and old school, so nobody minds when I take photos.
LIZ & ANDRÉ
(Photo: Athena Delene)
You both do a lot of traveling together outside of touring. What has been your favorite country and city to explore together and why?
Liz: We visited Iceland in 2013 and that remains one of our most favorite trips! We took about ten days to drive along the Ring Road, which circles around almost the entire country. We joke that it’s ruined all other road trips forever, since nothing could top it!
André: Yeah, even Iceland still holds the top spot for me. It’s just so different and interesting looking. It’s a great place to get away from civilization and actually see stars in the sky.
What is your favorite hobby or activity to do together?
We love hiking together! Here we are at the Grand Canyon.
André won his first grammy earlier this year for his remix for artist Bob Moses. What did you do after to celebrate?
André: That day was such a blur that I don’t even fully remember. I think I mostly just took time processing what had just happened. The grammy event is a huge show/production so it ends up taking up most of the day. Next day we got on a flight and went home, and back to reality haha.
What word of encouragement and advice do you have for the aspiring musicians, songwriters and producers out there?
Liz: Andre gave me this advice a long time ago, but I wrote it down and took it to heart, “Failure is like a constant state until you succeed. It’s not the end all, I see the struggle to achieve something as the path to success. Any kind of success is completely meaningless without failure.” I think the main gist is that the most successful people got to where they are by failing many times along the way. I think it’s easy to protect ourselves from failure by not trying or taking risks in the first place.
André: I actually didn’t know you wrote that down. My best advice for any aspiring musician is to be yourself and trust your own instincts. In such a competitive market the only way to be original is to do your own thing. I think it’s the only path to longevity in the music industry. So often artists chase the trendy sounds and then wonder what happens when the trend ends. Find your own voice and the rest usually works out.
Hope you enjoyed reading and looking through their photos! For more music and info of these two creative souls, see below.
For RAC music and 2017 Tour > Meow~
Follow Liz’s music > Oops! And running recaps > Boop!
Photo courtesy of Liz & André Anjos
For more photos > Instagram > LIZ and ANDRÉ
Thanks for your time Liz + André! May the rest of the year be filled with more adventures, inspirations, songwriting, and deeper connections with loved ones!
If you enjoyed reading this Q&A, please check out my corner CAFE STORY featuring Kpop singer, KATE’s journey with music.
You can follow updates for My Music Canvas at:
Facebook here > Beep~
Instagram here > Boop!
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