Lisa O’Kane is one of the artists promoted by the big independent artist agency So Much More Media.

C. L: Your new CD “Peace of Mind” has been out for several weeks, how is it doing?

L. O: It’s doing great!!. I’ve gotten some tremendous European reviews and as I’m being played on quite a few play lists throughout Europe particularly Germany. It’s only been out, for about two months so hopefully it will continue to do well.

C. L: How is your second album different from your first?

L. O: I think it’s better than my first album. I recorded it with songs that either I wrote or were written by very well known songwriters that happen to be friends of mine with the exception of Foggy River.  In the two years that followed my first album “Am I Too Blue”, I grew as an artist, songwriter, and singer. European touring certainly helped me grow as an artist, so in that I had tremendous satisfaction recording the songs that I had written and also in  just learning so much more about the music business and the art of song writing. I actually recorded “Peace of Mind” in five weeks because everything was in order and I knew exactly what I wanted. I think the album is better because I came more into my own in making this album.

C. L: Do you write all of your own songs?

L. O: Not all of them are written by me. I co-wrote, and wrote five of them with Mark Fosson, my partner in crime and a couple of the other songs Softer Place to Fall and Stronger Than Your Memory  Mark and my producer, Ed Tree, wrote and actually they recorded it on their album a few years ago. I stole that one from them. A friend of mine, Mary Coppin  wrote “A Room Up For Rent.”It’s a lovely ballad and I chose doit very sparsely and of course Foggy River is the cover song on that album and that was a real old bluegrass song from way back and we decided to put a real swampy feel on that.

C. L: How did you select the songs for this album?

L. O: Rather quickly this time. Of course the ones I wrote I knew I was going to put on and Highland Ground  was the first song Mark and I wrote together. I just knew I had to put that on. Foggy River was one that Mark told me his dad used to sing to him. I’d actually never heard the song, so it was a very easy selection this time. They just all kinda came very quickly.

C. L: Which is your favorite song on the album and why?

L. O: My favorite song is Peace of Mind probably because I don’t have it. If you noticed most of the songs on the album are still bitter sweet and sad kind of songs, even the more up tempo ones - the same also with Am I Too Blue but Peace of Mind is my favorite song. I wrote the music to that, the bridge was written five minutes before I recorded it. Mark wrote most of the other lyrics but they just depicted what I was feeling at the time and it’s kind of a play on words because you might think that you have it but I don’t think many of us do 

C. L: Please explain the title Peace of Mind and what deeper meaning does it hold?

L. O: The deeper meaning of the song I kind of just said that a little bit."Peace of Mind" is something I think you really have to strive for from within yourself. It doesn’t come from outside thing. “Peace of Mind” was written at a painful time in my life. I was going through a divorce, which I don’t talk about too much. I lost a lot and what I found at this course in my life you can be happier with a lot less. You can have everything and still not be happy but what I found in writing in that song, it’s your friends and family that are the most important but they take a lot of work too. For me the music that gives me a sense of peace of mind I’m still not there yet. That is basically the meaning of it, still striving.

C. L: You toured Germany for the first time this year. What impressions and memories did you bring home?

L. O: I was very well received in Germany. I have to admit I was a little nervous. It was the first big festival that I had done in Europe. I had been told about it but I was not prepared for the fabulous response that I got and it gave me the confidence as an artist. There were so many great artists and when I got out there on that stage and everybody started whooping and hollering it was great.

C. L: Which market is harder to crack the European or American?

L. O: American

C. L: Why explain?

L. O: The American market I think is harder because for country music there’s been such a cross over into Pop. I’m an Americana artist, what I do is traditionally good mountain old kind of music. Even the things that I write, but in America we all want to hear the, pardon the expression but the kick ass, loud driving music and that’s not the kind of music that I do. I think Europeans are much more appreciative of the music in a lyrical sense of the word, the music, the content, everything like that. I have found them to be much more receptive and even the language barrier or language difference, not a barrier because most Europeans speak some English I can see them listening with there eyes and their ears even if they don’t understand the words I believe that’s a tremendous difference from Europe to America. I think it’s really gone down hill in America and I’m sorry to say that because I’m an American but going to Europe has been such a boost because you all just really appreciate what we do.

C. L: We have talked so much about your new CD please tell fans were they can find it.

L. O: They can buy it off of my website www.lisaokane.com and on that website there are several different places to purchase it like www.cdbaby.com I have several distributors but basically if you’d like an autographed copy I have sold quite a few off my website and I love receiving mail from across the waters so if you’d like to get an autographed copy just go to my website fill out the form send me the money and I’ll be happy to send you a signed CD and a picture.

C. L: Thank you Lisa for this wonderful interview.

L. O: Christian thank you for all the support and for all the great reviews you’ve given me for putting me on your website and linking to mine, and all the things that you’ve done for me. You’ve been very supportive and I appreciate it.

Christian Lamitschka ( Ch.Lamitschka@t-online.de )

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