This & That 2008 – Photos
For us, the year 2008 was mainly dominated by our trip to California and the three videos we shot there which would end up “kickstarting” our YouTube career.
We published several photo posts about that in the MLT Club (find them here) so in this archive we want to showcase everything else that happened that year, related to our musical development.
We turned 14 that summer and were spending our last year at high school in Vienna, preparing for our student exchange in Australia the following year.
A few (school) concerts, some of our very first busking adventures in Vienna, our first musical “promo shoots” and the creation of our first website. You’ll find it all in the gallery below! If you hover over the photos, you’ll be able to read a short description for each shot.
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It took me a year to discover this corner of the Club, but I’m certainly glad I did! These a great pictures that I’m sure will come in handy for when you release the 25th Anniversary Remastered Editions of your catalog. 😃 I love the pictures of you busking outside the Wagner store. Seems like you may have had your marketing sense at a pretty early point in your career!
What a great set of special memories. Some really cool memories that will live forever. Rudi and Michaela’s talents evident even in these photos.
I remember seeing Lisa’s first picture with her first guitar. She is so excited and pleased. As was Mona with her first drum set.
To look at these early beginnings of the MonaLisa Twins then compare them with where you are today, shows the incredible and mind blowing ride you have been on. Could you have ever envisioned where you would be at today?
And to see that first Album become a reality must have Blown your Minds.
Thanks Ladies for such a special trip in to the your beginning roots.
Thanks for sharing ladies. Very nice to see.
Made me smile! Thanks for sharing and Happy Birthday!
That was so much fun, I think Michaela is very talented too, right? Those pictures took me back. You were both so cute and I couldn’t tell sometimes who was who. Anyway as I did you had wonderful parents who believed that Music was your passion!!! Thank you Walt Music
I love those pictures of the early days, and you being out and about now, and a happy 27th. Birthday to you
These photos are priceless!
So enjoyed seeing glimpses of you both from early on in your music journey. Love that photo of you both holding the laptop showing your first website, those smiles are absolutely adorable. And that lovely painting of your names looked like they were done in ketchup and mustard. Deliciously groovy! And wow that portrait of you both with the guitars for the website snapped by your grandpa is magnificent! His master photography skills plus your extremely charming and adorable smiles equals captivating magic.
Some great shots of you busking and people enjoying your music, especially touched by the one with that old lady standing there taking in your music, she looks like she is enjoying it immensely. That school performance looks very interesting, as well as the 4 of you with guitars playing for your grand parents. Man if there was a video or audio recording of any of those sessions, would love to see/hear it.
Nice photo of you both sitting in the orange VW Van, Mona you looked so excited behind the wheel like you were ready to go drifting!! 🙂 And Lisa there with your first electric guitar (Golden Tom), priceless! The beginnings of a great master guitarist!
In those photos by the Danube I’d be hard pressed to tell you apart if it weren’t for your slightly different hair styles! 🙂 Thanks for sharing these, really had a great time seeing them.
I just put the “Eine Kleine Tischmusik” YouTube vid on the widescreen and watched it with my folks. Pure JOY! 3 happy humans here in Illinois! All you club members gotta check it out!
Jeffery, yeah that video is just delightful. I’m so amazed at the coordination involved in that, I don’t think I could ever keep up! 🙂 Lisa grabbing the bread from the little boy and Mona throwing it at the camera is hilarious! That video was posted exactly 13 years ago today on Mona and Lisa’s 14th birthday.
Wow, Jung, I hadn’t noticed the timing of the vid release! And I totally enjoyed the whole bread exchange bit, too, as did both of my folks. I did have to rewind that part and provide play-by-play commentary for my Mom so she could catch what was happening with her sorry eyesight, but we all three had a good laugh!
Thanks for sharing, Ladies! I’ve been sharing your posts with my Mom, and even though she has VERY limited sight, she can still make out most things if I describe them to her and she gets real close to the laptop screen! We both feel like we’re looking at old family photos when you share pics of your younger years. Mom took note of Michaela playing a guitar. First time we’d seen that. Did you notice your surname “Wagner” on the building behind you in one of the early busking pics? Awesome coincidence! These pics make me long for more vids from your “MonaLisa and Band” concert. I REALLY want to see young Mona and Lisa rapping and singing “Stand by Me”! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Dear Ladies!
These are great. I love the shot of your grandfather on the ladder. It really pays off that your photographers are so dedicated to getting the shot just right.
Lisa looks very happy in those first electric guitar pictures. A very exciting time, indeed.
Your school looks super kool. It seems like you had your careers mapped out from a very young age. Thanks for sharing so much here.
I love the picture of the toddler throwing money in your case.
Happy Birthday!
JP
I love being able to see these older pictures of you both and the clear passion you had early on for performing music. The love and support of your entire family is so obvious. There is so much love and joy in your hearts and it shines out through the music you share with the world. It did then and it does now. Tomorrow is a very special day for you both and it is just as special and wonderful for me and the rest of your lucky fans. Bless you and love you.
So many great pictures and I’m sure so many great memories for you girls! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much for sharing with us! I love seeing the pictures from back in the day. You both take good photos and you always have smiles that light up any room. This trip looks like so much fun and seems like just yesterday huh? This is what makes this club special that you take the time to share with us. You made my day and this day was a lets just say not a great day but this made my day so much better!! Thank you Mona and Lisa you both are the best!!
Bill Isenberg Huge fan from Pittsburgh Pa Usa
I love seeing any pictures of both at any age! What bravery to play in public for money. Love Mona on the drums especially the giant bongos (apologies if that’s not what they are), and Lisa with her multiple guitars. Seeing your youthful excitement is inspiring; you have the same projection of joy in your music today and you are obviously so confident and comfortable with your awesome abilities. Loved seeing Papa Rudi sneaked in in black and white and even one of Michaela playing guitar – very cool. Hope you are looking forward to a great birthday family style tomorrow…
Hi Mona, Hi Lisa… wow… it’s so good to see these images of your trajectory… to see you as teenagers so dedicated to music and your family always supporting you… it all resulted in this gem of music that is The MonaLisa Twins… .I didn’t know that Michaela plays the guitar too..I loved these pictures..Tomorrow is your birthday..so ..I wish you a Happy Birthday, I wish you all the health and happiness, from the bottom of my heart..that, you and your family always keep that smile, which comes from the soul. For me, being a fan of yours is a gift forever…thank you…God bless you all…
????❤️???????????? Love you.
Wow, those are indeed Fab #MLTBuzzLuvGroovified #KodakKeepers for sure, and I do recall that website, as it was around that time whenI had discovered you on YouTube with the” California Dreamin” cover and wanted to get more info/contact info at the time and that was the site you had at the time about you. I’ve truly have seen you grow up before my eyes , it seems… Love these photos, Thankyou for giving us more of a Blast From Your Lives Past ????????
The story of the beginning of a successful career.
Thanks for sharing
Greetings.
Its so cool to see how your lives began to transform into the fledgling professionals you have become today. In one way I wish had been able to follow you then but if so, there never would be days like this when I get to smile and simply get to enjoy your history through words and pictures. Thankfully Rudi and Michaela took a lot of pictures throughout your lives. Thank you for getting my day off to a great start!!! I have to do this too…. Happy Birthday tomorrow!!!