Live Performing – Q&A
Let us answer your questions!
A couple of weeks ago we asked YOU to ask US about all things “Live Performing” and we have now sat down to answer as many of your questions as we could.
With the world being as crazy as it is right now, live performing in the conventional sense will be off the table for us for the foreseeable future but what we can do in the meantime is reminisce about the good old days and share our experiences, funny stories, etc. from our times on stage. 🙂
Thanks for all your submitted questions! Now we hope you’ll enjoy this little Q&A video!
Stay groovy,
Mona & Lisa
Here is Q&A but it is a little off the music scene.
Hello Mona and Lisa ! I hope it’s not too hard for you, leaving all childhood memories behind after selling your birthhouse.
I am born in Hamburg and all my life I was lost in music.
When I was 15yo the Star-Club opend in April 1962 . As I was still too young to join it, I had to wait until December ’62 to visit the club.
The reason was, that I wanted to see Johnny a.t. Hurricanes.
When I arrived at the club at 21:00 hours they had already finished their first gig, but I was told that they will play lateron at 24:00 h again and so I decided to stay – even if kids under 18yo had to leave the club at 22:00 h. Then something happens, that would change my entire life – a band from Liverpool named Beatles entered the stage and startet a firework of well known Rock&Roll songs.
At that time they still weren’t famous and only the hard core visitors in Star-Club new them already.
I was absolutly impressed by the boys and I said to my friend : they soon will be a great worldwide known band – and I was damned right !!
Best regards to you – and stay groofy …..🎶❤️❤️🎵
People are Strange favourite version of mine Lisa has a wonderful voice break in many songs including this one.Mona it amazes me you don’t break many strings you make your guitar work pretty hard, Jonny be Goode is an example and in other songs without looking up the names you guitars have a lot of scratch marks you are without doubt the best rhythm player I have seen. My preference is the duo sessions as I love the raw talent it gives
I have a brilliant idea that compromises the problem of touring or not touring. All you have to do is book the Epstein Theatre for a series of shows. The distance for you to travel, and organization for these shows would be minimal. There would be considerable demand for tickets, of course, so the audience would have to skuffle to get tickets on the internet. Except me. As it’s my idea, and I would be coming from a considerable distance, I would be guaranteed a front row seat! Problem solved!
You two are fun to watch and listen to. I love the way you interact with each other and I love your humor! Thank you for being you!
Have you ever considered doing a livestream performance on Facebook?
Very interesting and entertaining. I really enjoyed the video. Great questions (Thanks everyone who submitted!) I very much enjoyed hearing your answers to. Thank you, both!! Much love to you all.
It’s always such a genuine pleasure to watch a video of the two of you just talking about anything and giving us your thoughts on things. It’s a great way for us to get to kinda know you even though we haven’t met you. I can’t wait for your next video!
It appears that Steve Harley has been very supportive of you. How did your friendship and participation together with Steve happen?
For the next Q and A topic, how about something along the lines of “All things Duo Sessions and the Duo Session Album”.
Thank you for a great Q & A!!! I thought of so many other questions while you were answering in the video. I look forward to the next Q & A because I learn so much for you two. Mike.
Mona, Lisa, I enjoyed this Q&A very much. A lot of insight on what you do as performers…..and you do quite well indeed. I was asked once if I was nervous on stage when playing….and I said no, I looked at like I was doing speech, as in speech class in High School…..that is why I asked if you were nervous, and Thank You for your reply. I enjoy very much lately your videos you make and your videos you do each week. Most enjoyable for me, and I love the accents…..is it difficult to speak “English”? I didn’t do well in German class in High School….I can count and say just a few words, but that is all. You Gals are the Tops !! As always, Peace, Love and Happiness
Top! You are always so easy in these videos. Very good. Can’t wait to have a change to see you live.
maybe a bit corny but there is a line in the movie “Eddie and The Cruisers: Eddie Lives” that has always stuck in my mind – – “music needs an audience”, I thought about that when you were discussing playing with a band and doing live shows. There is a chemistry that happens that makes it more than just notes. And it is easy to see you 2 are really enjoying what you do, you are haveing fun doing it
That was really interesting. Some questions I hadn’t even thought of were answered. I’m not a musician so much of it was totally new to me. I have one question, how long did it take you both to learn the guitar in the first place.
I had to smile at a few of the things you said in this video 🙂 I remember after one Cavern gig, Mona left her guitar on the stage and the next band were already on stage setting things up. You guys were almost ready to leave and I remember rushing to find Mona and said “Erm… is that your guitar still up on stage there!?”
Guitarists helping you out – I remember one time, Lisa coming to the side of the stage after just two or three songs in the first set and said to me “I don’t suppose you have a pick on you, by any chance?” Well, as I always have a pick on me when I leave the house (you never know when you might need one!) I was able to supply mine.
Drunk people – well, your comment to me on my Live at the Cavern CD and what your dad said to me the last time I saw him, “Thanks for saving my life!”, says it all, really! That was a clearly an evening that is stuck firmly in our minds!
Live performing is great, as is attending live shows, and I miss seeing you so much 🙁 Recording is good too, though, and I can’t wait to hear your new stuff 🙂
BTW, yes, Lisa did sing lead on “My Generation” the first couple of times when you added it to the set. It sounded great, of course, but I remember suggesting to you to switch it around
Thank you for answering so many questions! It was so much fun to hear your answers, and I loved the photos and video clips that you included.
Thanks ladies, these videos are too kool. Saturday morning, black coffee in my Orange MLT cup, 4K, press PLAY…
At first, I thought it was April Fool’s Day when the video would not play last night. That was fun ???? You both have a great sense of humor. I love how you keep the out-takes in these videos. I am sure there are plenty of bloopers that go to the junk file. ☺️.
??
Kwest chun
Kwes tchun
Kwes chun
Kwesh shun (Sean Connery style)
Any color you like
It’s no surprise that musicians in your audience would step up to help you. MLT Audiences are the best. I am sure if you ever need stage hands for any gig, there will be a line of MLT fans volunteering to carry anything and everything.
JP
I should confess, I think I have called your various bass players by the wrong name in one post or another. From now on, they will simply be referred to as “the bass player”.
Enjoyed that, very interactive and insightful.
Very interesting listening to you explain so much about your live experiences performing. Great questions, too! I kinda felt like Lisa was partially joking about “perfection,” but you really are perfectionist. One of your many good qualities that makes you great!!
Looking forward to the next topic. Maybe something about growing up in Austria? When you were playing gigs there? I ????
Peace, love and Music by the MonaLisa Twins!! ????❤????????
I just love you both so much! Twenty minutes with you and I’ve got a permanent grin for the rest of the day. Such sage answers to great questions. Mona’s “breathing” there at the end had me dying, but what really made me laugh so loud that everyone came running to see what was going on was Lisa’s reaction to the belligerent audience member question – “Oh boy.” LOL
Two comments from me: 1) I am not a musician and I learned more in this 20+ minute video than I’d learned in all my 63 years on the planet. You two ladies have many gifts ; one of them is to powerfully bring your enthusiasm and love of music right out to whomever you are talking to, and, 2) Thank you for the signed MLT calendar from the Advent activities! I placed it in the room where I do workouts because I often listen to your music while exercising because it brings such positive energy.
THANKS, that makes us so happy! And you’re welcome for the calendar, we are glad it got a nice place! 🙂
Wow! Thank you for taking my question on if you have someone set up your equipment!! So cool and thank you for this great video of Q and A . It is fun to learn more and more about you both and to hear some great stories too. You can tell from your live album that you had it down to a science and one can feel the energy of that performance that night. I also love Lazy Sunday. It sounds like you both are having so much fun singing that song and it makes me feel good listening to it. So please keep it coming with your energy, focus and love with your music and your wonderful attitude and humor, it is so refreshing!! Stay Groovy!!
Bill
Very good Q&A! You girls have a great sense of humor. Thank you!
The way you connect with your fans is really amazing. Thanks for being you!
Really enjoyed watching this brilliantly put together Q&A session. It’s great you had the foresight to record so much material which you can draw on. Your recollections and the background information to your live performances was really interesting. The whole video was priceless!
All of those questions to Mona & Lisa brought back happy memories for me when playing live many moons ago. It can be nerve racking if you are not confident at what you do, but as in the twins case, they exude confidence and obviously so thoroughly enjoy live performances. Why? Well I think it’s because they practice hard (nothing comes from no effort) and like they say, they are perfectionists born out of their desire to create and perform for the audience (you and me) at their highest level. That shows a very high standard of respect and caring from them both and I would like to thank them for giving us all that with this very special insight into who they are.
The question I forgot to ask is whether Mona’s “white” and Lisa’s “red” are inspired by the colours of the Austrian flag?
Mona may wish to check out a song by The Moody Blues called “Question”?!
LOL! That little bit was just one of many that had me laughing so hard!
Haha now that’s just cruel! 😉 Great song though, the bass lines are fun!
That was such a fun and enjoyable 20 minutes that flew by too fast, I could watch and listen to you both all evening talking about your craft! Love it! Lots of great questions too that shed much insight into your live performances. Really great seeing you both improvising on stage with Steve Harley in that clip, such wonderful guitar sounds. Would be awesome to see Michaela and Papa Rudi on the stage with you even for just one song one day, or even something like a duo session, or would that have to be called a quadruple session? 🙂 Thanks so much for this, was just awesome!
Thanks for this questions and answer session. Very funny
First Im going to say that I checked the clubhouse at 4 am and now its midnight and I just finished watching this Q&A… SOOOOOO worth the wait!!! Nothing really surprised me about your progression in how comfortable you have become in your career. I would imagine you are more excited to get on stage now than ever. Every Q&A or interview I have ever watched, I always come away feeling like we know you 2 a little better than before. However, all that you do to stay engaged in the Club is appreciated, probably more than you know. This is far from a live performance, but maybe because it is YOUR club, the energy you bring with you each time bleeds through to us, at least for me. Im very grateful…. Im also excited for the day you tell us we can preorder your next album!!! Stay Groovy!
This warms our hearts more than you know, thank you!
Excellent questions… and very insightful answers!
Here’s an idea for another Q&A topic: similar to this one, but for recording in the studio.
WooHoo, how I lived this, once the ” On” switch was turned and all could now see/hear… was worth being on standby for to finally tune in. Great Q’s asked and the replies given by you both were entertaining, educational and #MLTBuzzLuvGroovin , Thankyou, for doing this, thoroughly enjoyed, perhaps another one could be done up for in the future to pickup where you left off here on this topic, and continue the tradition of including beverage to wet your whistles with in between Qs…. Again, a real fun fab and informative time had by all…????✌
I couldn’t help noticing just how wonderfully relaxed and comfortable you both were for this Q&A. You were both so entertaining and informative! Of course you always are, but you guys were obviously having a blast here. So many great questions and interesting answers. I love these! Let’s do lots more of them!
Very good .. thanks for the replies .. I love videos like that… you guys are very fun ..
Hello Ladies,
Hope you enjoyed comments from the peanut gallery while we were waiting for you to finish your, ahem, discussion about the trombone.
Nice job hitting that FLAT Note Mona????.
How is your hearing Lisa? I can hear Mona Laughing from this side of the pond????????????????????????
All kidding aside, what an interesting and very informative response to the questions (quest shuns)???? that were asked.
Loved the added clips, they were a nice surprise.
The smattering of bantering back and forth was loads of fun.
I know when you go back on the road much of this personalization will have to cease, but o am enjoying getting to see and experience somethings that perhaps I wouldn’t get to see otherwise. The Most wonderful live stream, and interactions of the Advent calander for instance.
Thanks Again Ladies for a wonderful Friday adventure.
Rick Ross
PS you were asking about future topics for Q&A
What are some different ideas from fans for projects, songs, interactions from fans, new ideas or something else we might like to see. We could ask questions and you could respond with answers for some of those ideas or maybe concerns. A langinappe (little bit extra) Q&A.
You two make everything so much fun! I adore the little candid moments when your senses of humor shine thru! Many thanks for the effort you and your “support staff” put forth to bring your fans good clean, quality entertainment! I’m honored you answered one of my questions and think you did a great job with the variety you responded to. Keep up the good work, and the MLT club will forever be the “grooviest place on the internet”!
Thank you so much for your honest answers. Very cool!
I guess “good things come to those who wait”. I enjoyed it and learned a bit about your art.
Everything seems to be working just fine now. This was a nice long session. Loved it. More of these please.
I could see the video, it was very nice, well done Ladies!
Rough crowd. Shhh, the twins might be napping. ????????
I think you might be right. They are going to get a shock when they wake from their “Dreams” and log in!
????????????????????
we are the opening act tonight????????????????????????????????
It was my fault, I forgot to change some settings once the post went live and didn’t realise it until Lisa came to wake me at 3am, haha. Sorry, errrrybody!
No worries, dear. I’m sure I can speak for everyone in the club when I say “you’re forgiven”.
Hi Mona and Lisa. No video! Would this possibly be one of your biggest mess ups? Or can we blame Rudi or Michaela for this one? ????❤️
Unable to see/play/hear video… it’s Frozen…stupid cold weather….lol… Warm Up weather so it can thaw out for all of us to enjoy????????
No one can see it.
Lisa can’t hear and Mona is busy laughing
Your live performing video question and answer video doesn’t work.
Please advise.
W. Hauslein
The video doesn’t play for me!
It doesn’t play for any of us!
I wonder if the circle around the PLAY button is a LOCK of some sort that they didn’t release???
What they said down there, lol. Papa Rudi is probably working overtime right now.
Would this come under the question Biggest Mess Ups.?…LOL????
Can’t see the video.
Video NOT playing
No can See!
I can’t see the video .. does anyone else have this problem?
I cant get it to play either
I can´t see it either