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Burbank, CA-based multi-instrumentalist, sound-designer/supervisor/composer, singer-songwriter, and President of TFK Studios Lisle Engle showcases his alt-rock polish with his latest music video for “Experts,” off of his newest LP, Medicine Man. Here’s an introduction to Lisle Engle…
What are your musical origins, how long have you been performing music?
I’ve played in many bands through the years. Because of the Covid pandemic, I ended up producing a new solo record this go around, writing and recording all of the basics at my studio in Burbank and then farming out remotely to an array of different guitarists and vocalists to help me bring it all together.
What should people expect when they check your music out?
I like to think of my music as new classic rock. It’s mostly big guitars with lots of tasty solos and high-energy vocals. The new ‘Medicine Man’ album is all based around my thoughts and observations about life during the pandemic. It touches on Isolation, Being trapped in the hospital trying to reach your family, commentary on the Media and the propaganda that they all shovel to the people, causing all kinds of political divisions, and of course a world where people are all stuck wearing masks. The album is basically my historical account of life during the pandemic.
How did you feel performing your first gig, and how was it?!
I played my first live gig in front of real people in 8th grade, but I don’t really consider that my first real band. I’ve been singing my whole life and performed on my first album and with the Savannah Symphony Orchestra in 5th grade. My first “real band” was a cover band called The Vital Signs when I was a junior and senior in high school and we played the local club scene in Savannah, GA. Those shows were really where I cut my chops and built my confidence. By senior year I was playing Thursday-Sunday, 4 sets a night… everything from Roy Orbison to U2 in 1985.
The new music scene is bursting at the seams at the minute with fresh talent, in what ways do you feel that a band has to stand out to build a name for themselves?
I really wouldn’t be the guy to tell young, fresh talent how to stand out. I’m 55 now and writing and releasing music on my own with no real expectation that I will become the next big thing. It’s actually very liberating as I now have my own studio (I mix for Warner Brothers) and have played with many incredible musicians over the years who I can now recruit to participate on projects. I don’t have to listen to A&R reps tell me what to write, I’m not trying to chase my old fame and try to stay relevant to a bunch of suits that call the shots for me… I am in total control and can focus on whatever I want and have a great time doing it.
What are you working on at the minute that people can check out?
‘Medicine Man’ is my current album, released in November 2021. There are six videos on my YouTube channel that all expand on the themes of the lyrics and add to the imagery and meaning of the songs. That’s the main thing to check out at the moment.
In terms of a similar audience, which band out there at the minute do you feel you would be best suited to open for?
Probably the Foo Fighters… or maybe Urge Overkill who just released a new album. I’m definitely an old-school rock guy. Oh, I know… NHC… I love their new stuff. It has that Jane’s Addiction grandeur but with a more melodic singer. When I first listened to their new EP, I replayed it 3 times through right off the bat. Great stuff!
Excluding yourself, which new band would you like to see break out and become a success?
My favorite younger band is The Chats from Australia. I think that they are hilarious and just very pure visceral energy. I know that they were founded 6 years ago, but that’s pretty new for an old rocker like me. LOL!
What are your own first musical memories? And what was the lightbulb moment that made you go “I want to do that”?
I figured out that I could sing when I was very young, listening to The Jackson 5 and the Mary Poppins Soundtrack. Then I sang with choirs and did a lot of musical theater until I found The Dead Kennedys, REM, and U2, and The Clash when I was 15… which prompted my first cover band junior year in high school and we played a lot in the local scene doing a very diverse swath of setlists that people in a bar would all want to hear. I spent that time honing in on what I felt like I wanted to play and then formed my first original band, The Promise, once I got to college in 1985.
What was the last gig that you attended as a fan?
X at The Greek Theater in LA. Just brilliant. I’ve loved them since 1983. They played their first album, Los Angeles, straight through and then did some of their other stuff. Dave Grohl’s daughter came out and sang Nausea and I could see him standing in the wings watching her. That was kind of fun. For me that was a special show in that I really felt like I was a part of the native LA Rock scene… even though I was raised all the way across the country in Savannah, I found my tribe eventually.
What current social issue are you particularly passionate about?
There’s so many… the ‘Medicine Man’ album says a lot about many of the issues raised by the pandemic and our society’s response. Take a listen and see… I’m a Gen Xer, so I’m not afraid to speak my mind.
The album that you have in your album collection/Spotify playlist that would surprise most people?
I LOVE Sinatra, I love old-school bluegrass with Earl Scruggs and Mother Maybell Carter. I like musical theater… and when the family hits the pool, a yacht rock vibe seems to fit things perfectly.
Although 2021 was another year to forget, there were some amazing new albums released, what would be your album of last year?
Again, NHC would be my choice for that. I think that their stuff is really awesome. I’m a Dave Navarro fan for life. When I was in high school, I used to go to the record store every day after school to see what was new… in a mall like in Fast Times At Ridgemont High. Those were great times, but as I have gotten older, I just don’t search out bands like I used to. When I find stuff I like, I do still really enjoy discovering new bands. In the last couple of years, I found Clutch and really dig their records!
What does 2022 hold for you?
I’m working on some new songs that I started writing from synths and samples instead of guitar to help bring in some new flavor. Also, as covid wanes, I am talking with some local friends about putting a live band thing back together again. I do really miss playing with real players. The studio can be a great release, but there’s nothing better than 4 guys in a dingy rehearsal space banging it out. I’ve been doing that for 40 years and have no intention of stopping. Every time I walk through the door for a rehearsal, something in the back of my mind says that there’s no better place on earth to be than there.
How active are you on social media and where can people connect with you?
I’m mostly on Facebook and Youtube. I have Insta but hardly ever post anything there. As a mixer for Warner Brothers, I can get super busy and I definitely don’t keep up with my social media presence like the younger guys do, but cest la vie… I keep my musical flame lit the best I can and I feel like the ‘Medicine Man’ album is some of my best work to date. I write music because I feel it and mean it. It’s visceral, cerebral, and spiritual for me. It’s something that I have always done in my life and there always seems to be another wave to catch. I am unconcerned with the latest styles or fads or fretting as I used to when things didn’t take off as I had hoped. There was a time in the 90s when I was fairly bitter about not “breaking big”, but life works out in ways that you don’t always see. I’m married to a gorgeous retired burlesque dancer who danced with Dita Von Teese, I have a killer house with a pool in Burbank, I work in the studio for Warner Brothers every day and my new record totally rocks! Life is good!
