Miz Metro Interview: SXSW 2010

Posted on Mar 1st 2010 1:00PM by Dan Skarbek
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Miz Metro, aka Laura O'Reilly, is a modern music media artist, one that embodies the power today's artist can have in the creation and distribution of their image. Her debut album, 'Unlimited,' was released in 2009 and she is making her third appearance [first official showcase] at SXSW this year. Hill is taking some time away from her studies at SUNY Purchase, where she is in her last semester as a New Media major, for her first showcasing event. At 22 years old she is poised, with an unwavering work ethic, to be a leader on the front lines of the digital media music revolution.

Describe your sound in your own words

I would say my sound is retro pop; quirky retro pop with some hip-hop themed lyrics. I don't necessarily rap but it's more melodic with rhyming. It's about the lyrical content. I don't write for a genre, I write what is good for the song. Its a hybrid sound.

How did your band form?

My background is in the music business. My four parents were all actors. I started out acting but music is a way I can be myself. Acting is a huge part of who I am. I write all my lyrics and my melodies. I have been recording and working with my producer Ray Cervenka, since I was 16. I am 22 now so I have kind of grown up with all of the songs on my debut album, 'Unlimited.' It is a very organic process and the music has grown so much since I have been playing with the Makebelieves. I wouldn't be where I am without having them with me, they really made the parts their own.

What are your musical influences?

Goodness. I really love Etta James a lot, not just for what she contributed to music but also for what she meant to the world. She sang with so much conviction, I've never had an artist touch me the way Etta has. My Dad made me a tape of 'Etta James Rocks the House Live' from the '60s when I was about to turn 16. I must have listened to that tape hundreds of times. Pushover is my favorite song by Etta. I also love Judy Garland. Every song on the new record pays tribute to a different influence of mine. That's why I named the album 'Unlimited.'

How did you come up with your band name?

I got my name from my MetroCard earrings. I took a year off from school before college and I would get really bored at work, and one day I was looking a MetroCard and I saw the hole in it and turned them into the doorknocker earrings. I was at Winter Music Conference in 2006 and I was interviewing Lady Sovereign for Pangea.com and I had my MetroCard earrings on. We kind of hit it off and and she's like, "Oh, Miz Metro" 'cause of the earrings and it just kind of stuck. Anyone who lives in New York knows you spend a lot of time on the Metro. It was a metaphor for my music, being a form of transportation itself.

Will you be performing solo or with your band at SXSW?

I have it pieced down a bit. I'm not bringing the full 7-piece band, the Makebelieves, down to Austin. It's kind of live remixing of the songs. It's looking good.

What does 2010 have in store for Miz Metro?

I have been feeling the scene in New York brewing for several years and I feel like it's at the boiling point right now. There is nothing like the artist community in New York, we keep each other going. As Miz Metro I want to help create a platform for other artists from New York. I am striving to create my company Miz Metro Media because, for me, it's all about community building. Miz Metro means helping being a platform for the underground.

Do you have any vices on the road?

I am still in school finishing my New Media degree so I don't really have time for partying. I like to create the atmosphere for others to have a good time.

Who was your first concert?

Tina Turner when I was 12 and it was very inspiring.

What was the first CD you ever owned?

The first CD I ever owned was by No Doubt.

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