Echo and the Empress

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Echo and the Empress have been added to the 2013 Line up for The Great Escape Festival in Brighton UK. - JL Music Publishing

ADELAIDE sister duo Echo And The Empress, have won a prestigious award for their song Balloon.

Skye and Beth Lockwood took out top honors in the Pop Category of the International Independent Music Awards, judged by famous faces including Keith Richards, Tori Amos, Michael Franti and Benji Madden.

The girls' song will be played on commercial stations and college stations in the US and Canada,

and has already had air time on Triple J's Home and Hosed and Super Request.

"It's a massive accolade to be chosen by people like Keith Richards and Michael Franti," Skye says. Their debut self-titled album is out now. You can download the free mp3 at www.echoandtheempress. com/store

Echo And The Empress will perform at The Promethean on June 29. - The Advertiser

ADELAIDE sister duo Echo And The Empress, have won a prestigious award for their song Balloon.

Skye and Beth Lockwood took out top honors in the Pop Category of the International Independent Music Awards, judged by famous faces including Keith Richards, Tori Amos, Michael Franti and Benji Madden.

The girls' song will be played on commercial stations and college stations in the US and Canada,

and has already had air time on Triple J's Home and Hosed and Super Request.

"It's a massive accolade to be chosen by people like Keith Richards and Michael Franti," Skye says. Their debut self-titled album is out now. You can download the free mp3 at www.echoandtheempress. com/store

Echo And The Empress will perform at The Promethean on June 29. - The Advertiser

Beth Keough is elucidating on the manifestation of the unique musical project known as Echo and the Empress. Two girls from Adelaide who play deliriously harmonic indie folk/ pop and look as if they’ve stepped straight out of a lush green forest. But it’s more than sunny afternoons in flowing frocks and indie pop, as I found out.
“We’re just two step-sisters, we got together about year ago and started writing music, both of us had written individually” Keough explains. “I play piano, Skye [Walter, the other half of the duo] plays guitar; we were just working on the songs we had already written. We’ve recorded some stuff at this stage, but we haven’t done a lot of live stuff, that’s the next level”

Echo and the Empress
One hurdle- of the many one may find in the path to successful musicianship- is location, location, location, as Keough knows well.
“Adelaide is a reasonably small city; it’s not as easy, like in a bigger city like Melbourne or Sydney. Part of it is getting recognition. We would definitely leave, if the opportunity came our way. I’d probably move to Melbourne, regardless, for the lifestyle”
“Sometimes we tend to write songs individually, we have gotten together and tried to put things together, a lot of the time I’ve put something on myself and had a spare afternoon and said to Skye, ‘this is what I’m doing, can you add guitar?’ or something” Keough explains on the creative process between the duo. “It’s hard to find inspiration; sometimes you could sit there all day, sometimes it’s just “…nope!”
“Since we’ve started, we haven’t really been compared to anyone in particular” Keough says on the inevitable comparisons made of female pop vocalists. “We’re both pretty open-minded about music, but we do love the kind of music that’s related to us; Sarah Blasko, Lisa Mitchell, Florence and the Machine. They’ve been a big thing for us the last year, [we’ve been] trying to tap into an unusual, unique sound”
“Oh, do you wanna talk to Skye?” Keough offers.
Sure, why not?
Walter takes over the interview and immediately apologizes for a slight crispness to her vocals. “I’ve lost my voice; I’m a bit husky today” she explains. “I think it was in the mosh pit at Art vs. Science. Came out a bit brown and wet (laughs). It was a bit crazy’’
Skye shares her discernment of the Echo and the Empress life. “Walking down the street, you might get a feeling, so you write it down and get it out before you forget it. Usually, we can’t really write music when we have no feeling; you can’t rip a new song out of nowhere. We just get together and bring our songs to each other. Having the both of us contribute makes them so much better, instead of just one person”
Luckily, the girls were surrounded by optimism and kudos from the beginning: “When we first started, we said, ‘Let’s just get together and make music and play together’ and we had mates around and they gave us so much encouragement, and we had feedback from outside people as well. They liked it. You get more ambitious about the whole thing you wanna make more of it, with good feedback like that. We’ve seen what we can do; it’d be great if we could ‘make it’”
On the subject of sound, Walter is in agreeance with Keough: they’re not out to copy anyone. “We definitely wanna create our own niche; we just went with the way our voices sound and the way we play. I say that because we’ve been compared with bands like Angus and Julia Stone and we didn’t set out to do that. You can’t try to be like anyone else”
Last question, ladies. What’s with the name?
“Ah, Echo and the Empress. We tried to think of something we were personality-wise for a long time; we just came up with it suddenly. An empress is a strong woman and we consider ourselves pretty strong and with the music, there’s a lot of emphasis on harmony, like every song there’s an echo…every song there is an echo and the empress, never one” - Watch Out For

Beth Keough is elucidating on the manifestation of the unique musical project known as Echo and the Empress. Two girls from Adelaide who play deliriously harmonic indie folk/ pop and look as if they’ve stepped straight out of a lush green forest. But it’s more than sunny afternoons in flowing frocks and indie pop, as I found out.
“We’re just two step-sisters, we got together about year ago and started writing music, both of us had written individually” Keough explains. “I play piano, Skye [Walter, the other half of the duo] plays guitar; we were just working on the songs we had already written. We’ve recorded some stuff at this stage, but we haven’t done a lot of live stuff, that’s the next level”

Echo and the Empress
One hurdle- of the many one may find in the path to successful musicianship- is location, location, location, as Keough knows well.
“Adelaide is a reasonably small city; it’s not as easy, like in a bigger city like Melbourne or Sydney. Part of it is getting recognition. We would definitely leave, if the opportunity came our way. I’d probably move to Melbourne, regardless, for the lifestyle”
“Sometimes we tend to write songs individually, we have gotten together and tried to put things together, a lot of the time I’ve put something on myself and had a spare afternoon and said to Skye, ‘this is what I’m doing, can you add guitar?’ or something” Keough explains on the creative process between the duo. “It’s hard to find inspiration; sometimes you could sit there all day, sometimes it’s just “…nope!”
“Since we’ve started, we haven’t really been compared to anyone in particular” Keough says on the inevitable comparisons made of female pop vocalists. “We’re both pretty open-minded about music, but we do love the kind of music that’s related to us; Sarah Blasko, Lisa Mitchell, Florence and the Machine. They’ve been a big thing for us the last year, [we’ve been] trying to tap into an unusual, unique sound”
“Oh, do you wanna talk to Skye?” Keough offers.
Sure, why not?
Walter takes over the interview and immediately apologizes for a slight crispness to her vocals. “I’ve lost my voice; I’m a bit husky today” she explains. “I think it was in the mosh pit at Art vs. Science. Came out a bit brown and wet (laughs). It was a bit crazy’’
Skye shares her discernment of the Echo and the Empress life. “Walking down the street, you might get a feeling, so you write it down and get it out before you forget it. Usually, we can’t really write music when we have no feeling; you can’t rip a new song out of nowhere. We just get together and bring our songs to each other. Having the both of us contribute makes them so much better, instead of just one person”
Luckily, the girls were surrounded by optimism and kudos from the beginning: “When we first started, we said, ‘Let’s just get together and make music and play together’ and we had mates around and they gave us so much encouragement, and we had feedback from outside people as well. They liked it. You get more ambitious about the whole thing you wanna make more of it, with good feedback like that. We’ve seen what we can do; it’d be great if we could ‘make it’”
On the subject of sound, Walter is in agreeance with Keough: they’re not out to copy anyone. “We definitely wanna create our own niche; we just went with the way our voices sound and the way we play. I say that because we’ve been compared with bands like Angus and Julia Stone and we didn’t set out to do that. You can’t try to be like anyone else”
Last question, ladies. What’s with the name?
“Ah, Echo and the Empress. We tried to think of something we were personality-wise for a long time; we just came up with it suddenly. An empress is a strong woman and we consider ourselves pretty strong and with the music, there’s a lot of emphasis on harmony, like every song there’s an echo…every song there is an echo and the empress, never one” - Watch Out For

TWO sisters, one gloriously harmonious sound - provided they've had a tot of cognac.

ORIGINS
Raised at opposite ends of Adelaide, Beth and Skye became stepsisters and musical soul mates in their teens. “I’ve always loved singing,” says Skye, who did two years of opera training (“I realised at 20 that wasn’t for me!”), before picking up a guitar and writing her own music.

HARMONY
Skye fondly remembers joining forces. “It was late 2009, and we were hanging out at home and played our songs to one another.” Skye took inspiration from Paul Simon and Tracey Chapman, while Beth preferred the likes of Ben Folds Five and Tori Amos. Echo and the Empress was born, and six-months later they hit the stage at Langhorne Creek Winery. “We were really nervous!”

GOOD SPIRITS
Jitters are a thing of the past… nipped in the bud by a nip of cognac before each show. “That ritual is working well for us,” laughs Skye. “It started when I lost my voice before a gig in Brisbane.” The liquor was suggested as a remedy and has been a staple since. “Funny thing is, our bass player and drummer drink it, too.”

NAME GAME
The band name reflects the strength of women (Empress) and the support of the ‘Echo’. “We both sing lead and both sing harmonies, alternating between the two.”

HIGH NOTE
Global success beckons – the sisters won a 2012 International Independent Music Award.

The duo play at The Barker Hotel, 5 Aug, 2pm, 32 Gawler St, Mt Barker. echoandtheempress.com - Adelaide Now - The Advertiser

TWO sisters, one gloriously harmonious sound - provided they've had a tot of cognac.

ORIGINS
Raised at opposite ends of Adelaide, Beth and Skye became stepsisters and musical soul mates in their teens. “I’ve always loved singing,” says Skye, who did two years of opera training (“I realised at 20 that wasn’t for me!”), before picking up a guitar and writing her own music.

HARMONY
Skye fondly remembers joining forces. “It was late 2009, and we were hanging out at home and played our songs to one another.” Skye took inspiration from Paul Simon and Tracey Chapman, while Beth preferred the likes of Ben Folds Five and Tori Amos. Echo and the Empress was born, and six-months later they hit the stage at Langhorne Creek Winery. “We were really nervous!”

GOOD SPIRITS
Jitters are a thing of the past… nipped in the bud by a nip of cognac before each show. “That ritual is working well for us,” laughs Skye. “It started when I lost my voice before a gig in Brisbane.” The liquor was suggested as a remedy and has been a staple since. “Funny thing is, our bass player and drummer drink it, too.”

NAME GAME
The band name reflects the strength of women (Empress) and the support of the ‘Echo’. “We both sing lead and both sing harmonies, alternating between the two.”

HIGH NOTE
Global success beckons – the sisters won a 2012 International Independent Music Award.

The duo play at The Barker Hotel, 5 Aug, 2pm, 32 Gawler St, Mt Barker. echoandtheempress.com - Adelaide Now - The Advertiser

Adelaide’s own Echo and the Empress have been going from strength to strength with their infectious track ‘Balloon’ winning Best Pop Song at the International Independent Music Awards. The awards itself is impressive enough, but wait till you hear who the panel of judges included; Tori Amos, Keith Richards, Tom Waits, Michael Franti and Ozzy Osbourne.

Tim Brunero caught up with one half of the babe-ing empresses, Skye Lockwood. - 101.5fm Breakfast on Radio Adelaide

Adelaide’s own Echo and the Empress have been going from strength to strength with their infectious track ‘Balloon’ winning Best Pop Song at the International Independent Music Awards. The awards itself is impressive enough, but wait till you hear who the panel of judges included; Tori Amos, Keith Richards, Tom Waits, Michael Franti and Ozzy Osbourne.

Tim Brunero caught up with one half of the babe-ing empresses, Skye Lockwood. - 101.5fm Breakfast on Radio Adelaide

This Saturday afternoon at 5pm, Ausmosis (the program that features all Australian artists) will be banging out some great new independant Oz tracks and also be speaking to Skye Lockwood of South Australian act “Echo & The Empress” who’s extremely excellent tune “Balloon” recently garnered the “top pop song” prize at the International Independent Music Awards. The prestigious award was judged by luminaries such as Keith Richards, Tori Amos, Michael Franti, Benji Madden and Tom Waits amongst others and clears the way for this great act to start taking big strides abroad.

Check out their award winning song below and tune in to hear all about their win and other projects.

Adelaide based tunesmiths Echo & The Empress recently won the top prize at the International Independent Music Awards in the Pop catagory with their great track “Balloon”. In this podcast we talk to one half of the duo, Skye Lockwood about how they came to win the award and what it means to them as well as what opportunities it might create. Skye and sister Beth are the creative force behind Echo & The Empress. Click on the play button below to hear the interview. - 88.3 Southern FM

This Saturday afternoon at 5pm, Ausmosis (the program that features all Australian artists) will be banging out some great new independant Oz tracks and also be speaking to Skye Lockwood of South Australian act “Echo & The Empress” who’s extremely excellent tune “Balloon” recently garnered the “top pop song” prize at the International Independent Music Awards. The prestigious award was judged by luminaries such as Keith Richards, Tori Amos, Michael Franti, Benji Madden and Tom Waits amongst others and clears the way for this great act to start taking big strides abroad.

Check out their award winning song below and tune in to hear all about their win and other projects.

Adelaide based tunesmiths Echo & The Empress recently won the top prize at the International Independent Music Awards in the Pop catagory with their great track “Balloon”. In this podcast we talk to one half of the duo, Skye Lockwood about how they came to win the award and what it means to them as well as what opportunities it might create. Skye and sister Beth are the creative force behind Echo & The Empress. Click on the play button below to hear the interview. - 88.3 Southern FM

South Australian sister-duo ECHO & THE EMPRESS represented their country, and did it proud today at the International Music Awards.

“We are delighted to announce that South Australian Pop act Echo & The Empress have been taken out the top honors in the Pop Category of the International Independent Music Awards, winning Best Pop Song for ‘Balloon’…”

“With judges including Keith Richards, Tori Amos, Michael Franti and Benji Madden (of The Voice) , the Independent Music Awards provide international recognition for songwriters and performers, with the prize including significant promotion and airplay in the US and Canada.”

“Forming in 2009, Echo & The Empress is the collaboration of sisters Beth & Skye blending stunning harmonies and vivacious melodies to create a unique blend of indie pop which is both beautiful and infectious. The IMA winning track ‘Balloon’ is the first single from their debut album, and has been featured on Triple J’s Home and Hosed and Super Request, reaching number 1 on the AIRIT chart.”
- Kryztoff Raw

South Australian sister-duo ECHO & THE EMPRESS represented their country, and did it proud today at the International Music Awards.

“We are delighted to announce that South Australian Pop act Echo & The Empress have been taken out the top honors in the Pop Category of the International Independent Music Awards, winning Best Pop Song for ‘Balloon’…”

“With judges including Keith Richards, Tori Amos, Michael Franti and Benji Madden (of The Voice) , the Independent Music Awards provide international recognition for songwriters and performers, with the prize including significant promotion and airplay in the US and Canada.”

“Forming in 2009, Echo & The Empress is the collaboration of sisters Beth & Skye blending stunning harmonies and vivacious melodies to create a unique blend of indie pop which is both beautiful and infectious. The IMA winning track ‘Balloon’ is the first single from their debut album, and has been featured on Triple J’s Home and Hosed and Super Request, reaching number 1 on the AIRIT chart.”
- Kryztoff Raw

1th Annual Pop Song Winner
11th Annual Pop Song Vox Pop Winner - The Independent Music Awards

1th Annual Pop Song Winner
11th Annual Pop Song Vox Pop Winner - The Independent Music Awards