Hannah Engelson
The State News
Graduation for The Hard Lessons, a rock band whose members are all former MSU students, has a deeper meaning than receiving degrees and leaving campus.
The Lansing-based band members have graduated from simply being indie darlings of the local music scene to nationally recognized rock veterans who've spent much of the last five years touring the nation. Comprised of singer/guitarist Augie Visocchi, singer/organist Ko Ko Louise (Korin Cox), and drummer The Anvil (Christophe Zajac-Denek), the band was formed in 2003.
A week after forming their band, they competed in the MSU Battle of the Bands at the International Center, taking second place and a $400 prize. On Tuesday, the band returned to their stomping grounds of Lansing for a special performance at the 2008 Common Ground Music Festival with Rock and Roll Hall of Fame singer/guitarist Sammy Hagar. The State News caught up with Visocchi and Ko Ko Louise to discuss the evolution of the band and their new album.
The State News: Why the name "The Hard Lessons"?
Ko Ko Louise: I think everyone can relate. Every show, every day, it becomes more relevant.
Augie Visocchi: When we were students here we were going to be teachers, so it definitely plays into that. For songs we wrote, they were all about hard lessons. For a band going against the world and trying to do everything ourselves, we learn hard lessons every day.
SN: What were some of your favorite venues to play at in the Lansing area?
AV: We loved playing on campus, we've had some great shows on campus. We've played Mac's Bar and we've played the International Center. Our first record release was at the Temple Club, we loved playing there. We were fortunate enough to be here at a very cool time for the Lansing music scene. There were people packing shows (at Mac's ) every night.
KL: This year is our first year playing the Common Ground festival, and we've wanted to play that for years.
SN: How do you feel about the opportunity to play alongside Sammy Hagar?
AV: It's pretty cool to be around someone who's experienced as much as he's experienced. We've been very fortunate to play with some big acts during our career. I like to think that we learn the most about this business from firsthand experiences like this.
SN: Would you say most of your influences come from people from the local scene?
AV: Definitely. When I was putting the band together I was inspired by what I was seeing in Detroit: Live music happening in these tiny venues.
KL: We weren't spending our time at Pine Knob watching giant acts. We were at the Lager House.
SN: The Hard Lessons just came off of a U.S. tour, how was that experience for the band?
AV: It was cool but tough. We made just enough to put gas in the tank and maybe a sandwich in our bellies. It's not glamorous, but what makes it worthwhile are things like showing up in Seattle for the first time in over a year and having people waiting to watch us and thanking us for coming to see them.
SN: Any pet peeves concerning tours?
KL: Sometimes a misconception comes up that I might just be the merchandise girl or a girlfriend of someone in the band. That's frustrating. It happens at least once a week. Rock 'n' roll is still a boys' club, but we're fortunate that Michigan is supportive of female musicians.
SN: What's something special about the new album "B&G Sides" that fans will appreciate?
AV: We released it in four parts, on deluxe artwork that goes together like a puzzle and tells a story. We gave away each volume for free on the Internet, encouraging our fans to listen to the music and check us out. Then we gave them a reason to buy the physical product. You have to give people a reason to support, and I hope they will want to support us because we're putting forth effort for our fans to care in everything from CDs to merchandise.