Today we’d like to introduce you to Jilly Morey.
Hi Jilly, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
For more than twenty years, I was married to my husband David before we discovered that we could write music together, and that creative spark eventually became the foundation of Lost on the Metro. We began pouring ourselves into songs and this turned into 80+ copyrighted songs so far, and one of the most meaningful chapters of our lives. We have both been language teachers for decades, and we both love to travel, so the idea of getting lost and found again when traveling is something that appeals to both of us so much. Getting lost on the metro or in a new place is a way to find new parts of yourself, and it’s never too late to learn something. This whole band thing has been a process of learning more about ourselves and each other as bandmates, as musicians, as introverts in a society that rewards extroverts.
We met our lead guitarist, Chris Dunn, a decade ago because our kids were in the same preschool class. Our kids have grown up together, and we have grown as musicians all this time. It has been incredible actually. Even when we took a break during COVID, coming back together to play with Chris was just picking up where we left off. So natural. We love the dynamic that comes alive when we all step into a room together to play. Lucan Stone, our bassist, is a former student of ours from years ago. We were chatting during study hall and found out he played guitar and loved music as much as we did. We asked him to play bass for us for an upcoming gig, and that was the beginning of an ongoing partnership and friendship that has endured! David Burmeister, our drummer, was in a band with Chris more than a decade ago. When we needed a drummer for an upcoming gig, David stepped in and has been with us ever since. He owns a pasta making company called Midwest Pasta! We are teachers, a machinist, a pasta guy, and we keep showing up to make music together – It’s one thing to connect on a musical level, but it’s a whole other beautiful thing to be friends turned into band family.
Our songs come from a place of lived experience. Jilly writes the lyrics and she leans towards carrying the ups and downs of childhood grief, relationships, parenthood, careers, resilience, anxiety, hope, and the constant challenge of trying to make a living while also making a life. We play out when we can with our busy professional and parenting lives wrapped around being introverts. We should seek out more gigs, but the introversion in us runs deep. We have played some amazing venues; we have gotten to play Budweiser Terrace at Busch Stadium, The Hub, City Garden, Evangelines, private parties, school festivals, and local community celebrations in Maplewood. We are working on our 4th EP at Shock City Studios with Ethan Chapin at the moment. We came to this experience after having lived a lot of life. I think that’s why we appreciate the time we have together; we know that change is inevitable, so let’s keep showing up for each other while this chapter is still open.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
We have struggled with all the daily ups and downs of life while trying to find ourselves at the same time. We were so caught up in building careers for awhile that music was put to the side. Being a grown up can be tough and dealing with anxiety, depression, career highs and lows, aging parents, all the things that pop up to punch you everyday….it took a random invitation for David to play bass in a teacher cover band to push us by accident onto this path. The teacher cover band was so fun and they asked me to sing a song with them, and from that cover band we got a few gigs, and then David and I started writing songs together in earnest and moved on to form our own band, trademark, and publishing LLC. So no, it hasn’t been a smooth road, but we are of the age that we know nothing is really ever gonna be a smooth road. COVID was awful in so many ways, but David and I did write a TON of songs because it was just us and more time than we could imagine to be creative. It’s a choice to play, to practice, to show up to practice each week. We aren’t getting paid to practice, so this labor of love and creative fulfillment are what keeps us motivated. Even choosing studios, covering costs, figuring out timing…it’s all a complex web of connections and you just have to roll with what will work for 5 people and their families, which can be tricky, but we make it work. We enjoy being with these guys and their families!
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We all come from different career paths, so we have had to navigate careers and family and personal goals for years. We are mid career professionals except for Lucan, who is just getting started in his career as a machinist. At this point, we all have systems that work for us at work and we have all experienced a certain level of success as working professionals. Jilly teaches French, English, and history to high school students, David teaches high school French, Chris teaches high school math. David B. makes pasta for a living. When we are not teaching or pasta making, we are immersed in the musical process or with our families and just trying to live a good life here in St. Louis. Our kids are still young enough that we still spend time at the StL Zoo, Science Center, Grant’s Farm, City Museum, kids soccer games, ice skating lessons, birthday parties, etc. Songwriting and band practice are part of the fabric of our weeks as the year weaves its way towards summer. I think what sets us apart is the very thing that makes us like everyone else. We are just people trying to get through the day and drive home and make dinner and feed the dogs and be creative when we find the time. You’ll find us at all the regular places people go to in St. Louis because we are regular and we have created music that we love that we hope people connect with.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Taking risks and being ok with failure is part of growing up. We had to start 3 separate LLCs in order to develop our band as a business and get trademarks and copyrights and all that. It’s a scary thing to develop a business with no experience in that area. We asked a lot of questions and went all in because we believe in our music and in ourselves as a band. I think we realized early on with all the social media stuff going on that we can’t worry about what other people think of us. Making our music has to be first and foremost for us. If someone else connects to it, then that’s a beautiful thing, but the music has been cathartic and healing in a lot of ways that are difficult to explain. Jilly writes more about childhood trauma and relationship trauma in ways that she struggled to talk about when younger. It’s taking a risk to put your lyrics and music out for the world to see and be ok if other people don’t connect to it at all. We have learned that the satisfaction of making our own creative art is worth the risk. Creativity keeps us alive. It’s also a risk to trust other people with the creative process. You open a part of yourself to a process that can be beautiful but isn’t always smooth…it’s a back and forth of ideas that is wordless at the beginning…just music flowing. The risk is absolutely worth it with these guys, and we trust each other now in ways that make it possible to take more risks in the room than with other people. When we listen to our music on Spotify and think about all the risks and the creative process that went into that piece of art being on the airwaves, it hits different. It’s something that started as an emotion that needed space to be in the world somehow. I’m proud of all of us for sticking with it and bringing those songs to light. Being proud of our music means the benefits outweigh the risks and we continue to show up. It’s also important to remember that you’re never too old to take a risk and run with it.
Pricing:
- We have a website at Lostonthemetro.com
- Stream our music on all music platforms
- Follow us and interact with us on socials
- Come see us play this summer in St. Louis!
- Hire us for your venue, reach out to us!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://lostonthemetro.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lostonthemetrostl
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/100064571543838/posts/pfbid04t5hF8kX5MBmbUwjEdBRX95oTuoVDVoyDKy8V2ZHBFeaEuzyV3F3usQbV9E5VBhNl/
- Youtube: https://youtu.be/MRXpPdHwYR0
