Licorice Chamber

Layla:  The name Licorice Chamber was originally conceived when I was in design school. The project was to create a brand based solely on oneself. For me it was the juxtaposition of both words that made Licorice Chamber a good fit for me. I wasn’t sure if I’d ever get the chance to use it outside of school but I guarded it for many years until its use. Licorice Chamber to me is visceral, but it’s the nostalgia that I crave and bittersweet much like the songs I write.
Layla:  The three of us each have our own reasons but ultimately, we all related to needing time to focus on our health and family. We were going strong for a decade, touring nonstop year after year with our sole purpose being SOH. Some of us handled it differently and not long after our last tour in 2017 Sean left Washington to move back to Omaha. With him gone Marc and I decided to put things on hold for the foreseeable future. Marc, my fiancé Joe and I carried on for a bit contemplating a new project. We even wrote an EP’s worth of music but didn’t get to finish due to overwhelming circumstances in both Marc’s and my life. Fast forward to now, Marc will be joining me as a live musician and future collaborator in Licorice Chamber. 
Layla:  Similarly both Strap On Halo and Licorice Chamber began by not conforming to a specific genre with the hope that the music would speak for itself. The three of us all grew up in different states with similar and different influences. We co-wrote every song and the culmination of those similarities and differences are what shaped our sound. Another distinctive difference is that SOH was guitar driven whereas Licorice Chamber is driven by cinematic synths and piano. I still hold true to my love for guitar by incorporating it into my music. With Licorice Chamber I write all the songs myself adding guitars as a means to embellish key parts. My lyrics have been about the human condition, mortality and the contrast between the beauty of decay and the unseemliness of death. My voice remains unchanged however my new project allows me to sing in ways I couldn’t with SOH. I’m excited about the future and writing music on my own terms.
Layla:  ‘This Love is Dark’ was the last song I wrote to include in the latest EP. The song is about loss, the ugly side of love. When you’re in love you don’t contemplate the end, you hope for more. What if you finally find that one true soul to spend your life with and then they are suddenly taken away. That is the dark side of love. The loss you feel, wanting to hold on just a little longer. During the pandemic I read so many heart-wrenching stories about loved ones dying alone, couples dying minutes apart hand in hand. This song acknowledges those heart aches.
Layla:  Michel Rowland has a beautiful way of embellishing key parts and lavishing the songs with elegant guitar work. He understood where the songs were coming from and gave each song additional resonance. Blair Wotton did much the same by adding a lush ebow soundscape to ‘It’s an Illusion’. They helped bring my songs to life by adding parts I didn’t know I needed. I’m extremely grateful that they both contributed and I’m happy to announce Michel has signed on to work on the next release alongside Marc Jones. 
Layla:  In my experience when you get into having a song remixed, the results can sometimes be completely unexpected. Lee was an absolute pleasure to work with and quite surprising. He works incredibly fast and in my opinion the remix is fantastic. It was just the foot stomping mix I needed to complete the EP. Originally it was just going to be released alongside the single as a prelude to the full EP but because it was so good, we decided to add it to the EP release as well. 
Layla:  As mentioned earlier I am working on the next Licorice Chamber release that will include Marc Jones and Michel Rowland as collaborators. This is intended to be a full-length album and could include additional collaborators but that has been undecided at this time. Strap On Halo is considering a live demo release that will include unreleased songs. We are still talking about it and could very well have something later this year if and that’s if we can all agree. 
Layla:  Thank you so much for having me and big thank you to everyone who took the time to read my musings. Licorice Chamber is now booking live dates. Look out for us at a venue near you and let us know if you’d like us to play. Thank you!