Lily Frost,
Lily Frost is a dynamite chanteuse oozing with panache and visual sass.
The Toronto-based singer-songwriter has recently reinvented herself, flaunting a feathered chapeau, sleek black dress, gartered black nylons, black-studded boots and passion-red lips. She’s ready for anything and anyone that crosses her path or scratches her itch as femme fatale Rebound B. who “just might make the switch” after being burned one too many times by the power of love.
After going through the emotional rollercoaster ride of a marital split, who has been compared to Holly Golightly — Audrey Hepburn’s timeless happy-go lucky heroine, in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” — is now Holly-Not-Going-So-Lightly.
“Rebound” showcases her ribald songstories flowing through six steamy tracks thanks to her come-hither-now-go-away lyrics and new band The Gentleman Callers.
Frost says it took six months to write the songs.
“We were on a tangent of doing a single a month,” she notes. “I was working with (Joydrop bassist) Tom McKay. He and I were co-producing (at Toronto’s Exeter Sound). We started out and we did about six singles. Then we hit a stride so we had (trumpeter) Bryden Baird (Art of Time Ensemble, Feist) doing the horns. There are also these little trip-hoppy beats,” she adds.
“Then the theme started coming together,” she explains. “It is this fierce woman coming out from the breakup through an online dating website and going crazy in terms of being a player.
“It’s embracing that attitude of female empowerment and owning your anger, taking control and charge of your life, and your sex life, then turning it into some sort of Quentin Tarantino soundtrack. That was the goal,” she adds with a laugh.
Frost and The Gentleman Callers score. “Rebound” is electrifying from start to finish with horns galore, twang guitar, and Frost’s sensual smoky-voiced narrative of a woman brought to the brink of crazy from a broken heart.
The EP is also very sexy, from RB’s explorations as a “tourist in the tunnel of love” in “Sex Trip,” curing whatever ails her with “Witchdoctor,” the “Looking for Mr. Goodbar” cautionary tale of “Red Flags” or “Rebound’s” aurally catchy title-track.
Frost admits it’s been a while since she had her own band.
“(Gentleman Caller) Nicol Robertson (Devin Cuddy, Jadea Kelly) is a fantastic guitar player. I just love his sound and there is no one as great as him in Canada in my opinion,” she exclaims. “Nicol and I were doing duo gigs and then out of the blue Ted Hawkins (Alistair Crystl and The Cosmotones) appeared one night, played snare, sang along and was dressed exactly right. He gets it!” says Frost excitedly.
“We are on the same page so we were inseparable from that point forward as a trio. Then one day we were doing a gig. Gene Hardy (Mary Margaret O’Hara, Jeff Healey) was our sound man and he happened to have his horns with him, so he sat in!” she adds.
“We were standing in a perfect line, the four of us,” recalls Frost. “We were laughing and going what a band! When that chemistry kicks in, you just feel it. Sometimes we add trumpet and we have double bass. That is Kevin Walsh (Ted Hawkins). When he’s not available we have Russ Boswell (David Wilcox, Serena Ryder).
Frost, who has 12 albums to her credit, has toured North America and Europe, sharing eclectic stages with many artists including multi-genre music mix Pink Martini, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Coldplay and countless others over the years.
Her work is frequently heard in film and TV shows including “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Crazy/Beautiful,” “Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay,” “Charmed” and “Felicity.”
Frost also wrote the signature theme to fantasy-dramedy “Being Erica” which garnered her a Gemini nomination, in addition to her other career accolades.
She’s now focusing her efforts on Toronto’s Big City Socials.
“It is a gathering of retro-music lovers — people who are into rockabilly, swing and burlesque,” she explains. “We make pies and we have dance classes. People are encouraged to dress up. We have cocktail specials and it is very, very fun — a mix of entertainment but also interactive. The dance floor is pretty much packed the whole time. The last two Socials were almost sold out. We are hoping the same thing will happen for Big City Social #3 on Oct. 31. It’s obviously costume-based for Halloween,” she adds with a giggle.
Recently, Frost began directing her own videos. “Rebound” shot in Joshua Tree, California, stars Frost and burlesque dancer Red Herring. It was directed by Frost with the help of actor Michelle Boback (video games “Deus Ex-Human Revolution” and “Mankind Divided”).
Frost befriended the actor/director who also had a daughter the same age as hers. Boback helped Frost and the two morphed into a team from initial concept to final edits. Frost says her brother is also in the video playing the guy she literally leaves rolling in the desert dust.
“The concept was pretty clear,” notes Frost. “Basically the burlesque dancer is the love interest and I am so fed up with men that I have given up on them all together and just turn to women,” she adds.
Down the line, Frost’s also contemplating a video concept for naughty “Rebound” tune “Sex Trip” with plans to shoot it in Berlin, Germany’s red light district.
In addition music and video, playing and planning Big City Socials, Frost is a staff writer at her label Aporia Records (Ann Vriend).
“My attention is focused mostly on writing songs. I just write and write and write which keeps me pretty preoccupied,” she says.
The story of “Rebound B.” is pretty straight forward, and it’s not hard to figure what “B” means.
“I was married for 10 years and I went through all the stages of denial — attempts at repairing it, surrender, anger, hurt, anger, letting go,” admits Frost. “I wrote this song with (bassist) Matt Lipscombe from Me Mom and Morgentaler. We met in Nashville when were on a co-writing camp together. So “Rebound” is in the anger department. It’s a bit tongue-in-cheek, and a little bit campy. But it’s also the idea that you are just are so broken-hearted you do not want to deal with men ever again. You just want to go and ... yeah!”