Lullabye Arkestra are a Band Built on Love and Not Sound Checking

First comes love, then comes starting a band, then comes marriage. That's the story for Justin Small and Kat Taylor-Small of Lullabye Arkestra, anyway. "We began getting together as a couple, then it was a really natural thing as we we're both musicians in bands before we became an official item. So of course once you get together, fall in love and both play music, you just want to play music together," Kat told Noisecreep.

"We were both in other bands at the time we met, and our bands played a couple of shows together," Kat recalled when discussing how she and Justin met. "Within a month, we had played two shows together, and we met in the backstage banter and chit chat of getting to know other bands. A couple weeks after that, Lullabye Arkestra were born." This "fun summer thing to do," as Justin calls the original intent of the band, has moved very fast, already touring overseas and getting ready to release their second album on Sept. 1.

Most bands have a tremulous struggle juggling friendship and being in a band, so you'd think there would be even more issues and hardships throwing marriage into mix. But not for Kat and Justin. "We don't let band rehearsal space arguments come home with us," Justin Says. "We do have typical band bickering at each other in the rehearsal space, but it's just about the band. Outside of the rehearsal space, it's just us."
One of the biggest benefits for Kat and Justin being a married band is that tours aren't time apart -- but all time together. "When we're on tour, it turns into half working vacation," Kat explained. "Anytime off we get to spend together. It's kind of perfect that way. Instead of with a normal band, you're not in with your spouse, you have to be away from them for so long; with us we get to experience everything together."

The band's most recent European tour was one of those experiences together. During the day, while the other bands we're held up in a club soundchecking, Kat and Justin were off on romantic getaways. "On the European tour we did one soundcheck, at the first show, because we're low concept. Bass, drums. We're loud. We need vocals," Justin grinned. "So we would travel the city." Kat ads, "We'd go out for glasses of wine in European squares."