Annie in the Water: Michael Lashomb on Building a Band That Lasts
Michael Lashomb and his bandmate Brad have been on the phone every single day for 19 years. That is not a figure of speech. They met in college on a whim, played music once, and have talked daily ever since.
Most bands do not survive 19 months. Annie in the Water has survived a near breakthrough, a complete blow up, a hiatus and a rebuild, and they just walked out of the studio when we recorded Episode 97 of The Purpose Chasers. This conversation is about what it actually takes to build a band, and a creative life, that lasts without burning the person inside it to the ground.
When the Whole Thing Blew Apart
"2006 goes into 2018, we had built a band with bass player, keyboard player, our current drummer now too. We were blowing up. We were about to get big representation. Finished our last big show, a sellout show with Twiddle at the Paradise Rock Club. And the whole thing just blew apart and we had a hiatus in 2018."
Going into that Christmas, Michael could hardly talk to his family. Brad took months to get himself back. And the lesson Michael took from it is the one every entrepreneur eventually learns the hard way:
"The one thing I've learned from going through all these trials and tribulations is it always like something crumbles and falls apart to find what is the value underneath that."
Music as a Long Term Asset, Not a Burnout Machine
Michael is open about the years he was unavailable to himself while touring constantly, and about his sobriety. The thing that changed how he shows up for the band was not a business plan. It was the inner work.
"The spirituality side of it is so imperative to how I can show up in my band, because there was a lot of times where I was completely unavailable for myself while touring constantly."
He is the musical astrologer on Instagram, he leads sound baths, and he treats the band like something to steward for decades instead of something to extract from until it breaks. That is the difference between a hustle and an asset.
Fans Are the Testimonials
I have not seen Annie in the Water live yet. I almost caught them at a festival this summer and my wife said no. What pulled me in was watching how this band treats the people around it, and the community that has formed as a result.
"I've always loved community. I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio for 12 years. I grew up on a huge street with kids playing, and my mom would literally say you go outside when the street light comes on, you come back inside."
I asked Michael how big a role the fan community will play in a musician's growth, especially with AI flooding the feeds. My answer was in the question: every single person who follows you is a person who could tell people about you forever. A fan talking about your show is the same asset as a client talking about your work. It is proof you did not have to write. That is the Social Proof System applied to a band.
What It Sounds Like When Someone Tells Your Story for You
Sam Haynes moves a thousand miles an hour. My workshop forced him to slow down and look in the mirror. What he found:
"A lot of times you can find out it's actually not a problem. It's a blessing."
Aurora Potts came to my workshop knowing only that she needed something more within herself. How she left:
"Now I am awakened. I feel reborn. And I couldn't be more excited about the future."
More real stories on the Happy Check client results page.
Keep Listening
Nef on becoming DJ Premier's engineer and owning his name online
Zeke Stern of Green Lion Crew on producing reggae from a Maine basement
Want Your Fans and Clients to Carry the Story?
On The Purpose Chasers I sit down with people who are building something that matters. In my business, The Happy Check, I help coaches, creators and service businesses turn that same kind of real story into video testimonials and content that bring in clients.
If you want to take your marketing to the next level, book an organic marketing audit call with me.
Or start with the free Happy Check book and learn who to ask, when to ask and how to use what they say.
Keep reading: why owned proof beats rented attention, video testimonial marketing.
