karaoke at the bar Gisele came out to see who the hell Medusa was. She heard me sing and asked me if I ever would want to come over and jam with her at her house after work one night. I was like, “sure”, and I went over that night after karaoke…I was dog tired...But she started playing, and I was like, “Wow, this is awesome.” She was playing open tuning, I was playing standard, and the sounds just meshed. She makes me play in these god-awful capoed areas of the guitar that you’re not supposed to ever play. G: Uh huh, she shouldn’t complain. So would it be safe to say that Gisele challenges you, Michelle?
Kathyrn Nee Photography 2013
Like for one, Halcyon has been together forever, and it’s just a tremendous feat. I for one have gotten M: Yeah...yeah she does. She’ll bring me things that better at playing guitar, and she doesn’t ever want to I’m initially hesitant about, but once we sit down and sing, even though everyone loves to hear her sing it play it, it works. is nice to get a break every nonce in a while, too. It’s gotta be nice for you, Gisele. I know you were Gisele, would you say Michelle challenges you? playing solo for years, I know before shows you’d be all, “Oh, I’m gonna puke, I don’t wanna sing,” and G: Absolutely. When I learned “Over the Rainbow” now you’re basically playing lead guitar but singing she wanted to kill me...It took me over a week. I backup vocals on a lot of y’alls songs. That has to be mean, there isn’t anyone that I’ve heard sing Eva therapeutic for you, musically, wouldn’t you say? Cassidy like Michelle. When I first met her, I hadn’t heard her sing...Miss Wallflower, hanging out in the G: I’ve never been happier musically. I get to play corner all quiet...But when I heard her sing, I was guitar, not by myself...She plays opposite of me, so blown away. we’re not playing the same melody and notes, and I couldn’t ask for anything more. The girl can SING. M: Man, I just wanna sell a song. We wanna sell a Gisele, you’ve always had some pretty nasty stage song...did I say that yet? You’re going to hear that a fright issues, even though you’ve been playing on lot… stage for years. How is that now that you don’t have to get up there alone, are you less nervous or is it [Laughs] Isn’t that the point, though? Y’all came still the same…? together and hit the ground running with such fervor you don’t often see with a female duo, and I G: Oh, yeah, I still vomit. think it is because you two are good for each other, musically meant to be. Over the past few months, M: You get nervous because you want to do a good how have you both grown musically? job...”Do I have enough cough drops? Am I going to forget the chords? Am I gonna get choked up or say M: I most definitely have. I am a much better guitar something stupid? And then, the first screw up, we player, and am more confident, because she instilled laugh and we’re over it. We actually hope within the that confidence in me. I love the way she plays, I first or second song we screw up to where we can am in awe. When she encourages me and tells me I just laugh at each other, and then we’re good. have the capabilities, I look at her and I believe her. I think it also builds a rapport with the audience, She knows what she’s talking about. because you guys are obviously not afraid to laugh at yourselves, you’re not ‘too good’ to fuck up or ‘too G: As women, being all emotional and sometimes good’ to admit you did... having snakes for hair and being competitive, it’s really hard to keep a duo or trio together that’s all M: Nobody’s a diva here. We kind of liken ourselves women. to Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. Or like Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy in The Heat – we’re M: We aren’t competitive with each other in the least. those girls. @DavidAtlantaGA // 31