There are two artists with this name: 1. A Canberra, Australia based alt ro… Read Full Bio ↴There are two artists with this name: 1. A Canberra, Australia based alt rock band 2. A Kansas City, Missouri based alt rock band

1. Formed in April 2016, Moaning Lisa is made up of four under-motivated university students who find purpose in making loud noises together. Taking cues from the likes of Wolf Alice and Pixies, Moaning Lisa operate somewhere between composed restraint and fuzzed-out, life-affirming alternative rock.

Coming off an NLMA nomination and three singles in their first nine months as a band (including BMA Magazine’s song of the year, ‘Comfortable’), Moaning Lisa released their debut EP 'The Sweetest' on 24th of March, 2017. They back it all up with a masterful, raucus live show that won them 2016’s National Campus Band Competition and sees them consistently pack out venues in their hometown.

Sonically, 'The Sweetest' catapults the listener back to the early nineties, when shoegaze bands like My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive were making waves, and grunge icons Pixies and Sonic Youth reigned supreme. The harmonies between Charlotte Versegi and Hayley Manwaring, Moaning Lisa’s lead vocalists, are inspired by the likes of The Cranberries and The Breeders.

Garnering national attention after their video calling for action on gig harassment went viral in 2016, Moaning Lisa’s video clip for ‘Shoe-in’, which they say “illuminates inclusivity, diversity, and how much fun a show can be without being a fuckwit,” was included in Triple J Unearthed’s best new videos of the year.

Moaning Lisa has a big presence in the discourse surrounding women in music. They were interviewed by Triple J Unearthed as apart of their Girls To The Front initiative for International Women’s Day and appear in a short film created by youth organisation One Women’s Project aiming to inspire and motivate young women.

2. Moaning Lisa was formed out of the ashes of Deege, a Kansas City, Missouri based alt rock band in 1998. Principal songwriter David George joined forces with Desmond Ramos on guitar who had nothing better to do other than run sound at famed rock club The Hurricane in Kansas City. With Alex Bender on loan from Crutch playing bass and Wesley West on drums they got busy.

Greg Levine replaced Wesley on drums having played with David in Deege. The band continued to gig around Kansas City and the Midwest in 1998 ultimately jumping into West End Studios with Paul Malinowki and Joel Hamilton from Shiner producing the first 4 song demo. Understanding what they wanted to accomplish, the band booked time at Red House Studios in Lawrence, Kansas (now Black Lodge Recorders) with pal Marc Danzeisen flying in from Los Angeles to produce. Marc worked the band hard leading up to the session to ensure the songs were tight.

The sessions that produced "Wonderful" were both efficient and fruitful. Greg banged out all 12 songs in a marathon one day session with additional overdubs, vocals, and mixing/mastering taking place in the following 2 weeks. Greg ultimately left the band after the session to return home to Los Angeles and Moaning Lisa soldiered on over the next 3-4 years with a revolving door at rhythm section. Since then, the band has broken up only to reform as Culture Killers now based in Los Angeles around David and Desmond (excuse me, ahem, "Delta Star") playing around LA and touring where possible.