Cliffs + Caves, an indie/folk mother-daughter duo (Lindsey and Claire Justice) based in Houston, TX, unabashedly share their deeply personal and relatable stories through songs that resonate with listeners of all generations. Their EP, Capsize, dynamically demonstrates their unique blend of indie-folk music created from intimate lyrics lilting intrinsically over smooth musical progressions. Partnering with producer Chris Jacobie (Penny and Sparrow, Jarrod Dickenson, Duncan Fellow) to complete the project, the result is a five song exploration and showcase of the musical ingenuity that is created when artistry runs in the family.
Their newest single “Defiance,” which was deeply inspired by an interview from a victim of sexual violence, is a fierce indie-rock battle cry in support of the powerless who can’t speak up for themselves. A timely anthem to accompany the Me Too and Time’s Up Movements, “Defiance” effectively confirms that no one has to be quiet anymore. With “Defiance” making the Slay Sonics’ Best of Indie 2018 playlist, this duo is making some serious waves.
The Crafty Musician Blog is proud to feature Cliffs + Caves, in this month’s edition of Artist Spotlight…
What makes your music unique?
We are a mother/daughter duo, which I think makes our music very special. Our song topics range from what my 16 year old Claire experiences and also what I walk through as a grown mother of 2 teenagers that’s been married for 20 years.
What are some of your music accomplishments?
In addition to our song “Defiance” making the Slay Sonics’ Best of Indie 2018 playlist, the two songs we’ve released so far off our new EP (that fully releases in a few weeks) have both been picked up on Real Texas Radio, we’ve been featured on The Daily Country, Women in Country Music, and on Women that Rock. We’ve been playing regularly at The Rustic in Houston. We opened for Tracy Byrd at The House Pasture.
What obstacles have you overcome in your music journey?
I believe, our biggest obstacle is that we’re a Mother/Daughter Duo, simply because in this present day culture, it isn’t “cool” to hang out with your mom, or make music with your parent. But, I think that’s why it’s so important we share our music, because people need to see women creating art together- and it’s especially uplifting as a mother and daughter to be songwriting and performing together.
What’s your work flow like as a Duo when it comes to songwriting and handling promotions activities, booking gigs, etc.?
I’ve devoted much time and effort to studying the craft of songwriting- last year I attended Judy Stakee’s songwriting retreat outside of Nashville after applying and being accepted. It was there that I realized what a special thing Claire and I naturally have, our songwriting relationship is so organic and we both have completely different strengths that play well off each other. Claire is a multi-instrumentalist and is stellar at creating music with her fingerstyle guitar playing, while I have zero ability to play instruments, I have stacks and stacks of notebooks where I constantly write song lyrics and also can easily find melodies and harmonies. She sifts through my song books until she finds lyrics that resonate with her and then guitar chords pour out of her. Then we work through finding the melody together. We are a great team. Because Claire is so swamped with school and sports, I also take the lead on our social media. I’m super active on instagram, and our presence on there literally led to how we ended up being connected with both the producers we’ve had the honor of working with. I love how social media, especially instagram, has made the music community so accessible and connected. I also come up with rehearsal schedules and set lists. We have our different roles and we’ve settled into those responsibilities – and we help even each other out.
What challenges have you encountered being a Mother / Daughter duo? And how did you overcome them?
Claire and I have such a special situation being a mother/daughter duo. We can’t just get mad at each other and quit- ha! We have to work things out and struggle through our differences because we LIVE together and have to function not only as a band – but also as a family. It also makes it so much easier to work on music too, because we’re together so much under the same roof. Honestly, there are days I wonder how non-related people ever stick it out and stay together and make music- because it can be a messy process. It requires patience, openness, and lots of understanding. We do pretty good at reading each other’s moods and knowing when to back off and give each other space or when to push for the idea we think works the best. She knows I get stressed and high strung right before a live show and she’s figured out how to maneuver around me. We definitely fill in for each other’s weaknesses and lean on each other’s strengths.
How did you and Claire first decide to start a duo?
We sang together for a fun little talent show at Laity Lodge Family Camp one summer and also took a songwriting class from Sara Groves, the amazing Christian artist while we were there that week. That class made us realize how accessible songwriting is for anyone who loves music and wants to learn to write original music- and it lit a fire in us to start making music together.
What kind of gigs do you and Claire do?
We schedule as many live shows as possible, but because Claire is only 16 and a sophomore in high school (and also super busy playing 3 sports – volleyball, basketball, and soccer) we usually stay close to Houston. We’ve played the Rustic quite a bit this winter and recently played Heights Theater and The Good Co. Armadillo Palace.
What tactics have you found to be most helpful in getting gigs?
Being active on social media is probably what’s been the most helpful for us securing gigs. Booking agents notice the other shows we’ve played and reach out to have us play.
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How do you go about networking with industry professionals both online and off?
It sounds so crazy, but I’ve made all of our most important industry connections through Instagram- from the producers we’ve recorded with, to musicians we’ve played with, to booking agents at venues. It’s been the social media platform that we’ve found to be most manageable and the music community there has been super accessible and inviting.
Spotify playlists are hot right now! How did you get on a premiere Spotify playlist?
The Spotify playlist world is one I’ve been trying to understand lately, so I’m still researching that scene. We’ve been extra excited to be added to some fun Spotify playlists- and I do think it all comes down to having a really good song. I also think there comes a point where it’s important to know your limitations and expand your team by bringing on someone that has expertise in areas outside of your realm of understanding. Outsourcing our PR has made all the difference for us in gaining press credentials and getting our music in front of the people that we simply don’t have the connections to make happen by ourselves. Dawn Jones at Pressed PR has been a godsend by taking so much off our plate and partnering with us to reach our goals – it also freed up TIME to allow us to focus on our craft.
What kind of results have you gotten from being on the Spotify playlist?
I’m not sure how to quantify the results of being on a Spotify playlist- however, the more reach you have and the more ears your songs get to- the better. So, of course it has helped introduce us to new listeners and followers.
What advice do you have for other singer-songwriters and musicians?
I believe the path for each artist is incredibly different, so it’s hard to really give specific advice. But, if you feel the calling deep in your gut to write and sing songs, that’s awesome- gear up for a ton of work and realize that it’s a marathon- there is no overnight success. It takes a lot of grit and perseverance and you have to deeply believe in yourself while understanding that no one else is going to magically make your career get off the ground. The songs have to be GREAT – and that takes time and trial and error. I would highly recommend going to songwriting retreats.
But, please know that having really great songs is just the tip of the iceberg, you should learn as much as you can about the music industry from going to concerts, reading books, watching podcasts, and following artists just ahead of the path from where you are. Be creative and think outside of the box on how to get your music heard. Be genuine, be yourself- don’t chase after what other people are doing or someone else’s sound or style. Most of all though, enjoy each step of the journey. Truly learn to enjoy and appreciate sitting down and creating a song, know how special it is when you get to go record a song, rehearse for a show, and play live for people. Support artists you love by going to their concerts– the longer we’ve done this the more I realize it’s all about the journey, not the destination. OH And if it terrifies you, you really should do it- you learn so much every time you step out of your comfort zone and do something that scares you.
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Tell us about some of your recent or upcoming projects.
We had an amazing opportunity to play for a really special gala a couple weeks ago to help raise money for Stoney Creek Ranch, which is an organization that’s so close to our hearts. Stoney Creek is a not-for-profit group that provides a fun camping experience for Houston’s urban youth. Camp is really important to our family, so it’s super special that we get to use our voices -literally- to help give kids a chance to experience the beautiful Texas outdoors.
We also have a music video for our song “Defiance”. I think it’s really powerful to have the message of that song shown visually by this amazing director, Scott Brignac. He’s so insanely talented, we’re really lucky he’s doing this project with us- he has a major feature film coming out soon with Luke Benward and Hannah Kasulka called Playing God. Its nuts we get to work with such an accomplished director for our music video.
We have fun shows coming up and exciting news ahead- So, we hope Cliffs+Caves keeps growing our audience and finding the people that our songs resonate with.
How can we find you online?
We are super active on instagram- that’s where we post daily on our stories and make our show announcements @Cliffs and Caves. We’re also on Facebook and Youtube. Plus, visit our website.
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