Meet Lydia Cash | Singer & Songwriter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lydia Cash and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lydia, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
This is probably the biggest challenge for me as a musician who is married to a musician. I’m writing this while my husband sits at the breakfast table, guitar in hand – we are pretty much constantly either making music together or talking about it. It’s easier to say at the end of the day “it’s time to put the computer away” – it’s harder to say “let’s talk about something other than music, put the guitar away.” I think if it doesn’t feel like work, it doesn’t have to be. But, it’s become increasingly difficult for me to know where to draw this line – sometimes after days of writing together or performing, I’ll look at my husband and just say “hi!” I feel very lucky that we work so well together, and we enjoy it, but sometimes we feel more like coworkers than anything else. We are getting better at planning date nights and having nights where we’re “off the clock” – but we usually still end up talking about work when we’re out too. We are both dreamers with big plans – this is what keeps us going, and our shared ambition is a big part of what attracted us to each other – so as long as it doesn’t feel like work, we’re just going to keep going and taking it one day at a time.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’ve been singing for as long as I can remember, and started writing songs when I was 7 or 8. I was a really shy kid, so I never really shared my songs with anyone. My parents let me start voice lessons when I was 10, and the teacher couldn’t even look at me when I sang, I was so painfully shy. This was probably the biggest challenge I had to work through, being ok with singing in front of people. I absolutely love it now. I studied classical voice in college, but don’t think I really truly believed I was any good as a jazz/country singer until the past few years. When I met my husband, he was gigging around Chicago with his band, and I was working as a painter (this is still my main source of income.) I hadn’t done much performing since college, but I was able to start playing acoustic gigs with him, and with each show I became a little more confident. This was 6 years ago back in 2016 – I think as a singer, just like a comedian or any type of performer, it just takes doing it a bunch to build that confidence. You have to have some sh*tty gigs before you have the good ones, you have to experiment with what sounds good, what range is best for your voice, and with performing itself – body language on stage, stage presence, etc – you just have to do it and keep doing it.

Right now I’m most proud and excited about our recent move to Nashville. Obviously a lot of musicians move here – but it’s one of those things I’d always thought about but wasn’t sure if I’d ever actually do it. Definitely one of those “jump and close your eyes and hope for the best” moments – my husband and I found a place and didn’t look back, just started going out, meeting people, going to shows, songwriter rounds – this city feels more like home than anywhere has ever felt. And knowing the Cash family history here is the cherry on top – I feel like Johnny is watching me, cheering me on, keeping me going.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Broadway is the obvious choice for someone who’s never been to Nashville – but I’d take them straight to Robert’s, it’s the real deal. It’s a hardcore honky tonk where you’ll only hear traditional country music. The beer is cheap ($2.50) and people are friendly (and the bologna sandwich deal with chips, a beer, and a moon pie for $6 is tough to beat!) It’s easy to spend all night there, it feels like you’ve traveled back in time in the best way. Another way to travel back in time is Honky Tonk Tuesdays at the American Legion – great crowd, dance floor, classic country and western bands, cheap beer – just the best.

I really love my neighborhood of Germantown – it’s walkable from Broadway, but it’s a quiet little neighborhood with some amazing restaurants, coffee, and shops. We love going to the farmer’s market or just walking around the Capitol Mall State Park. Some of our favorite spots are Mother’s Ruin (amazing cocktails) Bearded Iris Brewery (it’s right next door to my studio, all too convenient!) and Butchertown Hall has a fantastic happy hour and a cute patio.

I think if my best friend was in town we’d spend most of our time eating and drinking in Germantown! There are so many great neighborhoods and restaurants elsewhere in the city (a recent favorite is Cafe Roze in East Nash – they have an amazing oyster happy hour) but nothing beats being able to walk out your front door and pick a spot, and Germantown is special in that way that it’s extremely walkable (and it’s super cute and quaint too!)

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to dedicate my shoutout to my husband, Justin Eisenbraun. I’ve never known someone who works as hard as he does. He has been pursuing music as a career for the past 14 years and often does not get the recognition he deserves. His pure love for music and his drive to be a better musician inspires me to keep going, even when we have setbacks.

Website: www.lydiacashmusic.com

Instagram: @lydia_cash

Image Credits
Photos by Jonathan Sims, Aidan Kranz, and Perry Cash