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

Hi Kendra, alright, let’s jump in with a deep one – what’s you’re definition for success?
When it comes to the subject of music and creating it, I’m sure my answer is similar to many other artists and creators. To preface, I’m not saying anything that hasn’t been said before, and I’m sure my response may be a little “cringe” or “cheesy”. That being said, this is how I feel. I define success vaguely as freedom, and that can be taken in many different ways. Personally, success in music to me is the unconditional freedom to create, and the ability to connect.

As a younger musician and elementary artist, my definition of success was an entirely adopted general idea instead of a personal definition of my own creation. Cue visuals of sold out shows, touring worldwide, fame, fortune, etc. I remember when starting my serious musical journey, I wanted to be the greatest female lead guitarist in the world (hey now, I was like 14 lol). While that idea may have helped me to put in a lot of practice hours and has certainly shaped me into the guitar player I am today, it was a one-way ticket to depression from unmet super-high expectations I put on myself, a crippling problem with perfectionism, and therefore procrastination on creative endeavours due to the fear of failing to meet those expectations, all problems which I’m still working on breaking down today, hahaha! All that being said, over time, the idea of wanting to be better than someone else, competition in general, the whole mindset didn’t sit well with me, ideologically. I am more of a reserved person. I don’t enjoy competing in any fashion, and I found as I played with more and more musicians, (and some of the wrong types of musicians for me), a competitive mindset kills my creative nature and makes me go entirely blank. I think it may be a defense mechanism, haha!

It was maybe 10 years into my musical journey before I started crafting my own definition of success, shedding the stale generalized ideas I’d been feeding myself forever. A big part of that may have had to do with the people I surrounded myself with. Around that time, I started attending open mics regularly, I started hearing more original music, and I attended more shows featuring local artists/bands. I became a part of the Louisville music scene that I didn’t know about, transitioning out of the cover-centric scene into a space full of supportive, creative, accepting, caring, hungry listeners, eager to give each other platforms to hear and be heard. I am definitely not saying there aren’t these types in the cover-scene! In my experience, I just had a lot less of the competitive, ego-tripping individuals who gave me grief for simply being a girl guitarist and stating that the only reason I got any attention was because of that fact, not my ability. Everyone was celebrated for who they were, and everyone was supportive of creativity in every facet, regardless of how new to writing you were. It was freedom of expression without judgement, and that was a majorly delicious breath of fresh air after coming from an … air-desert? Outer space?

Amidst the mindset shift came the formation of my current band with my husband Colin LaMure, Villa Mure. This band solidified that newfound direction in my musical journey and my new definition of success: pure musical freedom of creativity, and the happiness and connection that comes from it. My whole life as a musician and visual artist, I’d been so stuck in my perfectionism, trying to play the part robotically perfect, drawing or painting the picture clearly, focused solely on realism. It was kind of lifeless and I’d totally ignored the exploration of other styles of art and expression, essentially never really finding myself. Although Villa Mure’s music is tough to describe, it doesn’t fit in specific genres, our Spotify recaps won’t be poppin (lol), it is my greatest accomplishment, particularly in my internal world! It is exactly us. It is wild and melodic, lots of guitar work, instrumental sections, and rhythmic textures. It is me still learning how to paint with sound. It’s different than anything I’ve ever done, and in the best ways (in my opinion). It definitely will not be everyone’s cup of tea, and that’s okay with me. We didn’t feel pressure to sound like anything or be anything we’re not, and we didn’t try to keep things short or contained. The music is as long-winded as I am, taking a lifetime to answer one seemingly simple question you may or may not have asked.

To sum up my personal definition of success, I’ll actually be quoting myself (cringe) from a facebook comment I had made months prior when the subject of musical success being defined monetarily was brought up. In the heat of the moment I had typed something up that I still feel it describes it fairly well to me. Again, the words may have been said a million times, but the journey to reaching this realization was real. To paraphrase:

“Success in music is sitting around a crackling fire with some longtime friends singing our favorite goofy songs we made together, laughing and enjoying time. Success is learning the language, being able to play with others, connecting, listening, reacting to each other without speaking. Music is not the “music business”. … . Creating music is one of the very few things with no wrong answer. It can be anything you want it to be because it is art. It is language, it is connection, it’s an unspoken bond between musicians, it is amorphous, it is limitless. Music is freedom.”

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I think I answered just about everything in that previous question, haha! Whoops. But I will say that 2024 will bring much more new music for not only our band Villa Mure but for my personal solo music as well, which I’m putting out under the name Kendra Villiger (using my maiden name for all my musical projects). Very excited to also be working with friends and branching out a bit more on collaborations and features than previous years.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
TBH I don’t go out a lot lately unless I’m playing a show since I’m a new mom to our baby girl, Lorelai. I’d probably say we’d do some exploring! We’d grab some coffee, go show hopping (me and Colin’s favorite thing), pop in and out of different venues through the city on a Friday or Saturday night, seeing a mix of bands we’ve been meaning to catch after grabbing some food at a local spot we’ve never tried.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Gonna give a shoutout to some of my favorite local bands, Phourist & the Photons, Darlington Pairs, Fuzzstration (fuzzy boys), Mohaska, Bendigo Fletcher, MOJOTHUNDER (thanks for having me on the NYE show!), and so many more that I can’t think of off the top of my head! Every time I go out to a show of yours, I get excited and inspired, then I go home and come up with a million song ideas that I need to get around to finishing.

Instagram: @villamuremusic

Facebook: facebook.com/villamuremusic

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@villamuremusic

Other: https://villamure.bandcamp.com/

Image Credits
Photo credits: Colin LaMure, Griffeth Photography, Pathfinder (MMSF22) & friends!

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