Twenty Questions For Yvonne Lambert

In a band with all boys, Yvonne Lambert stands out like a brilliant colored flower.  Her theremin, distinctive style and poise are so captivating it’s almost impossible not to stare while she performs. The Octopus Project has played  Coachella, Lollapalooza, performed with DEVO, and for last year’s SXSW produced a multi-media show to promote their album, Hexadecagon. This year she has been busy touring, writing new music with the band, teaching theremin workshops, and demos at Girls Rock Camp - this multi-instrumentalist clearly stands apart.


1. What are you wearing right now? 
 Maxi dresses are great when traveling by airplane. It's like wearing a blanket. I'm currently in an airplane, wearing a comfy mustard colored maxi dress (blanket) with a purple patterned scarf (more "blanket"). Maxis are also great camouflage for post flight foot and ankle swelling. 


2. We love your clothes... Where is your favorite place to shop? 
 I find treasures everywhere. There are copious vintage gems to be found at some great local Austin shops: Prototype, Feathers, New Bohemia, Laced With Romance Vintage, etc. I started buying vintage online and more specifically on eBay in 2002. There are too many amazing eBay sellers to list, but a couple of great Austin online/eBay sellers are Magnolia Family Vintage and Sisters of the Black Moon. I don't just wear vintage, however. I like to mix vintage with retro and modern pieces as well. This means great finds can abound just about anywhere: Buffalo Exchange, department stores, Target, thrift stores, any number of shops in the "dreaded shopping mall," etc. 


3. What is your most treasured garment? 
 I love all my garments. Though the 50's salmon pink silk dress with woven, gold-painted bodice by Jacques Fath is quite precious - - found at Buffalo Exchange for $24.00. 


4. You have such a unique style, what inspires your wardrobe? 
 Classy ladies and salty broads.


5. What musician would you most want to meet?
 I had a huge crush on Franz Lizst when I was little. At this time, I also had a crush on Big Bird. It's hard to choose between the two. 


6. Favorite song by an Austin musician: 
 It will forever be "Gus Menger" by Kino Eye.


7. What is it like working with your husband? 
 It's really no different than working with any of the other dudes in the band. Our relationship is different when we are working; I don't think of Josh as my husband when we are working. Some people like to romanticize the whole husband/wife working together situation. It is NOT romantic. Many people assume that Josh and I are brother and sister. THAT'S romantic.


8. Does your theremin have a nickname? 
 I can't believe I haven't named my theremin. From now on, she will  be called Herschel. 


9. What did you think of Girls Rock Camp? 
 Girls Rock Camp is fantastic. I love to see the young ladies learning to express themselves and feel empowered through music. As much as I hate to say it, my experiences over the last 12 years working in the music industry (being a female musician, touring with a band, releasing records, talking/working with promoters, agents, fellow musicians, lawyers, club owners, engineers, etc.) still leaves me feeling like I am trying to be part of a "boy's club." It is my sincerest hope that Girls Rock Camp helps girls feel that they can make a place for themselves in the music industry; that they can be successful in ANY industry. 


10. You play multiple instruments... Which one do you use to write? 
 I don't use one single instrument to write. Every song is different. I do love to noodle around on the guitar. I'm a pretty good noodler. 


11. Something your mother always told you...
 "Don't go outside with wet hair in the winter! You'll get lock-jaw!" 


12. What is your earliest childhood memory? 
 Being born. It was a vaginal birth...gross. 


13. You're in jail. Who do you call? 
 NOT MY DAD. 


14. What is your guilty pleasure? 
 It's hard to say. I don't really feel guilty about anything, especially not hilariously hairy 70's porn. Nope. 


15. What would your high school classmates say about you? 
 Honestly, I was a wallflower, I doubt any of them remember me at all. I moved up a grade to graduate early. My classmates were much older. In Chemistry class, I was the jerk everyone hated for ruining the bell curve. Actually, it might have been Physics. Apparently, I don't even remember myself. 


16. Do you cook? What is your favorite dish to make? 
 I love to make risotto balls and a penne pasta recipe my mom got from Fabio. She calls it, "Fabio's Penne Pasta." It's amazeballs. I never say amazeballs. 


17. You sew, right? What is your favorite item you have made for yourself? 
 I don't play favorites. But if I did, I might choose the dress (with matching belt) that I made from a vintage Vogue pattern. Or, I might choose the peacock blue strapless dress I made from some old boring fabric. It perfectly fits my freakishly long torso and I used boning for the first time ever for the first time ever without screwing it up. I wore this dress quite a bit on tour a few years back.  After one of the shows, a girl approached me and asked me where I bought my dress. When I told her that I had made it, she offered to buy it off of me for $300 on the spot. She was crestfallen when I told her I couldn't part with my dress. I gave her a free CD and a stuffed animal (I make stuffed animals based on Octopus Project art to sell as band merchandise), hoping it might make her feel better. 


18. First job/ worst job:
 My first job was Astroworld. I was an operator on the Texas Cyclone. This basically means I was a "carnie." Being a carnie was the worst job ever. 


19. Were you in the high school band? What instrument did you play? 
 I went to the High School for Health Professions. No band. No fun. No sports teams. Though, we had cheerleaders who led pep rallies in the cafetorium before major exams. We all had to wear white lab coats and the melody of our school song was eerily similar (exactly similar) to Michael Jackson's song "Ben." At some point, I remember the school getting a cease and desist order. 


20. What would your bandmates say about you? 
 They might have more to say about my tipsy alter-ego, LaVonne. She's sassy. 


Dying to know more about LaVonne, her sassy threads, and the rest of the band? Check out TheOctopusProject.com for the latest news and snag a homemade stuffed animal made by Yvonne Lambert herself!