Lily Dooman is a singer-songwriter based in Wichita. She recently issued a self-titled solo EP and is a member of the newly-formed band Riverbirds.
“I started by going out to open mics and building a set from there. If I wrote a song I’d play it this week; if I wrote a couple more songs I’d play them the next week.
Playing at open mics was definitely an eye-opening experience as to the different kinds of reactions you can get from a crowd. There will be times when people will be up and dancing while you’re playing, singing along if they know the songs, if they’ve heard them enough. Then there are people who have never been there and they give you this blank stare and you’re kind of worried about if you’re connecting with them at all because you don’t see any sort of reaction from them. They don’t show any sort of emotion. That can be nerve-wracking but later on you realize, ‘Oh! They’re just really tuned in to what I’m doing!’
I’ve written all types of music, whether it’s rock ‘n’ roll songs, pop songs, or more traditional country songs. I kind of just found my niche in the folk music writing. As long as that’s what I’m going on my own, that’s kind of the direction I tend to go. “
