Daily Inspiration: Meet Caroline Lily Holm of Lily & Thorns

Today we’d like to introduce you to Caroline Lily Holm

Hi Caroline, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I founded my band Lily & Thorns late summer of 2023, but in fact, this project has been a long time in the making. It kind of worked out perfectly how we came together. I’ve been a songwriter since I was 17, but it took some time before I felt the confidence to share my music outside of my tight-knit inner circle. I’ve been a performer for as long as I can remember. I started dance at the age of 2 and found myself on stages throughout my childhood. I was first introduced to musicianship at 5 years old by taking classical piano lessons. From 4th grade until my senior year of high school, I was a violinist in the school orchestra. It was then that I really honed into my love of music and the freeing quality of being able to play your heart out on stage. Gradually I found myself drawn to different types of instruments. I started playing guitar around 12 years old and from there picked up the drums and bass. I’m so lucky and grateful to have had parents willing to foster my passion for music. Around this time I met Austin Andrade whose aptitude for guitar was like nothing I had seen. We formed a pseudo-cover band while I was in middle school, while he and my older sister Victoria were entering their Sophomore year of high school. We played some memorable shows together at Dana Point’s Annual Lobster Fest and some street shows at Surf City Nights in Huntington Beach, but this was largely a home-based band where we’d play covers for my mom and her Facebook friends. Our group had disbanded once my sister, who is three years older than me, had left for college and Austin had moved out of state. Although my desire to play music had remained. I began writing songs, inspired by the melodic and atmospheric tunes of my parent’s old CD and vinyl collections. Classic rock, grunge, metal, prog, alternative, new wave, glam… you name it, I love it. During college, my life crossed paths with a local musician and drummer, Brian Leguay, who at the time was starting up his original band Velzy. I heard some of their early singles and was deeply impressed. In turn, I showed Brian a couple of original demos I self-produced in GarageBand. He told me that if I ever wanted to play these songs live, to let him know and he would play drums for me. I never thought I would perform my own songs live, and hearing this validation from a seasoned musician made me believe that perhaps people would resonate with my art. So once I had graduated from college, I returned home to OC and soon followed Austin. We were given the unique opportunity to open for his step-father’s famed glam rock band Foxy Roxx at the world-famous Whisky a Go Go. It was an unbelievable opportunity for us to live out our dreams. We recruited Brian to come aboard and set out to create an original band to fan the flames of our burning love for rock music. A little over a year later we have several shows under our belt, have a continually growing fanbase, and are about to release our first single “Savior” – the very first song I had ever written – on November 8th on all streaming platforms. I am so incredibly proud of all we have accomplished and am so grateful for all our supporters and fans we’ve gathered along the way.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road to starting a new project is never easy, but it’s important to take a chance to follow your passions. Our band name is derived from a bible verse and contains natural imagery depicting how goodness prevails even in the darkest of times. Just as the lily among thorns. I wanted to capture this dichotomy in our band name, which perfectly is also a play on my own nickname/middle name – Lily. We want to inspire perseverance, as in life very rarely are things given to you. Your dedication and resilience can take you to places you never imagined were possible. Being the only female and also the youngest of the band, I faced challenges in figuring out what it takes to be a great leader and make a name for my band. We’ve played shows in new places where basically the only people in the audience are the other bands. But it’s important to focus on making the most out of every opportunity, whether that means networking, focusing on your showmanship, or taking a chance debuting a new song. Being an artist in the rock genre can prove to be challenging in itself as its mainstream popularity seems to be declining year after year. But honestly, there is a whole community of people that are lovers of any genre. The goal is just to find a way to reach this community and see if they like what we have to offer.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
We are an original rock band, inspired by the artists that came before us. This includes but is not limited to Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Stone Temple Pilots, Alice in Chains, Pink Floyd, the Beatles and U2. We’ve played at the Whisky a Go Go, Universal Bar & Grill, the Redwood Bar and Grill, Blue Beet, Doll Hut, Cruisers HB, Gibroni’s, and Bastards Canteen to name a few.

Lily – Lead vocals & guitar
Austin – Lead guitar & vocals
Brian – Drums

Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
I believe I already covered this above – but only you are capable of forging your future. Dream big but remember it might take small steps to get there. Perseverance is key. And don’t be afraid to lean on the ones you love to help you along the way.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/lilyandthorns
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lilyandthornsband/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Lilyandthornsband/61550815500859/?_rdr
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Lilyandthorns