Exclusive Interview with IMLAZARUS

ImLazarus is a multi-instrumentalist with placements on MTV, Lifetime, and Showtime, as well as three top 100 CMJ albums and two Independent Music Award nominations in 2016 for “Album of the Year” / “Single of the Year”. Also, he has worked as an independent composer composing parody commercial music. The bands of ImLazarus have shared the bill with a wide variety of musicians, including Neil Young, Metallica, Willie Nelson, Roger Waters, Dave Matthews, Norah Jones, Cage the Elephant, and more!
Although he didn’t start playing an instrument until he was 17, he was performing live within a few months of picking up the guitar and travelling globally by the time he was 20. Late in 2022, ImLazarus’s debut song “Same Old Song” was published, paving the way for Ragtime-Punk Rock!

ImLazarus is hard at work on a new full-length album to be released within the next few months, so be sure to experience the delivery of this amazing songwriter as he makes his stamp on music. Check out his debut single “Same Old Song” and the exclusive interview below:

1. Can you tell us a bit about where you come from and how it all got started?

IMLAZARUS: Hello, and yes. I’m from the Twin Cities of Minnesota. I’ve never lived in any one place long enough to call somewhere home but I’ve always lived in or near St. Paul and Minneapolis. It got started because I wanted to play football in middle school but I was undersized and always getting injured. I decided it wasn’t worth it and wanted to find something new. That turned out to be BMX biking, but that also turned out to be incredibly dangerous, and again it just didn’t seem sustainable to me long term. I did start to notice the BMX and skating crowd did hang out a lot with the people in bands, and that started to seem far more fascinating to me.

2. Did you have any formal training or are you self-taught?

IMLAZARUS: I used to proudly boast that I have never had a formal music lesson of any kind in my life. Which is true, but I wish I would’ve had lessons growing up. There were never any instruments around though so it’s not like I even thought about it. I don’t come from an immediate musical family so I never even touched a guitar or thought about playing one until I was 17. Once I did discover it though I realized that writing music gave me a fulfillment and happiness that nothing else had in my life.

3. Who were your first and strongest musical influences and why the name ‘IMLAZARUS’?

IMLAZARUS: Once I was 17 and discovering music one of my first and strongest influences was The Ramones. It was simple enough that I could play along and write my own songs in that style. And it was exactly how I like my music and one of the things that defines my sound today. Happy music with dark and sarcastic lyrics. That still holds true today as I am currently the lead singer and guitar player in a Ramones tribute band here in MN. Cretin Avenue Hop.

As for my full name Lazarus Ulysses Clearwater, it’s a longer story than I want to get into at the moment. But the exact reasoning behind the “ImLazarus” title that I use on all my social media is because it is unique enough to succeed with SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Since nobody else is using anything very close to that name, when somebody types me into google the first two pages or so are all directed to my music correctly. Rather than having to fight through other artists of any sort who might be using a similar name. Had I just gone with “Lazarus” it would be a lot harder than finding “ImLazarus”. It’s also a double entendre, when I play live I’ll say “Hi, I’m Lazarus” Or people can take it as “I Am Lazarus” or they can take it as “I-M Lazarus” like to send an instant message. Which made a lot more sense before people started prominently calling it DM’s instead of IM’s lol.

4. What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?

IMLAZARUS: A humorous disposition, bordering on sarcastic. Light music, heavy lyrics. I’ve branded myself “Ragtime Punk”. It’s a unique combination nobody’s done before as far as I can tell. Dogs also like my music, so it’s definitely music for dogs. I have yet to hear one dog complain. Cats are indifferent as far as I can tell.

5. For most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulating others. What was this like for you? How would you describe your own development as an artist and music maker, and the transition towards your own style, which is known as “Ragtime Punk”?

IMLAZARUS:

A lot of that took place with the discovery of the Ramones as I was mentioning. The more recent ingredient that’s bringing the whole thing together is the Ragtime part. It took me a while to understand how ingrained in me that music already is. Besides the obvious things like “You’ve Got A Friend In Me” from Toy Story, Ragtime music has always gone hand-in-hand with TV and movies in my opinion. So I think a lot of kids get exposed to Ragtime without realizing it. It’s a song style that always seems to be propelling forward, which I think is why it works so well when paired with lyrics or storytelling. When you really listen to the energy of a Ragtime track like Scott Joplin’s “The Entertainer” and compare that to something like “Blitzkrieg Bop” you’ll realize they have the exact same feeling at their core. The instrumentation and the tempo is just a little different. That’s where the early rock ‘n’ roll stuff with Little Richard, etc really starts to bridge that gap between the two genres.

6. What’s your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles – and do you try and affront any of these themes in your work, or are you purely interested in music as an expression of technical artistry, personal narrative, and entertainment?

IMLAZARUS:

I don’t personally attach any political messages to my music. Writing music is just a way to document my personal observations about life good, bad or otherwise. I would argue I’m much closer to a stand-up comedian in that way. I may say something in a song, but it’s not always part of a personal agenda or message. It could just be for the art of making people laugh or using some clever word-play.

7. What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music career so far?

IMLAZARUS:

Myself. I’m very content being a loner and having no contact with anybody. ’ve also gone on record many times saying I would do whatever it took to succeed as a musician. The irony is putting myself out there and communicating with people is possibly the biggest factor in succeeding as a musician these days.

8. On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?

IMLAZARUS:

My favorite feeling is when someone sends me a message and says that a song I wrote got stuck in their head. That’s what gives me the confidence to know I can write hit songs. The actual conception and working out of a song is right up there too.

9. With social media having a heavy impact on our lives and the music business in general, how do you handle criticism, haters, and/or naysayers in general? Is it something you pay attention to, or simply ignore?

IMLAZARUS:

It used to. I started playing live music just as Myspace became a big thing. When I was younger I was really in shape but I wasn’t a good musician. That translated well in photos but I used to be self conscious that I was getting by on looks and not musical skill or merit. I knew it wasn’t sustainable, and I suspected good things were happening for the wrong reasons.. I definitely had musicians criticizing me in those days to the point where I decided I wanted to gain a bunch of weight. I wanted to know if the fans my band had at the time were actually supporting the music or if they were just supporting young guys with six packs. Unfortunately this story doesn’t really have a happy ending. I learned people do treat you totally differently if you are in/out of shape. At least I noticed I was treated quite a bit differently, but it also forced me to work harder as a musician. It made me pretty skeptical of people as well, more than I already was.

10. Do you think is it important for fans of your music to understand the real story and message driving each of your songs, or do you think everyone should be free to interpret your songs in their own personal way?

IMLAZARUS: Obviously free to interpret their own way. There are songs I have loved for years that I don’t know all the lyrics too, yet I’m pretty sure I still understand. Better yet is when you cross that threshold into a super fan and start to learn all the lyrics and even more than you initially thought about a song. Discovering something new about a song that I’ve been listening to for years is one of the funnest things to have happen as a listener.