Silva and Thesilée met in the spring of 1999 and began meeting regularly—not to make music, but to read their stories to one another as fantasy writers. Although they already knew at that point that the other was making music, they hadn’t thought about collaborating. Thesilée played classical guitar and classical folk pieces, while Silva was more drawn to punk/rock. Although they had both written their own songs—they were authors, not musicians.
After Thesilée got her first taste of what happens when you mix fantasy and music at FilkContinental 1999, she knew she’d found her niche, and she raved about it to Silva until Silva signed up for the 2000 convention as well. Although their joint performance fell through completely—Thesilée had been part of a duo with Esteban up until then, and they had brought Silva on board as a guest musician for one song—the lesson was quickly learned: Thesilée declared she never wanted to share the stage with Esteban again. As a logical consequence, a new duo was formed following the convention, which made its first major appearance at the Krefeld Tennis Club’s Christmas party—at the time still under the unassuming name Melanie and Maja. No question about it: if they wanted to continue making music together, they needed something better. And so, in the winter of 2000, “Lord Landless” was born.
And the mix turned out to be ideal: Silva’s soulful, contemplative songs and Thesilée’s bitterly angry ballads complemented each other perfectly to create something the two dubbed MediEvil Music: something to make you laugh, something for the heart, something for the mind, and nothing without a touch of malice. Songs like Dark Night, The Spring, or The Flag of the Red Death became seminal and would leave the group’s distinctly evil mark.
The recordings for the first album, Garden of the Lost, were made as early as the summer of 2001 at the Tanger family home. However, it took five years before the CD was finally released—a period during which tracks were re-recorded and remixed, and obstacles and setbacks had to be overcome.
The band was joined by guest musicians Simon Fairbourn from England, Crystal from Summer and Fall, Volker and Kirstin Tanger, and Peredar. The latter is now part of Lord Landless’s live lineup as a keyboardist and background vocalist—as Thesilée’s partner, he’s a musician who didn’t have much of a choice. The group is now also rounded out by Silva’s partner Kjenjo, who adds a new rhythmic dimension to the group with his sophisticated bodhrán and guitar playing. As a result, Lord Landless sound more modern, fresher, and rockier today than on their first CD, and at times even more experimental. And to their great delight, they were invited to perform as Featured Filk Guests at Confluence in Pittsburgh in August 2008.
The band has been officially on hiatus since 2011—but they still get together every now and then to play at filk conventions. There are simply too many miles between the Voreifel, where Thesilée and Peredar live, and Lüneburg, where Silva and Kjenjo have ended up, to hold regular joint rehearsals. But never say never…