1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
HOT HANDS (4:03)
EVERYTHING CHANGED
INTERLUDE (0:31)
THE FIX (2:54)
OLD SONG (4:!5)
SOMETIMES (4:43)
(4:05)
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
CRIMINAL STYLE (2:56)
HOUSE TOGETHER (3:53)
THE RIVER JORDAN (4:29)
HERE BETWEEN (4:00)
IONIA (3:!2)
smooth and groovy (3:34)
focus tracks
n their new album, Ionia, blazing hot Michigan roots ensemble Lindsay Lou
O
& The Flatbellys rest on the cusp of change, poised at that moment where
everything shifts into high gear and time rushes forward. As a tight-as-hardwood
stringband, these ace players know how to sustain this moment expertly, relishing
the tension between the past, which keeps pulling them backwards, and the future
they’re about to rush into. You can hear this tension musically on their new album,
especially on the leading song “Hot Hands,” which rabbits playfully between off
meters, rapid-fire picking, stop-and-go bass lines, and steamy vocals that surge
back and forth. There’s incredible kinetic motion in this music, a sense of movement
so exacting and precise that it’s almost architectural.
Over the course of four days during a Michigan autumn, Lindsay Lou & The
Flatbellys holed up in their home to record their new album. Gathered in a
circle, each member leaned in closer and closer, blending vocals and instruments
organically, to listen with the kind of musical precision that’s all too rare these days.
“We didn’t leave the house for those four days except to walk around the block
and get some air,” Lindsay explains. “Fall in Michigan is something to behold. Some
of our favorite moments were standing on the big wrap around porch (pictured on
the album cover) and watching the rain come down in sheets taking gusts of orange
and yellow leaves with it.” Holed up against the elements, Lindsay Lou & The
Flatbellys turned to each other for support, and this closeness is easily evident in
the uncommon depth and sensitivity of their ensemble playing.
Listen to the new album from Lindsay Lou & The Flatbellys and you’ll hear a band
at the very top of its game. A band uncommonly attuned to each other, the product
of near-constant touring and live shows made legend by their infectious, highenergy performances. Performing live, the Flatbellys delight in swapping instruments
back and forth, and this is preserved on the album as well, with each band member
taking turns on each other’s instruments. There’s a great sense of play and warmth
in their music as well, just listen to the fantastically sarcastic “Criminal Style” or the
lovely housewarming long “House Together.” But much of the power of this interplay
comes from the impressive mastery each member shows over their instruments.
Mandolinist Joshua Rilko picks with a careful precision that turns surprising
when he slams into speedy power chords, dobro player Mark Lavengood is
remarkably deft at matching melody lines with quick responses, and bassist PJ
George creates bass lines cleverly crafted to uphold the whole structure of the
songs. Leading the group, Lindsay Lou has the kind of voice you can get lost
in. One part jazz singer, effortlessly transitioning octaves, one part blues shouter,
soaring over the band like a clarion call, and one part folk singer, rousing them all
together in song.
The instruments and the bedrock of the band may come from bluegrass, but the
music that Lindsay Lou & The Flatbellys present on their new album Ionia can best
be described as Americana. This is music that’s caught between the pull of the past
and the push of the beckoning future, ready to leap forward bursting with new
ideas and youthful energy.
www.lindsayloumusic.com
CD Release Date:
Feb 14, 2015
“One of the more interesting young bands
plying their trade along
the edges of bluegrass,
Americana and contemporary pop music.”
-Bluegrass Today
“Sweet harmonizing,
crisp arrangements and
slick playing”
-Beat Surrender
RIYL:
• Lake Street Dive
• Joy Kills Sorrow
• The Punch Brothers
• Sarah Jarosz
Publicity:
Devon Leger
206-447-5557
[email protected]
www.hearthmusic.com