Lindsay Lou and Trout Steak Revival

About Lindsay Lou:

Lindsay Lou has been making soulful, poignant music for the last decade. An undeniable powerhouse, Lou’s remarkable gifts as a singer, songwriter, musician and performer demand the listener’s attention. Her singing floats over the masterful playing and deep groove of her band with both a fierce intensity and a tender intimacy.

Lindsay Lou’s fourth album, Southland (released April 2018), is a transformative and heart-wrenching ten-song stunner. Lou’s voice—and its unique ability to create an expansive, almost physically tangible soundscape—carries each song on Southland forward, made even more recognizable and potent by bandmates Josh Rilko (mandolin, vocals) and PJ George (bass, vocals) and special guests.

The beauty with which the sounds on Southland slip into the ether is the product of an emotionally difficult time for Lindsay and her band—who, as musicians often do, entered the studio to “hash it out.” The process, demonstrated by the music on Southland, was sincere and stirring and introspective.

Southland kicks off with “Roll With Me,” an expansive anthem with Lou’s robust vocals on full display. “Go There Alone” was written during an “Immersion Composition Society” experiment that Lou does from time to time, and the sound fully developed with the band a little later on. The lazy, beautiful harmonies pull at your heartstrings in a way that feels like home, despite the lonely and bittersweet message. And though songs like “The Voice” and “Southland” were spurred on by more abstract ideas and words, they transformed as collaborators started freestyling with their instruments and Lou simply sang what came to mind. Impressively enough, Lou plays electric bass, electric guitar, and acoustic guitar on the album’s title track. “Southland” is about the natural beauty of the South, which to Lou, adds a sense of calm and connectedness to a region known too often for its divisiveness. Having recently left her home state of Michigan to put down roots in Nashville with the band, the influence of this change is felt throughout the themes and ideas expressed on Southland.

Born the daughter of a coal miner in middle Missouri, Lindsay Lou’s family moved to Michigan shortly after Lindsay was born. She describes her family as close knit and musical, their lives influenced heavily by her maternal grandmother’s radical ideals and zest for life. In fact, if you ask Lindsay, her grandmother—a woman who was once put in jail during the Civil Rights Movement for teaching a lesson on the “f” word as a high school literature teacher—is one of her greatest influences to this day. Armed with her activist spirit, Lou’s grandmother set up a Christian commune in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula for her growing family of twelve, as well as some stragglers. There in a big farmhouse, Lou’s dad was their neighbor.

Raised with this sense of community, Lou recalls always being surrounded by music. So when the time came for her to join a band, for Lou, it felt like finding a home away from home. Her career, like her life, have been full of great moments of kismet. As a youth, Lou built her repertoire by practicing her vocals, and she picked up the guitar so she could play with her Uncle Stuckey, perhaps most musically influential on her of her mother’s siblings. The skills she honed during the days of learning to sing and play with her family led to a wide variety of musical opportunities, singing in choir in high school, attending an elite summer program at Interlochen on scholarship, and winning awards for her talents.

Today, touring nationally and internationally year round, Lindsay Lou and her band continue to collect a mass of friends and fans along the way. Notable U.S. festival plays include Telluride Bluegrass festival, Merlefest, Stagecoach, Redwing, ROMP, GreyFox, and a slew of others. Abroad, they have appeared at Scotland’s Shetland Island Folk Fest and the Celtic Connections tour, Australia’s National Folk Festival, and others. Of the live show, fRoots Magazine reviewed “…[Lindsay Lou is] the most affectingly expressive singer since Amy Winehouse, backed by the new Punch Brothers.” The Boot, who featured Lindsay Lou Band as a “Can’t Miss Act at AmericanaFest 2018, says “...Lou brings introspection and masterful vocal work to her live show.”

In the words of famed bluegrass musician David Grier, who caught Lindsay Lou Band at a recent festival, “Lindsay...sings the way you would want to if'n you could. Phrasing, tone, emotion, it's all there. Effortless seemingly. Simply mesmerizing. Riveting! Don't miss the musical force that is Lindsay Lou.”

About Trout Steak Revival:

When TROUT STEAK REVIVAL won the Telluride Bluegrass Festival Band Competition in 2014, they emerged on the roots music scene to listeners anticipating the often–heard dose of progressive bluegrass with a hint of jam. Their unique brand of mountain music stood out, though, and quickly the band caught the attention of fans and folk radio DJs alike. Over the last three years, the Colorado quintet has further refined its style and, with SPIRIT TO THE SEA, delivers a mesmerizing and soul-quenching array of original songs resonating with the finer points of folk and Americana. Produced by Chris Pandolfi of The Infamous Stringdusters, the new album is a reflection of the depth and honesty of songwriting that is possible when a trusting and encouraging band of friends grows together into a band of musicians.

With each individual contributing lead vocals and instrumentation to the band’s collaborate songwriting process, TROUT STEAK REVIVAL is more than a sum of its five parts. BEVIN FOLEY (fiddle), STEVE FOLTZ (guitar & mandolin), CASEY HOULIHAN (bass), WILLIAM KOSTER (guitar & dobro), and TRAVIS MCNAMARA (banjo) take turns singing lead and harmonies throughout the album, and such sharing of the vocal ensemble roles creates a diverse and satisfying blend of musical offerings to listeners. Most of the band members of TROUT STEAK REVIVAL originally hail from the Midwest, but their lives, their musical endeavors, and the band’s identity now hold roots in Colorado. Inspired by and embodying the popular live music scene in Denver and Boulder, TROUT STEAK REVIVAL is emerging as the quintessential Colorado band. Named by Denver Westword as “Best Bluegrass Band” in 2016 and 2017, and chosen by the State of Colorado to represent the culture of its citizens on a Today Show appearance, the band draws constant recognition for its wholesome message and down-to-earth sound.

To succeed, though, a band must grow, and SPIRIT TO THE SEA expands TROUT STEAK REVIVAL’S repertoire beyond Colorado bluegrass without leaving behind the communal nature of the band’s origins. The new album is more diverse and inviting than their past albums, rolling out the carpet for new fans with many different tones, vibes, and topics underlying the songs. Whether listeners are in search of a deep connection with lyrics or simply need a good melody to dance to, SPIRIT TO THE SEA provides a mix of music that is a pleasure to relate to. Songs crafted out of love, fear, heartbreak, wonder, joy, and freedom provide a glimpse into the soulful depth of the individual members of TROUT STEAK REVIVAL and hearken back to emotions all our own.

“Trout Steak Revival continues to realize their amazing potential as a band, upping their musical game and gaining new fans all across the country. They are committed to making an original statement that's soulful and vibrant, and their new album, Spirit to the Sea, is the best example of that yet. The band members all write, sing and play like pros, but the collective takes precedence, and that is what truly sets them apart. Trout Steak is making beautiful, lasting music, and I feel very lucky to be a part of the process." - Chris Pandolfi, Infamous Stringdusters