Lindsay Lou - Sebastopol, CA
Pictures and Words: Jim Brown
Hopmonk Tavern in Sebastopol California - April 2024
Remember that time you couldn’t get tickets to the sold-out show at the Greek or Fillmore because your favorite artist had been discovered by everyone and concert tickets were about as hard to get as a reliable mechanic, only to realize when looking at past tour stops that you could have seen the show at a small intimate venue months before, but weren't paying attention? Well, that special evening happened recently at the Hopmonk Tavern in Sebastopol, California, when Lindsay Lou stopped by to put on a show in a venue seemingly built specifically for her.
Music Fan Magazine got turned on to Lindsay Lou’s sound just recently, seeing her name on the bill for Winterwondergrass events at Lake Tahoe and Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and we can’t get enough of it. Her new album, “Queen of Time” is frequently landing on the turntable here at the office, bringing joy and happiness (and lower blood pressure) with each listen.
Lindsay Lou has already been recognized as an emerging voice in today’s folk –americana genre and “Queen of Time” shows no sign of changing that position. Lindsay has put in her time, playing festivals and bluegrass venues across the country and abroad for many years, so it was a real treat to catch her in this small tavern in a small town tucked in the corner of Northern California wine country.
With powerful, thought -provoking lyrics on “Nothing Else Matters” to creative reflections of Grandma Nancy on “Love Calls,” Lindsay Lou’s vocals are familiar and comfortable almost immediately. Listening to cuts like “On Your Side (Starman),” you can hear a nice sampling of Lindsay’s unique ability in the delivery of her words and a solid demonstration of her talent and range as she fluctuates her vocals, lighting up the room with a bright, full sound that separates her from a thousand other artists.
We are often easily impressed by an artist's ability to sing and play guitar at the same time, it's something we probably overlook as audience members because it's a common skill among singers like Lindsay. But think about what is actually going on...singing requires a truckload of bravery, the ability to remember lyrics written years ago and the technique to present them with perfect tone and pause...while standing in front of hundreds of people watching every single face twitch you have. Lindsay and her bandmates did that perfectly, (or so I thought, more on that later), with a smile as wide as the stage.
Lindsay has lungs to be sure and creates a big sound from her small space, with complete control and amplitude to match the room. I know her mic was plugged in, but I bet she would sound the same if it wasn’t.
Lindsay Lou reaches back on her history as the daughter of honest, hard-working labor (more on that later) and combines it perfectly with her spiritual connection to relationships past and present, evidenced on songs like “Queen of Time,” the title track from her new album. At least that's my interpretation.
She is a dynamic singer-songwriter who has spent some quality time in Nashville, where she has been exalted by others as the next bluegrass sensation. I think she has already arrived at that place, paying her way to the club with genuine lyrics and an honest delivery of her words each time she steps up to the microphone. Lindsay seems connected as a participant in the continued effort to keep the Americana sound thriving in today's crowded ear space. With help from industry veterans and guest artists like Jerry Douglas and Billy Strings appearing on her new album, Lindsay is in good company.
Lindsay is inspiring. She called on everyone to love more, be kind and recognize each other. Lindsay’s final B side song titled “Silent,” was especially powerful as she connected with her band and special guest Jay Cobb Anderson, highlighting for everyone her musicianship and heartfelt appreciation in her ability to perform on this night for everyone in attendance.
As a casual listener in the audience, she could not have said it better, we are all strangers (more on her thoughts below) passing each other casually every day. But Lindsay’s lyrics and musicianship on this night completed a connection for us all...through a fantastic demonstration of appreciation for her bandmates, her friends and everyone attending the show.
Lindsay spoke deeply about her Grandma Nancy and about her role in this tour. It seemed to me that this tour was a celebration of purposeful living, a reflection on times past, time with great friends and all the new and wonderful people that are in this atmosphere. As we said, other folks have talked a lot about her roots and essentialness to the Americana movement, but Music Fan Magazine can sum it up simply...she sounds great and seems to be the genuine article, and we are glad to have found time with Lindsay Lou hanging out in a small Northern California town.
Lindsay Lou gave Music Fan Magazine a few minutes after the show, here is our discussion:
Music Fan Magazine:
Blue collar America built everything we have today. Being rooted in blue collar labor yourself, how does that history resonate in your songs?
Lindsay Lou:
My grandmother Nancy’s voice is on the new record. And I have an article from a newspaper where someone is interviewing her after she spent the night in jail protesting the City of Austin, Texas, investing so much in Christmas decorations when they have homeless on the streets, and thinking that they don’t have their priorities in order. So she's out there protesting, and someone is interviewing her, and while she's being interviewed, somebody walks up and shakes her hand and apologizes because their hands are sweaty. And she says, “Not at all, I love sweat. I love what that means. That means you're working, and I love people who are working.” As I was sort of coming out of my own darkness and started working again, working on a project on the road and working on my craft, I realized work is the cure. It gives you purpose, and it lets you keep pace with the seasons. Having purpose is so important. Having work is important. It doesn't guarantee you money or wealth by any means, but it gives you meaning. I think that the way my music is connected to labor and honoring labor is just in knowing that labor is what built America and it's the backbone of our country and of our culture...but it's also the cure for what ails us. Getting your hands dirty and getting to work can fix everything.
Music Fan Magazine:
Most of us do not get the chance to go around the country and see different venues and be in different cities on school nights during the week. What is your experience going to different towns? What is the significant difference between these towns, counties, states that you're visiting and people you're playing for?
Lindsay Lou:
At the core, I really do believe that we're all the same. In all of my travels, the most grounding realization is seeing how we're all the same. And you see it the most in children, no matter where you go or what it's like. As we grow older, we start to become more rigid and think that we're trying to develop ways to be individual and to be different from the world. So I think it gets different as you get older, but everywhere you go, look to the children and you will see that we are all the same. However, being on the road so much, a lot of times we blaze through a town so fast we don’t get to spend a lot of time. We got here today at four o'clock and we're going to leave as soon as we're loaded up. Pretty quick visit sometimes. Sometimes we only see the roads that got us here and are going to take us out of town. But sometimes we get to spend a little bit more time on this tour. I've tried to book neighborhood lodging for us for at least a couple nights in each place rather than hotels if I was able to, and that is really nice because then you get to get into the neighborhoods and it feels like you get to know a community a little bit better when you're in a house, in a neighborhood where the people are living.
Music Fan Magazine:
I agree this area is legendary. You've got a lot of diversity in a small section of California and different socioeconomical positions and different political viewpoints. How does it feel to be able to gather everyone even for just a few hours?
Lindsay Lou:
That's one that's the coolest part about music, it's the great unifier. It bridges the gap. It bridges the socioeconomic gap. It bridges the age gap, the gender gap. Everyone is represented. It's just the best way to bring everyone together.
Music Fan Magazine:
How does it feel to sing your songs in an intimate room like this and see people connecting and grooving to your sound? I would think the hardest thing is to try and play music and remember your lyrics. I don't understand how you do that with such apparent ease.
Lindsay Lou:
Oh, I can have the hardest time sometimes. I tell you what it's like. Tonight I tripped over a couple lyrics and it's always the same ones. It's hard not to be really hard on yourself in those moments. These are my songs as this is my show and I've played these songs hundreds of times. I wonder how is this still a problem (laughing) and how am I going to try to win that thing? I try to every time I get on stage but, yes, it's hard.
Music Fan Magazine:
And then you multiply that by looking out of the crowd and seeing everybody dancing and hanging on every word you speak.
Lindsay Lou:
It's exciting to see everyone grooving to our music. It’s great in fact. A couple tears here and there. You have to feel it all. We'll arrive as strangers and leave as friends.
Music Fan Magazine:
Thank you for the time, Lindsay, and good luck on the rest of your tour. We enjoyed visiting with you tonight and listening to your music.
Lindsay Lou:
You’re welcome. It was a pleasure and I hope you enjoy the album (Lindsay Lou signed an album for Music Fan Magazine, thank you!)
- Music Fan Magazine