Tomorrow, fellow bloggers at Cause a Scene are hosting a house show featuring Lulu Mae, The Local Strangers, and Jessee Lafser. If you had the chance to catch Lulu Mae last Saturday at Lightning 100’s Music City Mayhem finals you already know that this will be a show well-worth the $6 price of admission, but in case you didn’t, let me try to convince you:
You can get a pretty good idea of who Lulu Mae are by poking around their website. They’re a disarmingly good-natured folk-rock family band with a knack for storytelling. During a quick listen through Lulu Mae’s first full-length record The Mockingbird and the Dogwood Tree (no, it’s not an Iron and Wine album), you might at different points be reminded of Nickel Creek, Ryan Adams, and The Decembrists, and occasionally, maybe even some Gaelic Storm. What you might not catch from their discography, though, is that Lulu Mae are not a bunch of timid folk softies. Seriously, these guys can rock the fuck out. I couldn’t believe that the onslaught of sound coming from the stage on Saturday was from the group responsible for the breezy folk tunes I’d been listening to the week prior. On the live rendition of “Clean Up My Heart,” lead vocalist Joel Finley screams so hard that he almost seems determined to turn it into a Pantera song. And yeah, it’s as awesome as it sounds.
Meanwhile, The Local Strangers are an Americana duo made up of self-described “Midwest transplants” Aubrey Zoli and Matt Hart. We’ve previously suggested that Shovels and Rope might be a good fix for those of you itching for a Civil Wars replacement, but these might be an even closer substitute. Somewhere in between the thoughtful, spooky ‘Wars and the raucous, joyful Shovels ‘n Rope, this duo just might be exactly what the doctor ordered.
Rounding out the bill is Jesse Lafser. I encouraged everyone to vote for her in Round 15 of Music City Mayhem, and I’d do it again, too. Check out “Anywhere I Go,” a “traveling” song that showcases Jesse’s willingness to eschew proper pronunciation in order to craft a solid hook. Pronunciation conventions be damned, I’ll take Jesse’s catchy folk any day.
Tickets are $6 in advance from Cause a Scene’s website, or $8 the day of. The show starts at 8 PM and is located at 3808 Elkins Avenue. See you there!
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