Lindsay Lou: Loving harmonies, energetic late-night jams and celebratory spaces

Michigan-bred singer and songwriter Lindsay Lou opens for The Lone Bellow at St. Cecilia Music Center tonight (Thursday). Writer Enrique Olmos checks in with the talented, Nashville-based artist.

 

When Lindsay Lou answers the phone she’s lounging in a hammock by the beach in Mexico. She’s there performing at Baja Wondergrass. Lou takes note of the desert landscapes that collide with the ocean.

She’s since returned to the United States and will open for The Lone Bellow on their current tour, including Grand Rapids tonight (May 4) at St. Cecilia Music Center. Music begins at 7:30 p.m. and tickets range from $50 to $135, and are available online here. The Nashville artist with strong Michigan roots recently took some time to answer a few questions for a Local Spins Q&A.

Local Spins: What do you enjoy about Mexico?
Lindsay Lou: I’ve never been anywhere like this. Every time I’ve been to Latin America, it’s tropical, you know? Baja is just straight desert, like the desert comes right up to the ocean. And on the other side of this bay, there’s this crazy looking mountain range that shoots up right out of the ocean. Their whole culture around time here is so different. There’s not this sort of anxiety about time. It’s really cool to just let your idea and your notion of time be challenged. We come from this culture where everything has to happen right now and has to happen quickly and on time.

Local Spins: You’re no stranger to late night jams. What do you find special about them?
Lindsay Lou: It can feel like you’re able to get more or better work done at night when people are normally sleeping. Because there’s more space freed up in the collective consciousness. I think there’s something energetically that happens. There’s something about the late-night jam, that it’s just a different energetic space that opens up. I’m in this night owl mode now where everybody falls asleep and I just start to get jazzed. So I guess the late night jam is a good opportunity to put some of that energy toward.

Local Spins: What’s the vibe onstage these days?
Lindsay Lou: So comfortable and cool. It’s like, no rehearsal, no rehearsing at all. We just kind of get together on stage and the jam and it is just so fluid, and free and fun, comfy. All of the time that we’ve spent playing music together over the last few years, where we can just throw a set together and get on stage. Time is what it’s all about.

Local Spins: What do you like about being in the festival space?
Lindsay Lou: It starts to just feel like a good habit. We’re always fighting with all these bad habits, but the festival, you know, especially if you can get right with yourself and figure out how to work it into your process of healing. Being in a good celebratory space. You know, finding a healthy way to celebrate, it’s like the festival gives me such a good opportunity to do that

Local Spins: Any recent adventures in thrifting or fashion?
Lindsay Lou: I had a nine-hour photo shoot. I hired a stylist and the stylist went and found some really cool things for me. Stylists might see your tendencies and try things that are surprising that you wouldn’t pick out for yourself. But that totally fit your style in an interesting way. Her name was Sierra Ray. But you’ll have to wait for that photoshoot to see the wardrobe.

Local Spins: How does it feel to be opening for The Lone Bellow?
Lindsay Lou: I’m really looking forward to the harmony singing. It’s there. They’re a band that’s very harmony-centric, led by three powerhouse vocalists and their songs are all sort of anthemic or ballads that really lean on powerful harmonies, which is one of my favorite things to do. That’s why I’m in the Sweet Water Warblers (with May Erlewine and Rachael Davis). So, I’m really excited to join my voices with theirs and to see what kind of harmony arrangements we can work up.

VIDEO: The Lone Bellow, “Honey”

VIDEO: Lindsay Lou (Jam in the Van)

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