The self-proclaimed “Queen of Time,” singer/songwriter Lindsay Lou opens up concerning the songs and feelings on her lovely new album, talks collaboration with Billy Strings and Dave O’Donnell, and affords some hard-won phrases of knowledge in a candid dialog with Atwood Journal.

Stream: “Disgrace” – Lindsay Lou

Your ears and your coronary heart know what they need, and also you’ll maintain getting higher as a result of love goes to get you the place you wish to be and information you.

When you sit down with Lindsay Lou, you’re feeling a way of peace wash over you.

Down-to-earth and immediately acquainted, talking along with her looks like two previous buddies catching up. Lou has labored onerous on her fifth album, Queen of Time, slated to launch on September 29, 2023 by way of Kill Rock Stars Nashville.

Queen of Time looks like an entire new starting for the Nashville-based singer/songwriter, whose roots have grown over time within the bluegrass and Americana worlds. Produced by Dave O’Donnell (James Taylor, Sheryl Crow, Coronary heart) and that includes collaborations with Grammy Award-winners Billy Strings and Jerry Douglas, Lou’s first full size solo launch in 5 years – since 2018’s critically acclaimed Southland – focuses on her skill to carry a track to the desk and see it blossom with a full band or visitor look.

What a thrill it’s to not be wanted
What a drag it’s to be all thrills
I’m a wishing properly, I’m a wishing properly

Test it out, right here’s a second to be nonetheless
Name it loneliness, name it what you’ll
I’m the queen of time, I’m the queen of time
Who’re you? Who’re you?
Who’re you?

– “Queen of Time,” Lindsay Lou

Born in Missouri and raised in Michigan, Lou relocated to Nashville in 2015, and has discovered not solely a house in Music Metropolis, but in addition a nurturing atmosphere that has enabled her to embrace her voice and take her musical expertise to an entire new stage. Whether or not she is “selecting” with buddies on a entrance porch or within the studio, she brings a track to life and makes it her personal.

Queen of Time is a very intimate album that finds Lou diving deep into herself and her feelings, exploring her religious being in depth.

“I misplaced my grandmother, I obtained divorced, and went via the pandemic, kind of had this rebirth of myself, inside myself,” she tells Atwood Journal. “There’s numerous hope and grief, in the entire transition. Shedding my grandmother and getting a divorce may be very heavy; this document has numerous emotional worth to me.”

We have been one lengthy evening
We have been one candy morning
We have been all time
I don’t have to reside perpetually to know
I’ll at all times love you
I like you, nothing else issues

We have been younger and free
We have been loud and laughing
We have been studying the right way to see
I don’t have to do it over
to know that I used to be dwelling
I’m dwelling, nothing else issues

– “Nothing Else Issues,” Lindsay Lou

Lou is a type of musicians who brings an emotional prowess to her songs and leaves audiences in awe.

Atwood Journal caught along with her at DelFest 2023. We spoke about her beginnings and what it meant for her to collaborate with Grammy Award successful producer Dave O’Donnell, in addition to the sturdy bond between musicians within the scene.

Lindsay Lou is a real diamond within the tough – a shining star that shall be heard for years down the highway. Queen of Time is out September 29 by way of Kill Rock Stars Nashville.

A document is only a “document of time,” of the place you might be artistically with music and in your life. This can be a document that I’m going to look again on in an enormous approach.

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:: stream/buy Queen of Time right here ::

:: join with Lindsay Lou right here ::

Stream: “Disgrace” – Lindsay Lou

A CONVERSATION WITH LINDSAY LOU

Atwood Journal: Who was the primary singer songwriter that made you wish to do that as a profession?

Lindsay Lou: They each occurred across the similar time. It was two ladies who I used to be in a band with known as The Candy Water Warblers. Earlier than I used to be in a band with them, I used to be a extremely huge fan of theirs.  It was a really transitional interval of my life in East Lansing, Michigan after I was attending school. Their names are Might Erlewine and Rachael Davis. Their music completely modified my life as a result of I at all times wished to be a singer and be part of music. The way in which I grew up you have been both a pop star otherwise you simply jammed at dwelling with your loved ones. I wasn’t positive if “pop star” was the factor for me, I used to be a punk rocker. I turned my nostril up at fame and the kind of commercialism. I beloved science so I went to varsity to turn into a health care provider (pre-med). Once I was in school I met Might and Rachael together with The Flatbellys. That’s after I lastly noticed myself being part of this world, the bluegrass world, making this my life. That’s precisely what I did.

You’ve gotten a brand new album popping out, Queen of Time. Are you able to discuss your songwriting course of and a few of your folks that you just known as upon for this enterprise?

Lindsay Lou: I had about twenty songs (I recorded all of them). Within the studio, was the core band that I’ve been touring with for about 5 years (Anthony da Costa/P.J. George/Alex Bice). There was a bunch of musicians that I recorded some acoustic songs with that shaped out of the pandemic known as “Superflex.” The gamers included Mimi Naja (Frution), Kyle Tuttle (Molly Tuttle), Royal Masat (Billy Strings). It was only a blessing to have the ability to document with a few of my Nashville buddies that performed in dwelling rooms and entrance porches like Maya de Vitry, Dominick Leslie, Jordan Tice in addition to many others.

I had Billy (Strings) are available and document the couple of songs that he and I wrote collectively. He launched his track “Freedom” on his document Dwelling, which gained a Grammy. I actually wished a model of it out on the earth that seemed like after we wrote it. I’ve this voice memo demo enjoying it for his Mother. Each instances after we have been writing his Mother known as him throughout the periods. Billy’s cellphone was on the counter and I used to be recording it on mine, and I simply beloved the best way that it sounded. I stated to my producer Dave O’Donnell, “Hey Dave! I actually need this to sound like we’re enjoying this within the kitchen.”

I ended up with two units; “Freedom” with Billy Strings, “Nonetheless Water,” “Don’t Go Again,” and “Historical Oceans.” These are acoustic songs, they wished to reside and breathe within the acoustic world. So I made a decision to launch them as an EP final summer season, “You Thought You Knew.” I stored on plugging away on the songs, as with all of my data, mirror me being put in a field. I do some rock ‘n roll, I get into some extra meters however the first observe, “Nothing Else Issues,” on my new album (Queen of Time), has gamers like Dominic Leslie (mandolin) and Jerry Douglas (dobro).

It’s like me, I need a foot in all my doorways. I might be uninterested in myself. It’s actually onerous sufficient liking your individual work as it’s. I can’t reside in a field and unfold throughout all my loves. It was just like the jam final evening. Have been you on the jam final evening?

I don’t want the world to listen to me to know that I’m singing…

– “Nothing Else Issues,” Lindsay Lou

Down by the river? No, I heard about it however didn’t make it down.

Lindsay Lou: It was so nice! I felt this between these two worlds. I’ve made a lot music with them; it was Sierra Ferrell’s band (my ex-husband Josh Rilko on mandolin, Oliver Craven on fiddle, and Geoff Saunders on bass). I say ex-husband however these 13 years that we made music collectively is unnameable and indescribable. It’s such an exquisite factor. Every time we get the prospect to come back collectively and sing, it’s so candy. Now he’s with Sierra (Ferrell) and each time the three of us get collectively my coronary heart desires to blow up, together with Oliver too. Identical with The Honeydrops, I’ve sung a lot over time with Lech Wierzynski. So this bluegrass, soul, gospel world got here collectively down by the river. We have been craving out area for one another, singing so many songs that I like with these folks that I like down by the river. That is what this document looks like.

It’s humorous to place it that approach, as a result of stylistically it lives in all these completely different worlds however grammatically I went via all these transitions in my life. I misplaced my grandmother, I obtained divorced and went via the pandemic, kind of had this rebirth of myself, inside myself. There’s numerous hope and grief in the entire transition. Shedding my grandmother and getting a divorce, may be very heavy, this document has numerous emotional worth to me. I used to be so lucky to work with Dave O’Donnell who has labored with James Taylor, Sheryl Crow, and Keith Richards. He was on the blending session for “Contact Of Gray” (Grateful Useless) and “Ladies Simply Need To Have Enjoyable” (Cyndi Lauper). He is superb at what he does, and it was touching as a result of he reached out to me after he heard my music.

It took a 12 months or two of him simply checking in on me, each couple months, like, “Hey! Do you wish to make this document but?” till I stated, “Let’s go and document a pair songs.” He’s simply so supportive and believes in me a lot, to have somebody like him in my court docket particularly on this time of my life was particular. One thing wasn’t proper, I’m going to step out and discover my voice once more, and Dave simply let me be myself. A document is only a “document of time,” of the place you might be artistically with music and in your life. This can be a document that I’m going to look again on in an enormous approach.

When listeners haven’t heard from an artist for a few years, some don’t know the place they’re emotionally.

Lindsay Lou: Regardless that it’s been since 2018 since I’ve launched a full-length, I did have three “A-Aspect + B-Aspect” singles and a 4 track EP, so I’ve kind or launched an entire document only a couple songs at a time. All the songs on the brand new document usually are not going to be variations of these. They’re all new songs, like “Nothing’s Working,” one other tune I did with Billy Strings who he placed on his document that we wrote collectively.  I get “demotitis,” hooked up to the demo model of the way it sounds, with Billy enjoying the guitar half he had written and the me singing the lyrics I had written.

I keep in mind our two bands have been enjoying a gig at a theater in Wisconsin. They began to do some actually shreddy steel issues, with my drummer Alex doing the hi-hat actually quick and Billy was doing the actually steel guitar. I wished my model of “Nothing’s Working” to embody that. Dave (O’Donnell) helped me craft that with the band. They (the band and Dave producing) actually helped my imaginative and prescient come to life. A few buddies have written songs that talk to my coronary heart so I’ve a few of these songs on the album, with some co-writes.

Typically with my journalism, I get caught up and wish to be a perfectionist. It’s nice to get some constructive criticism.

Lindsay Lou: Perfectionism is the artist’s hangup. You assume that you just want perfectionism to be able to get higher, however generally it stops you from getting higher. You begin to stand in your individual approach as a result of it’s a type of worry. I don’t preach these items like I’m a grasp of these items – let that be a disclaimer. I identical to to carry consciousness to it, that perfectionism is kind of the artist’s downfall. Your ears and your coronary heart know what they need, and also you’ll maintain getting higher as a result of love goes to get you the place you wish to be and information you. Perfectionism is a downfall, and there may be not an artist that I do know who doesn’t battle with that.

Do you will have any recommendation for younger artists within the bluegrass / Americana scene?

Lindsay Lou: Some excessive schoolers (who simply graduated) stopped me in a espresso store the opposite day and requested me if they may interview me.

They requested me “In the event you might inform your youthful self what would it not be?” It was a tough query as a result of you may’t actually inform your youthful self something as a result of you must undergo every thing to get to the place you wish to be. I needed to undergo every thing to have the ability to get right here. I might inform myself to have religion and every thing goes to be alright.

One of the best recommendation is giving individuals their very own area for their very own feelings. Emotional over-involvement hit me like a ton of bricks. I’m a really emotional particular person, and there’s a critical line between being inventive with the human spirit and their feelings. Don’t take it upon myself. It’s a type of easy issues: Don’t confuse somebody’s dangerous day with something that you just’re doing. Notice the place that boundary is and respect it. Have your individual feelings and efficiency; don’t attempt to management another person’s perspective. In the event you’re doing all of your job, you’re going to get precisely what you want.

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:: stream/buy Queen of Time right here ::

:: join with Lindsay Lou right here ::

Stream: “Queen of Time” – Lindsay Lou

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