Folksy harmonies. Anthemic jangle. Driving drums, lilting lyrics, and chugging guitars. These are just a few of the things you’ll hear from Lucius, who will be stopping at the High Noon Saloon tomorrow night to play tracks from their debut album Wildewoman, which was released last fall.
Characterized by an organic, ’60s girl-group swagger, Brooklyn-based quintet Lucius is nothing if not original. And a large part of the group’s uniqueness comes from the fact that it’s fronted by two women, Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig, who met at Berklee College of Music before moving to New York to pursue their music careers. The two women bring more than just arresting vocals to the stage, as well; they also bring a mod style with retro girl-group harmonies and often-matching costumes and hair. Furthermore, as a band with two singers and two guitarists, Lucius has the distinct privilege of creating a visually symmetric show along with their balanced sound, and like to play with the “Rorschach” quality of the effect.
Perhaps most exciting in light of Saturday night’s show, however, is the fact that Jess and Holly have been making music together for a number of years but still consider last year’s Wildewoman to be the group’s debut. In preparation for the event, then, we tracked down Holly and asked her a few questions about the band, the music, and what we can expect from a live performance. You can find her answers below, and you can find the band in person at the High Noon tomorrow.
You and Jess have been playing together for nearly 10 years, but you all consider Wildewoman to be your debut nonetheless. Can you tell us a little about the evolution of your sound, and why this record marks a fresh beginning?
“We took our sweet time figuring out how to incorporate all of our ideas and influences into something that felt like it was ours, which meant playing with many different musicians, writing as much as possible, and just experimenting. We wanted a band, a show, and great songs and that didn’t fully come into fruition until the midst of making this record.”
Let me just say how excited we are to have you in Madison. And with that in mind, what’s your favorite song to play in concert? Any tunes that make the dudes toss their underwear on stage?
“‘Genevieve’ is probably my favorite to play; it’s so energetic and people really respond. Also, I must say, men love to sing the shout chorus during ‘Wildewoman,’ which is a much welcomed reaction!”
I read a piece with the band by Interview Magazine where you all talk about your ’60s mod influences. What aspects of the mod style can we expect to see in your show?
“In our style, our dress, the whole symmetrical setup — it’s very visual and stark which lends itself to mod.”
I know that the album name comes from your mom calling you a “wild girl” growing up, and I’m especially intrigued by how this relates to one of the most interesting and darkest tracks on your record, “Monsters.” Is this song a tribute to the bit of wild girl still left in the woman?
“The songs on the record come from a very personal perspective whether it’s about us ourselves or someone we know directly… so I’d say all of the songs are related in a way. Both of those songs [‘Wildewoman’ and ‘Monsters’] are directly influenced by paralleling adult life with childhood — ‘Wildewoman’ being the embracing side of that and ‘Monsters’ being the ‘coming to terms with’ side. It doesn’t really have a conclusion, just as in real life there are many demons we will face forever.”
And finally, have you all come up with any matching arctic-ready costumes in case we get sucked into another polar vortex? Or are you just taking your chances with Madison’s cold?
“We have a few cute matching jackets and a cape… I’m sure whatever we go with, we won’t be toasty! But I’m from the Midwest, and we’ve all lived in Boston so we will persevere for the sake of rock ‘n’ roll.”