JPR Live Session: Lindsay Lou

JPR Live Sessions

While growing up in Michigan, Lindsay Lou was taught to sing harmony by her Aunt Melody along with her cousin Harmony - Yes, that is a true story.

Her early vocal work has paid off in the gorgeous harmonies found on her latest record, Queen of Time. In college, she started attending open mics and teamed up with Joshua Rilko to form Lindsay Lou and the Flatbellys. The pair eventually married. Their band played clubs and stages in Michigan crossing paths with other Midwest bluegrass pickers like Greensky Bluegrass and Billy Strings. Later she was part of the trio Sweet Water Warblers with May Erlewine and Rachael Davis.

Growing up, Lindsay was inspired by her grandmother who raised a large family and worked tirelessly to provide for the less fortunate. Before her grandmother passed away, Lou recorded several phone calls. You can hear some of their conversation on the track Love Calls on Queen of Time. The song Queen of Time itself is a reference to her grandmother.

In addition to her grandmother dying, Lou and Rilko divorced, all while dealing with the backdrop of the pandemic. These events lead her to do some soul searching where she discovered the concept of the divine feminine. This idea plays out on the new album in a co-written track with Billy Strings - Nothing's Working, a Maya DeVitry/Phoebe Hunt song - Nothing Else Matters, and By Your Side (Starman), that Nick Forster (E-Town host) asked her to play at a tribute to Jeff Austin of Yonder Mountain String Band.

Hear Lindsay Lou and her band perform songs from Queen of Time, give some insights into her writing, and talk about the events that lead up to Queen of Time.

Find more about Lindsay Lou at her website.

This JPR Live Session was engineered by Jon Griffin of Luna Zen studios, and made possible with support from the Talent Club, with cold drinks and great music in a relaxed atmosphere in downtown Talent, Oregon. Find their live music schedule here.