Lydia Loveless looks like she should be getting ready for her junior year in high school (prom, driver’s ed), but she sings like a hard-drinking 40 year-old divorcee with a penchant for pickup trucks and high heeled Dr. Scholls sandals. In a good way.
Here, she performs “Bad Way To Go” as part of the Sleepover Shows series:
On last year’s Indestructible Machine, the 21 year-old alt-country artist asserts that “Jesus was a wino” and sings, “I can’t go anywhere without being three sheets, I guess I’ll always be this god damn unhappy.” There’s also a song named for outlaw country musician Steve Earle. Or maybe it’s a different Earle. A different songwriting, famous-faced Earle of whom, Loveless, sings, “Steve Earle says the greatest country duos all start out like this, and I better call him back if I got his messages.”
She’s got appeal. It’s probably Loveless’ famous-in-country-music surname (which, it turns out, is a stage name). And the fact that she grew up with a dad who owned a country music bar. And that, thumbing her nose at the slick Nashville country of the day, indiscernible from top-40 pop, Loveless takes her cues from “everyone from Charles Bukowski to Richard Hell to Hank III.”
Loveless plays Jack of the Wood on Tuesday, July 24 at 9 p.m. Tickets are $5 in advance or $7 day of show. Maiden Creek Lodge and Flyin A’s also perform.
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