Event

Hillary Susz + Lorain

Doors 730 Show 8 All Ages

Hillary Susz is an independent songwriter and guitarist based in Boulder, CO. Her distinctive, operatic vocals and angular, effects-laden guitar work feature prominently in her songs, which often eschew conventional structure along the complex twists and turns of their narrative course.

A formal student of both poetry and creative writing, Hillarys lyrics are the defining element of her music, painting striking and memorable imagery within songs that balance blunt commentary on lived experience with an honest, funny, and occasionally sardonic take on both lesbian love and ordinary life.

She is touring the Northwest summer of 2017 with a four piece rock band:

Vocals, Guitar / Hillary Susz
Keyboard, Backup Vocals / Julianne Thoma
Bass / Elkay Stabo
Drums / Brendan Silk

Lorain (formerly Grand Lake Islands) is a recording, performing, and head-clearing project of songwriter Erik Emanuelson and instrumentalists Bob Reynolds, Joseph Anderson, and Robin Bacior.

They play woozy American music. Emanuelson's expressive tenor, recalling ghosts of Nashville Skyline era Dylan and the late Jason Molina, floats over lush textures and the band's understated groove.

Having played and toured for yearsin New York City, Portland, and throughout the west coastunder the name Grand Lake Islands, Emanuelson, along with current collaborators, Reynolds and Anderson decided to step away and reassess. The band had cultivated a creative chemistry and sound that had drifted significantly from Grand Lake Islands' ramshackle-folk beginnings. With the addition of Portland musician, Robin Bacior, the change was imminent.

Lorain was conceived around a batch of new songs and the desire to build a project, collectively, from the ground up. These new songs emphasize restraint, relying more on subtlety, texture, and structure than crescendo to hit their mark. Despite this, Emanuelson's ability to emote has remains intact, if not refined.