Its no secret that, at RLR, we love all the things being discussed in this article. The Lizard Lounge has been a home for me as an artist and also for the first 2 years of our anniversary shows. Lula Wiles tore my heart out and then cradled it gently in the band’s collective arms before tossing it back in between my ribs. And the opening act for the evening, Rachel Sumner, also happens to be one of our favorite songwriters that (as you will see in the first question below) shares a common thread with Lula Wiles, having a slew of great projects in addition to her solo stuff.
I could go on and on about why you should be at this show but if you have seen either of the acts on the bill this night or just been to Lizard Lounge, then you already know…and I assume if you are reading this then you probably have done at least one of those things if not all 3.
So here you go: TICKET LINK
Now read on for our quick fire catch up with guitarist-singer-songwriter-fiddler-and all around badass, Isa Burke about what the women of Lula Wiles have been up to, why they love the Lizard Lounge and what they are listening to on the road…plus more stuff too. Of course.
photo by Louise Bichan
RLR: As always you ladies were busy at Folk Alliance this year (and Isa even wrote a killer article about it) but as of late you have also been branching off on your own endeavors a bit and its even been a while since you have played a hometown show (hence why this one is such a big one). What else has been going on behind the scenes with Lula Wiles that you can clue us in on in terms of some of the side projects/school of music classes/finishing college/etc?
IB: Great question. We do have some non-Lula musical projects going on these days. First of all, Mali is finishing up her degree in politics and comparative French/English literature at Dartmouth; she graduates in June. She’s part of Dartmouth’s Barbary Coast Jazz Ensemble, and she also plays jazz bass gigs with other artists. Tonight (Thursday 3/15) she’s in New York, debuting her duo project with Katie Martucci of the Ladles, which has been a long time coming!
Ellie has been working on her solo project (she’s co-billing with our pal Aurora Birch at Passim later this month) and she’s currently doing some co-writing and other musical things in Nashville.
Isa has been working on her side hustle at No Depression, doing community management and writing a column for them every two weeks. She’s also been teaching around town, including at the Passim School of Music, playing and singing as a side musician with other artists, and she’ll be launching a solo project eventually!
RLR: The band was back in the studio working on record numero dos in late 2017. Can you give us an update or is that all still under wraps?
IB: It’s still under wraps, for now, so let’s just say that the second Lula Wiles record does exist, and we’re excited to see how things unfold later this year!
RLR: So, tell us a little about your history as a band with Lizard Lounge. I think anyone who has come up in the Camber-ville community has an undying adoration and respect for that wonderful room. Can you recall the first time you played there as a band (I think it may be marked by a caricature of the band in the green room…) or any other favorite moments from nights at Lizard, be it playing there or jumping in with friends?
IB: We love the Lizard Lounge. I (Isa) frequently refer to it as America’s greatest bar (but I am known for speaking in hyperbole). I can’t even remember when was the first time we played there! I think it might have been in our first incarnation as Ellie Buckland and Isa Burke, when we played a tweener set for Laurie Sargent’s Tribute Tuesday show where she played Carole King’s album “Tapestry.” Ellie and I learned all the background vocal parts from the album for that gig, which was a really fun challenge. Since then, all the band members have played at Lizard more times than we can count, in various configurations. I’m actually heading there tonight after I finish writing this, for the third installment of the Stash Band’s March residency!
RLR: Why is this night so special as a sort of homecoming and can we expect and special surprises?
IB: Well, it’s been a really long time since we’ve played a full headlining show in Boston, so it does feel like a homecoming for us. We’ll be trying out some newer songs, and newer versions of old songs, and we’re so excited to have Rachel Sumner kicking things off for us. I’m sure we’ll come up with some kind of surprise shenanigans!
RLR:. You gals have a gap in April and May right now for touring and are hitting it again really hard in June and July. In terms of the summer, we know its big for festivals, outdoor gigs, all those wonderful things. Are there any particular shows or fests this year you are looking especially forward to being a part of or even just attending?
IB: Yes! For one thing, we’re really excited about our first-ever West Coast run, coming up in June. We’ll be starting in Santa Barbara, CA and heading up the coast to the Campbell Bay Music Festival, which takes place on a tiny island near Vancouver and is run by our friend and collaborator Adam Iredale-Gray. We’ve got a few other exciting things coming up this summer that will be announced soon.
Basically, starting in June, things will get really busy for us and we can’t wait! It’s going to be an exciting transition for us. It’s been a long time coming, and we’re feeling very ready to hit the road full-time.
RLR: What are you listening to right now locally that you think everyone needs to dig into? What are you listening to on tour?
IB: This probably won’t be news to most RLR readers, but Sam Moss’ album release show took place at the Lizard Lounge a couple of weeks ago, and that was just incredible. His new record blows me away, particularly the song “Flowers.” As for van jams, I’ve been going through a super-heavy Warren Zevon phase lately, and we are all really loving the Weather Station, a singer-songwriter from Toronto, and her most recent self-titled album which kicks ass. Rufus Wainwright, though, is probably the most-played artist of all time in the Lula Wiles tour vehicle. We’re completely obsessed, particularly with his album Poses.
RLR: What else might you want to plug?
IB: We have a new live video! It was filmed in Berlin, when we were on the Bluegrass Jamboree tour back in November and December. There will be a couple more videos coming from this show soon – maybe we’ll even share some stories from our travels in Germany when we drop the next video. Or you could just come to our show at the Lizard Lounge and ask us about it!