The Sweet Lillies, Adrian & Meredith
Doors 7PM / Show 8PM
Seated show
$15ADV / $17DOS
The Sweet Lillies' music is, first and foremost, heartfelt and collaborative. Those defining traits are given life by the trio of musicians making up The Sweet Lillies - Julie Gussaroff, Becca Bisque, and Dustin Rohleder - who have combined their individual strengths together to deliver powerful narratives of life in song.
With their acoustic string-band lineup of guitar, viola, and upright bass given flight by ethereal, vocal harmonies that float like a dream, the Sweet Lillies' music has an old-time soul with a forward-looking eye.
The Sweet Lillies have incorporated all of their cumulative life-experiences into their music, their songwriting, and their artistry, crafting an uncommonly-beautiful style they have christened “String-Americana” - a nod to the band’s all-encompassing musical tastes and willingness to experiment with genres.
As Gussaroff explains, “Some musicians learn from teachers, some learn from family members, and some are self-taught. Some musicians are classically trained, some come up through folk, some draw from multiple springs, from hip hop through pop to bebop. In the Lillies' all of these skill sets are valuable, relevant, and appreciated.”
The Sweet Lillies are built upon their collaborative ideals and are always ready to share a stage or develop a project with any musicians who share the same no-holds-barred creative approach. This has made each one of their inventive, energetic live-shows a wholly unique event, as setlists are changed on the fly, songs are given new life and shape, and guests are always welcome to join in the creative explosion.
Folk duo Adrian and Meredith have always been ones to march to their own beat, and have never been apologetic for the art they create. The project brings together two performers who grew up on opposite ends of the musical spectrum. Adrian was raised on rock, punk, and motown with a unique croon to his voice and a "clawhammer banjo" approach to playing the acoustic guitar. Meredith cut her teeth in the old-time music scene, where she played traditional fiddle and learned flatfoot clogging while studying cla ssical violin and classical tap dancing. Those two approaches come together in a way that honors the traditions of Folk and Americana music while pushing beyond those genres' boundaries. Both Adrian and Meredith are connected to their immigrant roots within their families and that cultural connection deeply informs the music.
Since the duo joined forces in 2015, they have been pounding the pavement, putting their own spin on Americana. Their music embodies the spirit of the human story with a nod to punk, the heart of folk, flavor of Polka, and bounce of swing. Passionate about building global empathy through sharing the stories and origins of their american roots music, Adrian and Meredith have spent nearly 150 shows a year since their inception touring the USA, Canada, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Sweden, Norway, Germany, Belgium Denmark, Netherlands, The United Kingdom, and Ireland.
After a false start back into international touring post Covid in 2022 landed Meredith in emergency surgery in Scotland, the duo have become even more driven to share their music globally. After an outpouring of support from all corners of their music community in the midst of crisis, their mission in music became clear: to grow an authentic global community rooted in compassion, empathy, good food, good music, good art, and good people.
Their music takes audiences and listeners on a journey, embodying the spirit of the human story through the music and dance traditions of the United States and creates connection to their origins, informing audiences as to the history of American culture and how migration patterns created uniquely American music. From jazz, rock, polka, irish, old time, rock, punk, country, new orleans jazz, quebecois, mariachi, and cajun-each song celebrates the unique tapestry of what it means to be an American, “turn[ing] out a style that might be what alt-country would be like today if it had been born in Green Bay instead of St. Louis....sassy horns and Meredith’s fiddle in gypsy-mode to comment on how truth and integrity have become quaint ideas in America (Twangville Music).”
Meredith grew up as a tap dancer, and also does flatfoot clogging. Her percussive dance weaves in and out of their music, while she sings and plays fiddle, educating audiences of the history of dance and its connection to the music. Lyrically the music portrays the complexity of what being an American means especially in representing American culture around the world.
Adrian and Meredith will be releasing their 3rd album "Klezmer American Acoustic Dynamite" (2024), a Dial Back Recording from Water Valley MS, with the help from friends of Squirrel Nut Zippers, Drive-By-Truckers, Punch Brothers/Mighty Poplar, and Jimbo Mathus.
Drawing upon a diverse collection of influences, "Klezmer American" represents a departure from their norm, blending their consistent Klezmer melodies with the raw, gritty energy of John Kveen (bass), Hank West (horns), Bronson Tew (drums) of the incorrigibleSquirrel Nut Zippers / Jimbo Mathus. The project draws on the duos musical variety using everything from clogging-boards to marching band bass drums, New Orleans horn solos, to the subtle and intricate guitar tones of Chris Eldridge (Mighty Poplar / Punch Brothers) and Paul Niehaus (Calexico, Iron & Wine). The songs are a response to both the collective trauma of Covid as well as their medical trauma from the 2022 hospitalization. Songs like “Stop The Spiral” and “Chaos” grapple with the moments in life one can’t control, “NFT” reflects on the importance that art and creativity hold in our society, and “Klezmer American” and “Glasses Wallet Keys and Phone” remind us all to live each day to the fullest and encourage us to prioritize deep to human connection and humility.