Interview | Lucius: “I think you just try and put yourself back in the place the song came from and get lost in it.”

Tonight, Brooklyn’s Lucius makes its St. Louis debut to support its debut album, Wildewoman. It’s no stretch to say that they’ve captured something special here — just have a listen to “Go Home.”

We’re giving away tickets to the show tonight, but you’ll have to act quickly, as that contest ends at 11 AM CST. Enter away, and enjoy our interview with Lucius’ Holly Laessig below, as we recently caught up with her over email.

Tell us about where you started, how you got together as a band, and how you built your way up to record Wildewoman.

It started with Jess and I, two women who had similar musical influences and a drive to perform original music. We started singing and writing together almost nine years ago, and the format of instrumentation was always evolving. It wasn’t until we met Danny and started experimenting with new songs and recording them (he is a producer/engineer) that we found our footing and trajectory as far as the sound and energy we’d been looking for. He brought Pete on board, who had worked with him in a previous band and a year later brought Andy on board after working with him on another project. At that point it all really fell into place and Lucius finally came into its own. Lucius to Wildewoman was kind of a chicken and egg situation.

Go Home” is such an emotional song. What’s going through your head when you perform that one live? 

Often times when performing songs, especially emotionally driven ones, I think you just try and put yourself back in the place the song came from and get lost in it. Or use it as a vehicle to blow off steam when those situations come back around to you. Sometimes you write a song that’s so attached to a moment in time, and then later on it surprises you and lends a message to an entirely different moment — that’s one of the most rewarding parts of songwriting for me.

The first Lucius song I heard was “Don’t Just Sit There,” and I was struck by every detail, especially the booming chorus. Can you talk about that song and how it came to be? 

That song was written at an interesting time, luckily Jess and I have experienced relationships on a similar timeline so when it came to writing a lot of these songs, we were able to relate to each other. This one was written in the space between breakup and new love, which is why there’s a slightly sorrowful sentiment, but also hopeful. It could be a question to your previous lover, your new lover, yourself, your friend…and that in itself is why I think we just kept the lyric very simple.

What’s a normal day in the life on the road with Lucius?

Lots of jokes, funny impersonations, word games and tongue twisters, driving, bathroom breaks, listening to new music or to radiolab, 7 minute workouts (the guys anyway), and playing our music to the amazing folks we meet along the way.

Finally, you’re playing The Duck Room at Blueberry Hill in St. Louis on October 21st, the same room where Chuck Berry still plays once a month. If you covered a Chuck Berry song, which one would it be and why?

Easy, “Maybellene,” because we already cover it and it’s a blast to sing!

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