Colorado-based Americana string-band The Sweet Lillies have announced the coming release of their third album, Common Ground, on May 8th via Americana Vibes. Along with today’s album announcement, Live For Live Music is also thrilled to premiere the album’s title track.
Comprised of Julie Gussaroff (bass/vocals), Becca Bisque (viola/vocals), and Dustin Rohleder (guitar), The Sweet Lillies aim, first and foremost, is to be heartfelt and collaborative in their music.
Their unique brand of bluegrass-influenced roots music, which they’ve come to refer to as “String-Americana,” distills the outfit’s all-encompassing musical tastes and willingness to experiment with genres into a sound all their own.
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.”
On Common Ground – produced by Railroad Earth’s Tim Carbone – the Lillies further mine that all-encompassing artistic approach, staying true to their string-band soul but expanding their sonic boundaries to encompass their distinct musical histories.
“The world needs a band like The Sweet Lillies, whose music is positive without denying the darkness in the world,” Carbone raves. “Their songs are uplifting but they also invite the listener to be introspective and draw their own conclusions. Like all great music, it does so while taking you on a journey of joy. I live to make records like this with dedicated, focused artists and I can’t wait for the world to hear it.”
The title track immediately highlights the creative vision behind the record, incorporating shimmering horns and even a touch rock n’ roll fuzz under their patented, haunting vocal harmonies. As Julie Gussaroff tells Live For Live Music about the track, “The song ‘Common Ground’ evokes our personal experiences to remind us of what we all already know: we only find harmony when we understand one another and respect each other’s perspectives.”
“‘Common Ground’ is a personal account of how communication, understanding, and lack thereof play into our experience of one another,” she continues. “The lyrics in the song paint a very intricate picture of the moment where misunderstanding begins between people and the writers’ personal feelings around this. While the song was written from a personal perspective, the insights shared are applicable to so many of us. Because the feelings are true to many people’s experiences, we can share them and understand them not just intellectually but viscerally: mutual understanding and connection are how different people with diverse life stories find common ground. Misunderstanding and disconnection breed distance and erode fellowship.”
With lyrical themes so closely aligned with the band’s core mission, “Common Ground” became the obvious choice as the album’s title track.
“The concept of finding mutual understanding and connection speaks directly to each one of us and is particularly relevant at this moment in our history,” Gussaroff adds. “As a society, we have been caught up too long in seeing things through our own lenses and past our own blinders, and have all but lost the ability to see things from an outside perspective or to find connection with those who disagree with us. When we aren’t hearing one other we can’t work or even live together. … It is our greatest hope to promote peace, harmony, and the ability to always find common ground between all of us.”
Listen to “Common Ground” by The Sweet Lillies below.
The Sweet Lillies – “Common Ground”
For more information on The Sweet Lillies, follow them on Facebook or Instagram.
The post PREMIERE: The Sweet Lillies Seek “Common Ground” On Title Track From Forthcoming Album [Listen] appeared first on L4LM.
