LOW LILY EP

Low Lily’s eponymous album includes six tracks with Liz Simmons on vocals and guitar, Flynn Cohen on vocals, guitar and mandolin, and Lissa Schneckenburger on vocals and fiddle. With guitar-wiz Scott Nygaard as co-producer, they recorded “Low Lily” in 2015, engineered by Alan Stockwell in Brattleboro, VT. Additional musicians include Corey DiMario on double bass, and Fred Simmons on trombone. The album is short and sweet, like a postcard– with cover art designed to look like just that, and the songs are mainly about traveling. This theme is the culmination of years of collective travel, and musings on “the road”.

1. House Carpenter (Traditional)

This version of the traditional ballad came to us from the singing of Dellie Chandler Norton from Madison County, NC, who lived her 90 years as a farmer in the Appalachian mountains. She was also a singer and storyteller, carrying on the oral traditions that had been handed down for generations. This song is a good example of a musical “transplant”– an originally English song that made its way over to America with the first Appalachian settlers. It is arranged with driving, eery accompaniment that we feel suits the storyline of the star-crossed lovers who head swiftly and irrevocably to their fate.

2. The Girl’s Not Mine (Lissa Schneckenburger)

For many years, Lissa wanted to write a song inspired by Rick Springfield’s classic song “Jessie’s Girl”, which sings of the protagonist’s passionate desire for another man’s girlfriend. This is her poetic take on that theme, and Flynn and Lissa wrote an instrumental bridge for the middle that is inspired by traditional fiddling. A new folk song that draws inspiration from tradition and age-old themes, adding in a hint of 80s pop.

3. Northern Spy (Flynn Cohen)

Flynn wrote this three-part tune to bring together the bluegrass influence with the new acoustic compositional style.

4. Adventurer (Liz Simmons)

This song was inspired by the quintessential journey– it is a metaphor for life but also tells a story, drawing themes from the Oddyssey and Icarus. It explores the paradox of never quite going home, because home is different once you return, because you are changed. Like the theme, the arrangement takes us from a quiet point to a high point and then back down again.

5. All Roads Lead to You (Flynn Cohen and Aram Sinnreich)

Flynn and his friend Aram collaborated to write this one– they claim it is not completely autobiographical, but they dedicate it to their wives anyway.

6. Cherokee Shuffle/Lucky (Traditional/Lissa Schneckenburger and Flynn Cohen)

The first tune in this medley is a traditional American fiddle tune that Lissa and Flynn have been playing at dances, sessions and jams for ages. For our version, we set it to our own chords and changed the feel. The second tune was written by Flynn and Lissa– Flynn put the chord progression together and Lissa wrote the melody.