Lula Wiles

Lula Wiles operate as a string band that pushes boundaries both musically and through their social perspectives. The lineup of Isa Burke, Eleanor Buckland, and Mali Obomsawin draws proudly from multiple strands of Americana, including bluegrass and folk, yet steers clear of any twang while reassembling those elements into configurations that gain extra resonance from the trio’s incisive lyrics. Those qualities already appeared on the group’s self-released, self-titled 2016 debut and reached fuller expression on the 2019 Smithsonian/Folkways album What Will We Do.

The three musicians first crossed paths at a camp in Maine, where their shared attraction to the lively, collective energy of folk music initially drew them together outside any formal band setting. They later converged again at Berklee College of Music in Boston and formed Lula Wiles during their studies there. The independently issued 2016 debut quickly carried them onto the folk circuit; in 2018 they joined the Smithsonian Folkways roster, which brought What Will We Do the next year.