Biography
The Americana outfit the Black Lillies launched their career in 2009 and have since built a solid standing by merging traditional country foundations with modern vitality and spirit. Fronted by singer and songwriter Cruz Contreras, the group put out three self-released projects, among them the 2013 breakthrough Runaway Freeway Blues, before aligning with Nashville’s Thirty Tigers label, which put out their well-received fourth album Hard to Please in 2015 and its 2018 successor Stranger to Me.
The Black Lillies came together in Knoxville, Tennessee in 2009 right after Contreras stepped away from his role in Robinella & the CC Stringband. The initial roster alongside Contreras included guitarist and pedal steel player Tom Pryor, who had previously been with the Everybodyfields, along with drummer and percussionist Jamie Cook, also formerly of the Everybodyfields, bassist Robert Richards, and vocalist Trisha Gene Brady. Drawing on an original mixture of bluegrass, jazz, rock, country, and blues accented by Appalachian string-band textures, the ensemble began tracking their first record in Contreras’ home studio, which also served as his living room, soon after parting from Robinella, aided by backing vocalist Leah Gardner, fiddler Billy Contreras, and bassist Taylor Coker. The finished set, Whiskey Angel, appeared independently in spring 2009 and swiftly drew favorable notices, steady Americana airplay, and a management and booking agreement. Steady road work followed, along with appearances at major festivals such as Bonnaroo and Pickathon. In 2010 the Black Lillies revealed they were preparing a second album funded via a crowd-sourcing drive; fan response proved strong, and 100 Miles of Wreckage arrived in spring 2011 to further praise and solid sales. Their third release, Runaway Freeway Blues, came out in March 2013 and likewise scored critical and commercial success; shortly afterward it was disclosed that drummer Jamie Cook was exiting, with Bowman Townsend, already filling in on tour while Cook handled family obligations, stepping in as the permanent replacement.
Following additional touring and continued press support, Contreras began composing songs for the fourth album in early 2015, only to learn that longtime bandmates Tom Pryor and Robert Richards were departing. When the group entered the studio, guest contributors included Matt Smith on pedal steel guitar, Daniel Donato on six-string guitar, and Bill Reynolds of Band of Horses on bass. Hard to Please was issued in October 2015 through Thirty Tigers, and as the Black Lillies resumed touring, Contreras, Brady, and Townsend were augmented by three newcomers: guitarist Mike Seal, pedal steel player Jonathan Keeney, and bassist Sam Quinn. After Brady exited at the close of 2016, the remaining members started introducing fresh material through a weekly Facebook Live series titled “The Sprinter Sessions,” streamed from their Dodge Sprinter tour van. Produced by Jamie Candiloro, known for work with R.E.M. and Ryan Adams, at Echo Mountain studio in Asheville, North Carolina, the new songs were captured for the 2018 album Stranger to Me.
The Black Lillies came together in Knoxville, Tennessee in 2009 right after Contreras stepped away from his role in Robinella & the CC Stringband. The initial roster alongside Contreras included guitarist and pedal steel player Tom Pryor, who had previously been with the Everybodyfields, along with drummer and percussionist Jamie Cook, also formerly of the Everybodyfields, bassist Robert Richards, and vocalist Trisha Gene Brady. Drawing on an original mixture of bluegrass, jazz, rock, country, and blues accented by Appalachian string-band textures, the ensemble began tracking their first record in Contreras’ home studio, which also served as his living room, soon after parting from Robinella, aided by backing vocalist Leah Gardner, fiddler Billy Contreras, and bassist Taylor Coker. The finished set, Whiskey Angel, appeared independently in spring 2009 and swiftly drew favorable notices, steady Americana airplay, and a management and booking agreement. Steady road work followed, along with appearances at major festivals such as Bonnaroo and Pickathon. In 2010 the Black Lillies revealed they were preparing a second album funded via a crowd-sourcing drive; fan response proved strong, and 100 Miles of Wreckage arrived in spring 2011 to further praise and solid sales. Their third release, Runaway Freeway Blues, came out in March 2013 and likewise scored critical and commercial success; shortly afterward it was disclosed that drummer Jamie Cook was exiting, with Bowman Townsend, already filling in on tour while Cook handled family obligations, stepping in as the permanent replacement.
Following additional touring and continued press support, Contreras began composing songs for the fourth album in early 2015, only to learn that longtime bandmates Tom Pryor and Robert Richards were departing. When the group entered the studio, guest contributors included Matt Smith on pedal steel guitar, Daniel Donato on six-string guitar, and Bill Reynolds of Band of Horses on bass. Hard to Please was issued in October 2015 through Thirty Tigers, and as the Black Lillies resumed touring, Contreras, Brady, and Townsend were augmented by three newcomers: guitarist Mike Seal, pedal steel player Jonathan Keeney, and bassist Sam Quinn. After Brady exited at the close of 2016, the remaining members started introducing fresh material through a weekly Facebook Live series titled “The Sprinter Sessions,” streamed from their Dodge Sprinter tour van. Produced by Jamie Candiloro, known for work with R.E.M. and Ryan Adams, at Echo Mountain studio in Asheville, North Carolina, the new songs were captured for the 2018 album Stranger to Me.
Albums
