Athens, GA
Americana
RIYL: The Civil Wars, Gillian Welch, Wilco

When Lera Lynn takes the stage, there is an undeniable feeling that she is something different – something special. Her sultry voice has a way of wrapping around melodies and enveloping the listener in her lyrics, rife with a plainspoken yet cutthroat honesty. When combined with her chordings, which are distinct, original and timeless in their own right; what is revealed is a songwriting craftsman already well on her way to establishing a niche that is very much her own.

In March 2011, Lera Lynn released her debut solo album, Have You Met Lera Lynn? to near international acclaim. Hand picked from Lynn’s collection of songs written over the previous decade, the album elucidates a painstaking inventory of past experiences, as well as artistic challenges in her present pursuits, and her hopes for the future. The opening track, “Whiskey,” is in fact one of Lynn’s oldest songs, a portrayal of a young girl trying to cope in an environment of addiction and denial. Fast forward to the present in “Good Hearted Man” and find that girl fully grown and brazenly facing an increasingly hostile world.

Have You Met Lera Lynn? was born from a collaboration with Slow Records Studios engineer/producer C.k. Koch. Lera notes that, “I wanted to get back to my country roots, so I hooked up with Slow Records and C.k., who allowed me the freedom to flesh out my original visions for the songs. The result is this album, which I think is a very candid representation of my life-long influences.”

The collaboration between these two has also produced a number of viral videos of Lynn performing live at Slow Records Studios, with her cover of TV on the Radio’s Wolf Like Me (dedicated to the recently passed TVOTR bassist Gerard Smith) finding some great acclaim, far and wide.

Lynn won the 2011 Chris Austin Songwriting Competition held at Merlefest for her song, “Bobby, Baby,” sharing that honor with such alumni as Gillian Welch & Tift Merrit. “Bobby, Baby” also recently won an award for Best Alt. Country Song in the 10th Annual Independent Music Awards Vox Pop poll, which is determined not by judges but by online fan voting. As important to her, Lynn walked away with “Best Americana Artist” at her hometown of Athens, GA’s 2011 Flagpole Music Awards, quite the distinction in a town so saturated with musical talent.

Have You Met Lera Lynn? has been available since September 20 at independent record stores courtesy of the Coalition of Independent Music Stores (CIMS), as well as through LeraLynn.com, SlowRecords.com, Spotify, Amazon, & iTunes. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter to keep up with her latest happenings.

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