The Damn Lovelys keep good company. Next Friday (April 23), the Hoboken band will make its national debut on the legendary radio show Mountain Stage. Over the years, the program has featured guests including Los Lobos, Phish, Buddy Guy, Joan Baez, Barenaked Ladies, The Indigo Girls, and R.E.M.
Now in its 20th year, Mountain Stage reaches millions of music fans across the United States and around the world via Public Radio International and Voice of America. (Locally, the show airs on WFUV 90.7 on Friday afternoons.) The program presents all kinds of music – from traditional roots and country music to avant-garde rock and jazz.
‘I sent the disc in cold.’
In December, The Damn Lovelys sent a copy of their debut album, Trouble Creek, to the producers of Mountain Stage. “I sent the disc in cold,” says the band’s lead singer, Meredith Ochs. “I never really expected to hear back from them.”
A month later, the phone rang, and on the weekend of Feb. 22, The Damn Lovelys were off on an expenses-paid trip to Charleston, W.Va., where Mountain Stage is taped.
It’s unusual for a “baby band” to be asked to play Mountain Stage, Ochs says, explaining that The Damn Lovelys have been around for just a couple of years. “They only tape 26 shows a year, and there aren’t many unknown bands on the schedule.”
According to Ochs, The Damn Lovelys had an incredible experience at Mountain Stage, which is taped in a theater on the West Virginia Capitol grounds.
“You’re standing on this stage where your heroes have stood,” Ochs says. “It’s really amazing. I kept thinking, ‘Lucinda Williams was here . . .’ ”
And the behind-the-scenes perks were great too – everything from the dressing room to the food and coffee in the green room and the sound check were top-notch, Ochs says.
Vertigo
Mountain Stage performances are taped before a live audience of about 500 people, and according to Ochs, all of the members of The Damn Lovelys are more than a little shy. And to make matters worse, Ochs suffers from vertigo.
“I saw how high the stage was and I panicked,” Ochs says. In an interview posted on the Miles of Music Web Site, Ochs says being on stage is like “riding the Cyclone at Coney Island. I know the bottom’s gonna drop out sometime, so I hold on tight and pray I don’t fall off.”
But Niall Hood – impresario of The Damn Lovelys’ label, Dren Records – says the band has a great stage presence.
“They’re a really tight band and they perform the songs flawlessly,” Hood says. “The element of shyness makes them seem less like showmen and more like musicians. Their stage presence is very comfortable and smooth.”
With their musicianship and their no-rock star-bravado stage presence, The Damn Lovelys have built a following in the New York metro area. They play regularly at venues including Rodeo Bar in Manhattan and Maxwell’s and The Shannon in Hoboken. (See “Upcoming shows” below.)
On the charts
In advance of their appearance on Mountain Stage, The Damn Lovelys have sold about 600 copies of their CD Trouble Creek since January – great results for a debut release by an indie roots-rock band, Hood says. Most of the sales are made through Amazon.com and MilesofMusic.com. In fact, Trouble Creek is at No. 53 on Amazon’s Early Adopter Indie music chart.
Trouble Creek has already won critical praise from publications including Guitar World and The Village Voice. (See “Critical acclaim.”) One writer describes the sound as “The Bangles meets Sheryl Crow.”
And incidentally, Crow – like The Damn Lovelys – made her national debut on Mountain Stage. Other major acts that made their debut on the show include Norah Jones, Counting Crows, Lyle Lovett, Alison Krauss, Tori Amos, and Sarah McLachlan. Hmmm . . . this gig could prove very fruitful for The Damn Lovelys.
The Damn Lovelys are . . .
So who are The Damn Lovelys? Lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter Meredith Ochs is a music critic who contributes to Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, Guitar World, and National Public Radio’s All Things Considered. Pat Walsh, a graphic designer by day, plays the bass and keyboards and sings back-up. Jason Beard, who works days as an IT guy, is on drums and percussion. And Lawrence Ochs (Meredith’s husband), an engineer, plays guitar, lap steel, and mandolin. All of the Lovelys live in Hoboken, except for Walsh – a former Jersey City resident who now lives in Manhattan. You might be familiar with these musicians from their earlier days in bands including Janata, Candy Jones, and Cherry Flip.
The Damn Lovelys’ sound isn’t easy to categorize. Miles of Music.com says it’s “brimming with hooks and charming, rootsy twang-pop.” And Niall Hood says he’s “floored by Meredith’s voice” – describing it as warm, dreamy, melancholy, and a little like Debbie Harry’s (of Blondie).
What’s next?
To celebrate their appearance on Mountain Stage, The Damn Lovelys will perform next Saturday at The Baggot Inn in Manhattan. And Meredith Ochs says she’s already writing new material. “We want to record another album,” Ochs says. “We’re such a better band now,” she says, noting that Trouble Creek was recorded more than a year ago. At that time Beard – whom Ochs calls “the best drummer I’ve ever worked with” – had been with the band for only a month. For more information, see www.damnlovelys.com.
Upcoming shows
April 23 from 2 to 4 p.m.
Radio Show: Mountain Stage
WFUV 90.7
April 24 at 10 p.m.
The Baggot Inn
82 W. Third St.
New York, N.Y.
(212) 477-0622
April 29 at 9:30 p.m.
The Iron Monkey
97 Greene St.
Jersey City
(201) 435-5756
May 2, time TBA
Hoboken Arts & Music Festival
Washington Street
(201) 420-2207
May 2, 7 to 9 p.m.
The Shannon
106 First St.
Hoboken
(201) 656-9820
May 30 at 4 p.m.
TwangMonster Festival
The Crossroads Bar & Café
1114 Main St.
Asbury Park
(732) 774-8400
Critical acclaim
Here are some quotes from major magazines about the Damn Lovelys:
“Fronted by Meredith Ochs, the Damn Lovelys offer an unreconstructed take on cerebral roots-rock, meaning that there’s twang in these hills but also a hefty dose of late-night rumination. Ochs tosses off moonshine-soaked riffs (‘Full Whiskey Bottle’), blues-bitten bottleneck slide (‘Money in Your Pocket’), and tear-stained melodies (the haunting ‘Miss Misery’) with equal aplomb. Somewhere, Gram Parsons is smiling.” – Guitar World
“They’re a little bit country and a little bit rock ‘n’ roll, but unlike the majority of local yokels that walk that line, this nifty little combo steadfastly avoids both mawkish revivalism and tongue-through-cheek hip-flexing. Thanks to that attitude (and the charming presence of front-gal Meredith Ochs), their kitchen-sink approach never turns kitsch ‘n’ sync, making ’em one of the most reliable party starters around.” – The Village Voice
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