After a year of monumental successes, including a victory at the prestigious Chris Austin Songwriting Contest at Merlefest and her first full-length LP climbing the Americana radio charts, it is hard to imagine that any fan of Athens music has not met Lera Lynn. With a beautiful balance of simplicity in sound and complexity in lyrics, Lynn’s music feels fresh and current, even while drawing from classic country and Americana songwriters. For her latest recording, Lynn gives an extra nod to those old-school influences, opting to release it as a 7-inch vinyl record. While thematically appropriate, this choice also stems from a sincere interest in production quality.
Lera Lynn
“Everyone knows that vinyl sounds better,†Lynn says, “and it’s a piece of art for you to hold and put on your shelf.â€
The 7-inch record features “Ring of Fire,” a cover of the classic tune written by June Carter and made famous by Johnny Cash, as well as an original B-side. Lynn is celebrating the release with a show at the Georgia Theatre on Mar. 2, which will feature a lot of new elements and surprises.
“We are constructing an installation for the stage, and that’s pretty exciting because we’ve never done that before,” says Lynn. “We’ve also got some new material that we’re debuting, and we have a new bass player that I’m excited about: Ben Wills.â€
As it stands, the vinyl will be available for purchase only at her shows; however, individual tracks will be available also for download online. The excitement continues as her upcoming tour includes stops at South by Southwest, Austin City Limits and several summer festivals in England, all leading to the release of a second full-length in the fall.
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