New York, NY (Top40 Charts) For Lucy Tight and Wayne Waxing of Hymn for Her, Drive Til U Die is more than an album title. It�s a manifesto. A mantra. But to call this Americana duo and their daughter road warriors would be a misnomer; to them, the road isn�t a battleground to conquer, it�s their beloved home.
A nomadic tribe of three (formerly four; their late lab, Pokey, now serves as their guardian angel), they dwell in a �61-vintage Bambi Airstream towed by a Ford van whose odometer shows nearly half a million miles - which, they proudly note, equals a trip to the moon. And back. Sleeping to the rhythm of spinning wheels, they thrive on spontaneity, friends and the moments that make it worthwhile: when they stand onstage and unleash their dynamic yin-yang of high-octane outlaw rockers and honey-sweet, harmony-laden ballads.
Lucy and Wayne, who share a fondness for rustic life, have been described as �hillbillies with electronics,� while their sound has drawn such amusing phrasery as �a riotous, rocking roadkill stew,� �juiced-up backwoods country blues [injected] with a dose of desert-rock psychedelia� and �Hell�s Angels meet the Amish.� Their Facebook page �genre� definition reads, �punksy folksy airstreamy country bluesy grassy waynesy lucy take you on a hayride to hellsy.�
Yeah, that�ll work. They spell it all out in the first track, �Devil�s Train,� the raucous rocker from which the Aug. 12 release draws its title: �We�re takin this ride til the well runs dry � gonna drive til we die.�
The groovin� twanger �Hi Ho Silver,� another ode to the road, began as notes about hitching and unhitching the Airstream, a rather complex process, says Wayne. �When we were done,� Lucy says, �it read as lyrics.� So it became a song � one with a galloping finish that�ll make �Lone Ranger� fans wave their hats.
They bring it on home with album-ender �The Road Song,� a rollicking rocky-tonker in which they shout, �Ain�t nothin like this here life, got nothin to hold me down. Disappear into the night, feel them wheels hit the ground � keep rollin round!�
But let�s start this journey where they did: in Philadelphia, where Lucy worked in a music store and Wayne worked in a hoagie shop (sub shop, for you non-natives). She�d buy hoagies; he�d buy strings. They started playing open mics together. Then they hit the road.
They�ve been known as Hymn for Her since 2011, when they changed up their folky sound with Wayne�s drums and Lucy�s Johnny Lowe-made Lowebow cigar-box guitar/bass. That year, they released Hymn for Her Presents � Lucy & Wayne and THE AmAIRican STREAM - recorded in the �toaster� trailer during a cross-country tour. (Their first album, 2009�s Year of the Golden Pig, was recorded in a
Maine cabin. �We were figuring out how to be rock �n� roll parents,� Lucy says of that period.)
They recorded its follow-up, Hymn for Her Presents � Lucy and Wayne�s Smokin Flames, at Detroit�s Ghetto Recorders with producer Jim Diamond (the White Stripes, the Fleshtones). That gave them room to kick out even more jams, with Wayne on acoustic guitar, harmonica, kick-drum, hi-hat, and �bang-o� � banjo as drum - and Lucy on banjo, guitar and the broomstick-necked electric cigar-box.
Recording for Drive Til U Die started at
Sputnik Sound Studio in Nashville, with five foot-stomping tracks produced by Vance Powell (Chris Stapleton, Sturgill Simpson, Jack White).
On most of those, Wayne says, �I ran the acoustic guitar through a small, distorted tube amp, a technique inspired by early Keith Richards.� The trick gave �Shine� its swampy, gumbo spice. But the crunchy psychedelic riffs underlying the upbeat melody and lyrics on �Paraguay� come straight from the Lowebow � and Lucy�s skill at making it wail.
Producer Mitch Easter (R.E.M., Let�s Active) captured their softer side, recording �Seas of Croatia,� �Milkweed� and �Honeycomb� at his Fidelitorium in Kernersville, N.C. Easter also mixed two of three Airstream-recorded tracks: �Mazzy Star� and �Acetylene.�
The slow-groovin� �Seas of Croatia,� inspired by a sailing trip, is one of several songs that highlight Lucy�s dreamy voice, along with their tightly woven harmonies and intricate instrumentation.
Those same elements come to the fore on the third Airstream recording, the Diamond-mixed �OneBigAchinHeart.� On this one, which addresses loving �what ya got while ya got it,� Wayne�s delicate finger-picking and harmonies underscore Lucy�s angelic soprano as they sing, �Everybody misses somebody/The whole world has one big achin� heart.�
�This song is very special to us. Our great-aunt Lee, who was 102 at the time, sang along with our 8-year-old daughter,� Lucy explains. �Aunt Lee passed away just before reaching 103.�
The touching tune moves some listeners to tears. But another line puts it all in perspective: �Sometimes life gets so sad, you have to laugh.�
�We wanted to put out an album that takes you on a ride �over the hills and far away,��
says Lucy. Through life�s landscapes, in other words. Which leads us to another irresistible track: �Milkweed,� a poppy, floating Dr. Seuss trip down a colorful street that entices listeners to follow their hearts and �blow a kiss good-bye.� Astute ears might catch what sounds like an Alice in
Wonderland utterance, but actually nods to
George Harrison: �God knows if you don�t know where you�re going, any road will take you there.�
That, ultimately, is the message Lucy and Wayne want to convey with Drive Til U Die:
�Just get out there. Throw yourself into the great unknown.�
Like Hymn for Her do every time they hitch up the Airstream and jump in the Ford.
Hi-ho,
Silver � away!
https://www.hymnforher.com/
