The Black Lillies plays 21st century Americana, flecked with honky-tonk, blues, country, old time, folk and soul. This is good-time roadhouse music, meant for a little shimmying and showing off of fancy boots, big hats and snap-button shirts, with tales of excess, wandering, redemption and romance.
The band has played Bonnaroo and the Ryman Auditorium, which sort of speaks to broad appeal of its sound. The band, from Knoxville, Tenn., comes by its sound naturally, with roots in the mountains that connect them to bluegrass and traditional music of Appalachia. And to the west on I-40 it’s just a short trip to Nashville, Music City.
Over the band’s nine years, touring like crazy, it has moved slowly from crowd-funded DIY productions to slightly more polished, wide-ranging sounds adding some soulful touches with backing vocals, simmering organ and horns.
The Black Lillies performs at Fairfield Theater Company’s Stage One, 70 Sanford St., Fairfield, on Friday, Jan. 26, at 7:45 p.m. Tickets are $22. 203-259-1036 and fairfieldtheatre.org.
