Little Lo

"On a (luckily good) tip, I arrived early to catch Houston-born Little Lo, a band that’s now relocated and making some new ripples in Austin, Texas, placing second in the Best New Band category of this year’s Austin Music Awards. Musically, they gleefully swirl indie rock, folk and chamber in a way that’s sophisticated and baroque yet beamingly fresh-faced. Emotionally, they play with hearts ablaze, and that makes all the difference in the world. In addition to typical rock instrumentation, their broad six-piece setup has the full wingspan of percussion, keys, violin, sax, bells and all. But unlike other bands this populated, everything serves a bigger, unified purpose. And their crisp writing and earnest outlook is what makes their songs rise into the sky and pop like fireworks. Their performance was so vivacious that they seemed to take the early crowd by surprise. At any rate, a sense of spirit and melody this big is impossible to go unnoticed for long." - Orlando Weekly

Rising out of the new pack of young indie bands making an impression, Little Lo might be best considered as splitting the difference between their peers Marmalakes and Mother Falcon, melding the folk-pop of the former with the ensemble energy of the latter. Fronted by the Jeff Mangum-meets-Michael Nau trembling vocals of Ryan McGill, the band can explode with a cathartic abandon of brass and keys and rolling percussion, but just as easily lull with a subtle folk touch that can silence a room. Though looking to release their official debut EP later this year, the outfit has already garnered well-deserved attention for their live shows, and you can experience Little Lo for yourself this Thursday, January 20th as they pack onto the stage at the Cactus Cafe along with the Sour Notes. - austinsound.net

Little Lo commenced with a cacophony that aimed for the Arcade Fire in the septet's catharsis, but soon settled into a softer folk-pop swoon that hearkened Anathallo in frontman Ryan James McGill's quaking, stuttering vocals and nasal-pinched croon. The group proved adept at both extremes, from a hushed and surprisingly effective adaptation of William Blake's "A Poison Tree" to the closing surge of "Broken Skin." - The Austin Chronicle

It is hard not to fall in love with the six piece known as Little Lo. The groups faces may be fresh to the Austin music scene, however their fan base grows with each show as their songs and sets are constructed with intriguing lyrics and fun youthful sing a longs. 2010 was a great year for the band and I’m sure 2011 will fall nothing short of amazing for them. - Vagabond Collective

It is hard not to fall in love with the six piece known as Little Lo. The groups faces may be fresh to the Austin music scene, however their fan base grows with each show as their songs and sets are constructed with intriguing lyrics and fun youthful sing a longs. 2010 was a great year for the band and I’m sure 2011 will fall nothing short of amazing for them. - Vagabond Collective

TOP TEN ARTISTS FROM OPEN SUBMISSIONS:

1. Zorch

2. Horse + donkey

3. She Sir

4. Thai Paul

5. Little Lo

6. Sad Accordions

7. Sarah Jarosz

8. The Boxing Lesson

9. The Pons

10. The Rocketboys - The Deli Magazine

Next up, Little Lo took the stage. The band isn’t even 100% settled on all of their song titles, so I’ll do the best I can here. The tiny inside room at the Mohawk was packed the whole night, and there were a lot of Chatty Cathys up in there (my kind way of saying Austin peoples need to STFU if they’re gonna be hanging out in the room where the music is going on, kthx). Still, when the group broke out with tentatively-titled “SXSW Song,” Sam Houdek’s explosive drum kick-off silenced the room, if only for a few minutes. The group truly sounded like they were at their peak; they filled the room with their songs, and played with so much love and excitement that our little roller coaster boxcar felt like it was imminently on that swooshing downward rush, stuck in the very best moments of the ride. Lead singers Ryan James McGill and Bailey Glover each have completely unique voices; McGill’s is simultaneously achingly honest and quietly smooth, whereas Glover’s soars, with the kind of strong vibrato that is perfectly at home on a stage. It feels like it should be unlikely for these voices to wrap around one another so perfectly, but they are wonderful compliments, and the rest of the group’s backing harmonies are the perfect bed in which they can cozy up. McGill is a masterful wordsmith; phrasing like “Down here I don’t have to lie, I just lay” and “I do look good in green for you” stay with you long after the band has packed up their equipment. They played “Wounded Knee” for our aforementioned pal J.D., who discovered the group at the Oh Snap! Festival. Bassist Josh Mead is delightful to watch during this tune, as he dances around in his own world, and saxophonist/mandolin player Ian Rogers lights up every time he catches his bandmate jamming out. Multi-instrumentalists Stephanie Groudle and George Pappas crowded around a mic with their band members for Little Lo’s interpretation of a William Blake poem, but you could see on Groudle and Houdek’s faces that the crowd was making it impossibly difficult for them to hear their harmonies during the quiet tune. It was the only moment of frustration for the group, and they trudged along, living out the title sentiment during “For Fun.” They closed the night out with “Broken Skin,” which starts slow and bubbles up to an encompassing boil at the end. The main stage lights shut off at the song’s climax, leaving only light from strings of Christmas lights in the background and creating great shadows as the band members tore the roof off. It was a brilliant set, and possibly the best Little Lo performance I’ve seen yet. Bravo. - Austin Writes Music

"Most Likely to Break Out at SXSW: Little Lo – Think of a younger Freelance Whales with sax instead of accordion. Hearts of gold, constantly endearing themselves to the audience and each other. Read the full review." - Festival Crashers

There’s something special building with Little Lo. I like to imagine that the five guys and two girls in the band were all in some experimental music class years ago, where they were set free in a room with every instrument you could imagine to see what they could play. It turned out they could all play a whole lot and decided to take all their instruments on stage, smile a lot and dive in head first, charming as they went.
The sax player often acts as the second drummer, singer and guitar player. The female violinist also plays blow keys and sings while the other female vocalist plays keyboard and xylophone. Yes, they have a strong lead singer, guitarist, drummer and bassist, but it’s the smorgasbord of non-traditional instruments that gives them their unique sound and makes them a must-see live. They’re the kind of band that makes you wish you were in a band so you could have that much fun playing with your friends.
In the spirit of the interactive flow between the band on stage, I’ll let Meg jump in with her thoughts after seeing her 4th Little Lo show:
My favorite part of Little Lo is watching the faces of the band members. They have this near-constant inner-band dialogue that is so warm and charming and lovely; you can just see the pure joy on their faces, that they’re doing what they love with people they love. It’s enviable and wonderful and makes you, as an audience member, root for them and want that energy to take them somewhere, career-wise.
That last part stuck out to me as well. You really want them to do well. They ooze charm, as they stuck around after their set to be in the front row to sing every word during Marmalakes’ “Vittoria,” which they guested on a month ago. The way they welcome Thax, who had his eyes closed in bliss while listening to their show, after reading his second poem for them. The way that even though they trotted out all kinds of instruments, they sound just as sweet when they stopped playing everything to sing “If you can find your way home, you always lose the map alone” a capella. They could do no wrong.
They’re such a young, fresh band that you fear will go their separate ways, but you pray they don’t. If Little Lo keeps playing shows at anything close to the rate they played this weekend (They played on Friday night and two shows on Saturday), they’ll be poised for a monster break out by SXSW ‘11. At least we hope so. Give them a listen now: http://littlelomusic.com/ - Festival Crashers

a purring fuzzy caterpillar dozing suspended in midair will awake into song if you stroke it but you don't want to drive it away, better to have the certain possibility of a song someday than an empty room falling in on itself without that possibility to support it. -10/13/10 Buenos Aires Cafe for the Parish - Thax Douglas's Blog

Betsy Cooper sat on a worn-out old couch in university’s newspaper basement office. The lack of natural lighting forced the over-abundance of fluorescent lights to give her blonde hair a distinct glow.

I’d seen her around Austin before at friend’s concerts and parties, never talking to her too much because she seemed rather quiet. She was still quiet, but this time slightly nervous. Bets admitted she had never really applied for a job as a comics artists; she wasn’t even sure if her articles were funny.

I don’t know how she feels about her comics now, but she’s gone on to have weekly printed comics and do art for friends like the band Little Lo. I hope she enjoys them as much as I do - Gerald Rich

There's nothing summery or buoyant about the seven song EP from the Kingwood, Texas band Fight with Flash. In fact, much of the effort is dense, moody and somber. And yet despite this, the quartet has crafted one of the more surprising albums that has kept across this desk in the past few months.

Vocalist Ryan McGill's yelpy vocals shift and sway between morose mumblings and panged desperation, but does so in such a way that's endearing and familiar. The percussive and probing drumming of Sam Hodek anchors much of the foundation here, but caustic lines such as, "And I'm always hurting your friends, even though you're no different from them," from the jittery cut "Room," certainly bolster the group's status as something formidable. Certainly it's easy to craft an album that digs deep lyrically, but comes up short sonically. Fight With Flash does neither of those things, in the end though, the introspection makes all the difference.

Whether he's being candid with a lover - or finding inspiration from his mother's strength, "And I don't know why I didn't notice, the wrinkled eyes, the wilted roses. No I don't know why I didn't notice, that my Mom's heart, it blooms the boldest," off of second track "Paper Stems," there is tarnished hope and frailty in almost every word uttered.

Conveying that sense of brokenness and desperation is often difficult, but the four Texans in Fight with Flash seem to pull it off effortlessly. There are many songwriters who could utter the line, "I Just want to write the right way, is there a right way," like he does in "Great Chicago," and have it come across as cookie-cutter and dull. Yet the simplicity and the subtlety at work here is not to be ignored.

These aren't grandiose and verbose claims. It's just simple, unadulterated musings. And when it sounds this good, it's far too hard to pass up. With four EPs released in just under three years, the band is also prolific. These trait should certainly serve them well going forward. - Absolute Punk

On Tuesday, seven musical groups composed of UT students performed on the small stage in the Cactus Cafe, which has served as a springboard for big dreams. These seven groups were competing in the Kerrville Singer-Songwriter Contest and were selected by the Music Entertainment Committee from nearly 20 submitted demos. The winner of the contest will perform in the Kerrville Folk Festival this summer.

At 8 p.m., the sound in the busy cafe quieted as an organizer of the Kerrville Folk Festival, Stuart Vexler, stepped into the spotlight.

“Here we are at the historic cafe,” he said.

A signed, framed picture of Texas rock legend Townes Van Zandt hung on a wall near the stage, affirming Vexler’s statement. Van Zandt performed on the same stage many times, many years ago. His career, like several others, started in the small cafe.

In January, the Texas Union Board of Directors announced its decision to cease cafe operations in August because of budget concerns. This decision could subsequently force aspiring local musicians, like those who competed in the contest, to seek other venues to spur a life of music making.

A surge of opposition from students, alumni and other music fans has surfaced since the decision was made public. Those sentiments were echoed throughout the audience and among the performers.

“I love this place so much, and I’m so glad we get to play here,” said Chase Weinacht, a member of Marmalakes, which performed in the contest. He said closing the Cactus Cafe is a musical tragedy.

“It’s one of my favorite [venues] in town, and it really has to stay,” he said.

Vexler’s feelings mirrored Weinacht’s.

“My feelings are those of any music fan,” Vexler said. “I’ve listened to a lot of great music here, and I wonder how many people are here to hear what could be their last show at the Cactus.”

Marmalakes opened the night with Woodstock-esque sounds produced by a harmonica, an acoustic guitar, light drums and soft vocals.

Six other contenders followed — each different, but each a representation of the varied musical talent that can be found at UT. Solo participants plucked their guitars, struck the keys on their keyboard and sang soft melodies to accompany their instruments. Groups of two introduced the quaint sounds of the cello and the xylophone.

The night wrapped up with engineering sophomore Ryan James McGill and music resident assistant Bailey Glover winning the contest. The two will play the first Friday of the 39th Annual Kerrville Folk Festival, which will take place May 27 through June 13.

After the competition ended, Vexler contemplated where the contest that has been held at the Cactus Cafe for the past nine years would be held in the future.

“I think that if there is a demand for the contest — and judging by the amount of people here, there is — we’ll be able to find a venue to suit our needs,” Vexler said. - The Daily Texan

By Francisco Marin, Daily Texan Staff
Published: Monday, September 20, 2010

“We’ve got chai, black, Earl Grey, green tea ... Which would you like?” asks Ryan James McGill, vocalist and guitarist for young upstarts Little Lo.

Hospitality is something Little Lo is accustomed to. Much of their music emulates the rustic, backcountry anthems of the old south, so it makes sense that Little Lo’s members are some of the nicest artists in the Austin area.

Little Lo — though relatively young — makes music that strikes a very fine balance between the intimate, gauzy dynamics of a minimalist pop group (“Love Like You”) while retaining all the bombast of an indie rock group (“Room”). Where Little Lo is headed has yet to be decided since their sound can turn on a dime, but whatever it may be, it will be exciting to see. In their short time together, they’ve played all across Austin and opened for some of the best local artists around, and they’ve been more than welcome.

The Daily Texan sat down with four out of seven of the members of Little Lo, McGill, drummer Sam Houdek, violinist Stephanie Groudle and mandolin player and saxophonist Ian Rogers, to discuss Ainsworth sandwiches at Fricano’s, playing at sweaty house shows and Smash Mouth.

The Daily Texan: How exactly did Little Lo get its start?

Ryan: Well in high school, [bassist] Josh Mead and I played together a lot in a band called Fight with Flash. I knew Sam played drums through my church.

Sam: And we played in a talent show.

Ryan: [laughs] It was mostly a Muse cover band for a few years in high school. Then it faded away when we all went to different colleges. But Sam got into UT; Josh moved to Austin and goes to ACC; George goes to Texas State. So we started getting together again. We started playing with Ian and Stephanie in our own time last year and we liked the idea of making this full time.

Stephanie: We all kind of just ... got together. [laughs] It wasn’t serious before Ryan came here.

Ian Rogers: Before I met Ryan, we would get together and make music and make really bad covers. But after Ryan transferred here, it stemmed into something more serious.

Sam: I, however, was a pity invite; a last resort in high school. [laughs]

Ryan: That’s not true at all. [laughs]

Sam: We knew each other through church and they needed a drummer for a talent show so we got plugged into that; it was really awesome and exciting for me.

DT: So when I first heard about your band’s name, I thought it was really familiar. I almost instinctively thought that was a reference to Nabokov’s “Lolita,” is that right?

Everyone: Yeah.

Ian: One of our friends chose that name. We were having trouble naming the band. Little Lo was playful and catchy enough to stick.

DT: What have you guys been listening to lately? In particular, anything that you feel may influence Little Lo’s music?

Stephanie: I think I can speak for everyone when I say we like the Arcade Fire.

Ian: That’s the last record I got actually.

Sam: The last record I really listened to is an album called Heretofore by Megafaun; the leftovers of DeYarmond Edison, Justin Vernon’s first band. Some of them were in Gayngs, have you heard of them? I think they were like three out of 23 members in the band. [laughs]

Ian: For me ... I mean, aside from Arcade Fire ...

Sam: You mean Nickelback ...

Ian: [laughs] Well a lot of local people for sure, all our friends in the Skanky Possum estate [Mother Falcon, SiP SiP, Marmalakes]. Black Keys for sure.

Ryan: I’ve been listening to a lot of A.A. Bondy. I’d say my top influences are A.A. Bondy, Cold War Kids, The Delta Spirit and maybe a little bit of Manchester Orchestra. And the Dodos for sure, they’re a big one for me.

DT: Alright, weird question. What was the first album you purchased with your own money?

Sam: Alien Ant Farm. I think I bought that and the first “Shrek” soundtrack together.

Ian: Mine was Smash Mouth, that first record with “All Star” on it.

Ryan: Me too!

Stephanie: Oh God, I got the first Hanson single. “MMMBop.” But it had remixes on it! It was so funny.

DT: So what are your plans for recording? I know you’re a relatively young band but ...

Ryan: Well we’ve got just one demo so far. Currently we’re planning to record something this winter break, but we need to discuss it more.

DT: In the meantime though, you guys have played a lot of places these last few months, and the shows are getting bigger and bigger. Where have you played?

Everyone: The Parish, the Mohawk, at Skanky Possum, the Cactus Cafe ...

DT: When’s the next show?

Ryan: Oct. 13, with Marmalakes at the Parish. We’re also scheduled to play in Bryan Oct. 22 for Rock the Republic.

DT: OK, next question: How would you describe your perfect sandwich?

Ian: The Ainsworth, a wonderful masterpiece by the Fricano’s people. You say ‘the Ainsworth’ and they decide what’s good today and what they want to make and you p - The Daily Texan