Lissie – A Happy Homecoming

After another social-life-killing 65-hour work week, I walked into the Metro in Chicago last Friday to see Lissie, a local indie-rock front woman. Her first song, “Wedding Bells,” had her singing “wedding bells will never ring for me.” I immediately felt like Lissie had seen me coming and prepped a few numbers just for me. Given the shoulder to shoulder crowd, this seems unlikely, but it’s that kind of familiarity that eventually pulled the entire audience into her set.

Despite a friendly audience and, I think, her parents eagerly cheering her on, Lissie preferred to hide behind oversized eyeglasses and long blond hair. It was as if Jan Brady got a personality and talent. Throughout the set, Lissie demonstrated this talent, not only with her songwriting, but with some pretty strong guitar skills. Unlike a lot of female singer/songwriters, Lissie chose to not dump all of the heavy guitar lifting on her talented bandmate, Eric. Rather, Lissie took on plenty of the musical weight with more than capable skills. The other third of the band, Louis, took care of bass and a small drum set – all at once. He seemed nonchalant about it, but I was impressed.

In between songs, Lissie’s song banter was awkward, but endearing. Giving a little advice, she asked that the audience, “in [its] sphere of influence, don’t be a d*ck.” Wise words.

As she continued her set, I kept thinking that with her long blond hair and delicate, pretty face, Lissie could easily make a run as a pop icon, singing dance hits and running around with star athletes. But her soulful voice and mellow, classic rock style suggest that Lissie would prefer to be recognized for talents beyond appearance. Judging by the attentive audience, she won’t have to wait long for her own brand of success. I suspect this will have less to do with MTV and red carpets than other musicians.

*By Jesy, who is so very tired.

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