Low Lily, an acoustic Americana band that traces it roots back to the Northeast, is set to take the stage at Club Passim in Cambridge Wednesday for what its members call their “homecoming show.”
Liz Simmons, in an interview with The Daily Free Press, said she and her husband Flynn Cohen have been making music with their good friend Lissa Schneckenburger for about a year and a half now. The Northeast is familiar territory for the three, as they’ve all lived in Boston before and currently reside in Brattleboro, Vermont.
Cohen plays mandolin and guitar, Schneckenburger plays fiddle and all three sing. Wednesday’s gig will be a sentimental show for the group, Simmons said, as they have spent a lot of time living and playing in Boston.
“I often refer to [our style] as American roots and branches,” Simmons said.
Simmons also shared that the band draws inspiration from artists like Alison Krauss and Jean Ritchie, as well as genres like traditional Irish folk and ’80s pop.
“We have a very broad taste,” Simmons said. “ … They all kind of make their way in.”
Some of these tastes are reflected in their self-titled EP, which was released in August and features four original songs and two covers. The tracks pay homage to traditional folk with “Cherokee Shuffle / Lucky” and the old Scottish ballad “House Carpenter,” in addition to Low Lily originals that draw on the same style but offer a contemporary feel.
“The album was a culmination of a year’s worth of work,” Simmons said. “There are some real power numbers and some slower, contemplative songs,”
Although Low Lily is relatively young, its members have been practicing their craft for years. All of them played music throughout college, and Cohen and Schneckenburger played together in a band for many years. After Simmons and Cohen met at a music party in Boston, they married and started a band called Annalivia, which became Low Lily when Schneckenburger joined full-time. The husband and wife duo have toured with John Whelan, a star accordion player who is well known throughout Ireland.
Simmons said the album release was an exciting milestone for her and her bandmates because it was the first time they got to see their own artistic vision published after years of side-manning other projects. The band hired a publicity team to run a PR campaign, putting Low Lily’s name on the radio and in print. Simmons said she did a lot of grassroots campaigning on her own too, working to get their album into the right hands.
Throughout the entire process, the group bonded more than ever, Simmons said, and it brought out the strength of the relationship between her and her husband.
“We know each other so well and we share so many of the same musical tastes, so in a lot of ways, he’s like the other half of my brain.” Simmons said about Cohen.
Simmons also noted that the group dynamic is more important than their relationship when they’re at work.
“Like doing anything with your partner that’s work related, it’s hard to know where work stops and the relationship begins, but we try not bring in personal stuff to work,” Simmons said.
The trio is a closely-knit group and, according to Simmons, they love travelling together. When on the road, the group enjoys sightseeing, stocking up on snacks at Whole Foods and, of course, jamming. They share a minivan and have been known to practice their instruments in the back when space is limited.
Laughing, Simmons added, “It’s quite roomy.”
Low Lily will be performing at Club Passim Wednesday, Nov. 11 at 8 p.m.
