about Lonesome Liz

Roots Country and Blues artist Lonesome Liz was dubbed 'The Female Robert Johnson' by 'Southern Fried Magazine'; honoring both her sultry contralto and the Hellhound on her trail. Her performances are heavy with Southern Gothic undertones. A natural storyteller, her words shift to expose the seamy underbelly of the South, which she translates through a mystic veil of mojo; often drawing on history along with Hoodoo and other Folk traditions.

Her performances have included Drive-by Truckers artist Wes Freed, art revolutionary Molly Crabapple, Jesco the Dancing Outlaw and she's shared a stage with Timbuk III's Pat MacDonald, The Goddamn Gallows and the .357 String Band.

Featured in the upcoming Hasil Adkins documentary, 'My Blue Star' by Ron Thomas Smith, she has she has also appeared in and directed dozens of plays as well as in an award-winning independent film, 'Leon's Aspirations'. Also a playwright, she has written and produced adaptations of both 'Faust' and Sartre's 'No Exit'.

A multi-disciplinary artist, she is also a music and fine art journalist, published primarily in 'Outlaw Magazine', 'Fine Art Magazine' and GratefulWeb.net. She was the last writer to interview Mike Seeger before his death and her Levon Helm retrospective received praise from Bob Dylan himself.

She has also been tarot, astrology and mythology editor for BellaOnline.com and Suite101.com. Her writing and photography are featured in the best-selling 'Everything Ghost Hunting Guide'. She began writing in Chicago, when Slam was first emerging and her poetry as well as her lyrics have received praise from Beat Poets Charles Plymell and Robert Brannan.

Her strong, sultry voice and powerful lyrics are captivating. Though unquestionably feminine and alluring, she describes hangings, hauntings, reckonings and shoot-outs in a way that makes you think she was not only there but participated. One of Country's true Outlaw Women, Liz blasted the boundaries of Alt Country. However it's delivered, her sultry Southern vision takes you far from the expected. It's hard to resist the spell Lonesome Liz casts when her mojo's rising...

Monday, August 13, 2012

Outlaw Draw




There's a new Mojo Sideshow in progress! Lonesome Liz's Wild West Show, featuring the ghosts of the James/Younger gang, inspired by local history and centered on James' time in Lost River Cave.

The first Sideshow, a Southern Gothic 'Faust' with the legend of the Crossroads as it's centerpiece, joined distinctly Southern artists with leaders of the New York scene. They included Molly Crabapple, Wes Freed, Katelan Foisy, myself and others from Achen, Germany to Hazard, Kentucky. The production also featured burlesque, fire juggling, magic tricks, and Outlaw Country by J. B. Beverley and I as well as choreography by Becca Bernard, M.F.A.

I've had input as the songs were written and the existing script revised from Beat Poet Charles Plymell and the grandson of one of the Younger's who rode with Jesse. I'm even more excited about this production than I was the first, especially as I've also had the benefit of hearing local James tales and lore.

Outlaw Magazine will be filming some of the songs from the show in the most authentic setting imaginable, the haunted former hotel/ brothel above Labold and Sons on the square. The place remains virtually unchanged since Jesse James' day. New York artist Jonathan Wagner has joined the production crew and will be drawing from set photos both for the magazine and other promotional purposes.

Join me at Labold and Sons on Tues. to be part of the project! All you have to do is dress up like an Outlaw, (if you haven't already seen, the place is FULL of amazing costumes in the making), and pose for a photo. Everyone who participates will have a copy of Jonathan's drawing of them.


Jonathan Wagner Art

The Lonesome Liz Page



General Hood's March

rehearsal video by Cathy Pippen

Do You Hear Me Jesse James?

rehearsal video by Cathy Pippen

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Portraits of the Ladies of the Old Hotel

Ellen Smith


Mamie Anderson
Hoodoo  Lizzie Brown

Mabel Cook

Millie Ford
 

Lizzie Williams

Pearl Thorne
Nan Crow

Emma Barton
Nellie Shields

Minnie Lewis

Maggie Marshall


Anna Hinkley
Mrs. Malloy

Wednesday, July 4, 2012