When Lucius began back in 2008, lead vocalists Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig were students at the Berklee School of Music. After graduation, they embarked to Brooklyn, as so many young bands do, in order to recruit more members. Once the lineup was complete, which saw the addition of drummer Dan Molad and guitarists Peter Lalish and Andrew Burri, the band set about touring the country.
Along the way, the gained quite a bit of good press and some devoted followers, including Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman. They parlayed all those good vibes into a deal with indie label Mom + Pop Music, who released their debut album, Wildewoman, in October 2013. Since then, the band of friends has continued their hard-traveling ways, most recently opening up for Tegan and Sara on their North American tour.
From the halls of Berklee to the stages of America, Lucius’ next stop is beautiful Chicago, Illinois, where they’ll make their grand debut at Lollapalooza. In celebration of their sudden dart into the mainstream, Dodge has named the indie-pop outfit as one of several rising talents in its #NextUp campaign.
Before you check them out during Lollapalooza, Dodge is offering an intimate look at Lucius with an in-studio performance and Q&A. Bathed in warm spotlights, and aided by some cinematic camera angles, the band performs the Wildewoman standout “Don’t Just Sit There”. Fittingly, it’s a grand and sweeping ballad, where Wolfe and Laessig’s vocals blend and swirl together upward into the stratosphere. Equally dramatic and intimate, that interplay defines Lucius’ unique take on indie-pop.
For the Q&A portion (below), Wolfe and Laessig discuss how they discovered music as children, working together at Berklee, how they’ve cultivated a strong friendship and partnership, the importance of harmonies, their plans for their Lollapalooza debut, how they cultivate “magic” with their live show, and much more.
“Don’t Just Sit There”:
“Interview”:
For more on Lucius, and other artists in #NextUp, head here. Dodge is also helping to hook you up with even more festival coverage via their “Darting to Festivals” campaign, which you can further explore here.
