The Black Lillies began 2017 with a new band member (Haley Cole from Birch, Texas); the European release of their current album, Hard to Please on January 20; and a winter European tour prior to returning to American stages — commencing in Texas — for the remainder of the year. Additionally, the new lineup will go into the studio in 2017 to record a new album.
The Black Lillies’ story is one of hard work and highway miles … a story that traces their evolution from a group of friends making music in songwriter and frontman Cruz Contreras’ living room into what is now one of Americana’s biggest success stories: an internationally-renowned band of roots-rockers, armed with songs that blur the boundaries among folk, soul, red dirt country, blues and jazz.
The Black Lillies’ story is still unfolding, with the band’s sharp, Southern-influenced songs — including Americana radio hits like “Hard to Please,” the kickoff single and title track from the band’s most recent album — leading the charge. Featuring multi-instrumentalist Contreras, bassist and vocalistSam Quinn, drummer Bowman Townsend, guitarist/vocalist Dustin Schaefer, pedal steel playerJonathan Keeney and multi-instrumentalist/vocalist newcomer Cole, the Black Lillies enter this chapter as one of the most visible, viable groups in contemporary roots music.
Hard to Please, produced by Grammy winner Ryan Hewitt and recorded at Nashville’s legendary House of Blues Studio D, earned praise from Rolling Stone Country, NPR, American Songwriterand beyond, debuting at #12 on Billboard Heatseekers and #30 on Billboard’s Top 200 Country Albums. Runaway Blues, from 2013, and 2011’s 100 Miles of Wreckage both fared similarly well, with outlets like Entertainment Weekly praising the band’s “strong roots-folk songwriting, sweet harmonies, and charismatic indie spirit.”
The Black Lillies promoted each release in the blue-collar tradition: by hitting the highway, racking up 230 gigs in 2014 alone and averaging 175 during the remaining years. That road-warrior work ethic has become as integral to the band’s success as Contreras’ songwriting, taking the band from coast to coast, border to border, and even country to country.
Proudly independent since their formation, the Black Lillies were one of the first independent bands to play the Grand Ole Opry and have since returned dozens of times — sharing that stage with big-budget bands and major-label mainstreamers. They’ve chased down success on their terms, ignoring the trends of Nashville and focusing on a sound that, as Vanity Fair notes, “continues to cross generations and musical genres – country, folk, blues and … a touch of the Dead, for good measure.” With new members, new songs and the same dedication to touring, the Lillies continue to sink their roots deep into the Americana landscape.
2017 Tour Dates
Jan. 27 UPPSALA SWEDEN Katalin
Jan. 28 AVESTA SWEDEN Rootsy Meeting Showcase
Jan. 29 STOCKHOLM SWEDEN Akkurat
Jan. 30 NYNÄSHAMN SWEDEN Akkurat
Feb. 1 SUNDSVALL SWEDEN E Street
Feb. 2 OSLO, NORWAY Gamla
Feb. 3 FALKENBERG SWEDEN Grand Hotel
Feb. 4 ÖREBRO SWEDEN Scandic Grand Hotel
Feb. 5 HULTSFRED, SWEDEN Hotell Hulingen,
Feb. 6 GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN BarKom
Feb. 8 TRANÅS, SWEDEN Plan B
Feb. 9 HALMSTAD, SWEDEN Immanuelskyrkan
Feb. 10 MALMÖ, SWEDEN Immanuelskyrkan
Feb. 11 NORDERSTEDT DENMARK
Feb. 12 HAARLEM, NETHERLANDS Roots Of Heaven Festival, Patronaat
Feb. 15 LEICESTER, UK The Musician
Feb. 16 SHEFFIELD, U.K. The Greystones
Feb. 17 NEWCASTLE, U.K. The Cluny
Feb. 18 LONDON, U.K. Nells Jazz & Blues
Feb. 19 GLASGOW, SCOTLAND TBC
Feb. 22 EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND TBC
March 1 VALENCIA, SPAIN El Loco
March 2 BARCELONA, SPAIN Rocksound
March 3 ZARAGOZA SPAIN La Ley Seca
March 4 MADRID, SPAIN Funhouse
March 9 BEAUMONT, TX Courville’s
March 10 HOUSTON, TX Goode’s Armadillo Palace
March 11 FREDRICKSBURG TX Luckenbach Dancehall
March 12 THE WOODLANDS, TX Dosey Doe’s Ranch House
March 15 AUSTIN, TX SXSW
March 16 FORT WORTH, TX Live Oak Music Hall
March 17 SAN ANTONIO, TX Sam’s Burger Joint
March 18 EDEN, TX Green Apple Arts Center
March 24 BLACKSBURG, VA Lyric Theatre
March 25 HOPEWELL, VA Beacon Theatre
April 22 CEDARBURG, WI Cedarburg Cutural Center
April 29 TULSA, OK Guthrie Green
What critics have said about the Black Lillies’ Hard to Please:
“Country music with a soul-rock infusion, supported by bandleader Cruz Contreras’ smart songwriting and tight musicianship that comes from years on the road.” —Rolling Stone
“One of roots music’s most talented outfits.” —American Songwriter
”The many strains of vintage country that collide in this rising band’s sound make The Black Lillies a crossbreed to watch.” —NASH Country Weekly
“A rootsy flair, mixing folk, honky-tonk country, and gospel into a winsome hybrid traditional enough to appeal to an Opry crowd and expansive enough to ensnare a broader audience.” —The Wall Street Journal
