The Black Lillies
Quote Sheet
Last updated April 2013
“With one foot planted firmly in Appalachian music culture and the other always
expanding and evolving, The Black Lillies have created a unique sound embraced by
fans old and young.”
- Vanity Fair
“A rootsy flair, mixing folk,m 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.”
- Wall Street Journal
“A release this strong and diverse will surely increase the miles on the act’s van and help
secure them a place as one of roots music’s most talented outfits.”
- American Songwriter Magazine
“SXSW Top Pick.”
-
Ann Powers, NPR’s All Songs Considered
“The Black Lillies hail from a variety of different roots, rock and country backgrounds.
They’ve made a habit of casting an even wider stylistic net on each of their three
albums, including the latest, Runaway Freeway Blues. That, and the fact they’ll do just
about anything it takes to get a crowd dancing, is why they’re the rarer-than-rare
independent band that’s made no less than 15 appearances on the venerable Grand Ole
Opry and played wildly eclectic festivals like Bonnaroo and South by Southwest.”
- Jewly Hight, CMT
“With its mix of pedal steel guitar, banjo, and crystalline harmonies, the melancholic
and modern Appalachia-meets-Americana sound of Runaway Freeway Blues is firmly
rooted in the wandering spirit of a restless heart on the run.”
- Glide Magazine
“There was such a variety of music going on at the festival that I almost forgot I was in
Texas until I went to see The Black Lillies from Knoxville, Tennessee, a real dyed-in-thewool Americana band. Their pedal steel guitarist, Tom Pryor, stole the show. Sweet
harmonies by Trisha Gene Brady and good storytelling and stage charisma by frontman
Cruz Contreras clinched the deal.”
- Guitar World Magazine’s “Top Moments from SXSW”
“The Black Lillies continue their tradition of excellence with Runaway Freeway Blues.”
- PASTE Magazine
“From rustic, acoustic gospel to rump-shaking Southern rock, the band, led by frontman
Cruz Contreras, expertly weaves the seemingly divergent threads together.”
- Culture Map Dallas
“These folks are strong yet sassy Americana at its best.”
- Austinist’s SXSW Band Recommendations
“Steel guitar punctuates the occasional sad lyric with extra heart-punching melancholy,
and the beats grab the barn burners by the nose and drag them out to the dance floor
for a kicky little two-step. Male-female vocals intertwine beautifully, and everything
blends together like a dream featuring Hank Williams and Dolly Parton doing duets.”
- Paul Constant, The Stranger (Seattle)
“Sweet Southern music at its finest, the country and Americana combo tells whiskysoaked tales of love and heartbreak, and all in between. Contreras’ songcraft is tops and
the band is a tightly woven posse of music veterans.”
- Samir Shukla, Creative Loafing
“A true Americana supergroup. I love this band!”
- Jim Lauderdale
“Earthy and gritty, their songs speak of pain, love, revenge and revelry with such spirit
that they seem to be carved out of the planks of an abandoned backwoods cabin.”
- Relix Magazine
“A stunningly crafted and inspired tour through country, bluegrass, folk, blues, and soft
rock that largely ignores genre distinction in favor of top-notch performances and
understated professionalism.”
- Matthew Everett, Metro Pulse
“A home run - terrific songs, soulful vocals, excellent musicianship and some of the most
honest country and Americana in either genre. But the foundation of it all is good, solid
songwriting. The Black Lillies have that in spades.”
- Wayne Bledsoe, News-Sentinel
“The Black Lillies have shown the world that they're one of the best in Americana.
Contreras is a top-notch lyricist, musician, and vocalist surrounded by a group of equally
talented artists proving that Appalachia and the Southeast is a well of talent and good
music. Their excellent musicianship and vocal talents combined with their great lyrics
and beautiful melodies have produced an outstanding collection of songs.”
- April Darcy, Common Folk Music
“The Lillies are all about the song, whether it’s deep country, grassy, folkie or spare. The
harmony vocals of Cruz Contreras and Trisha Gene Brady merge like butter and flour in
a silky roux. The rhythm section and Billy Contreras’ fiddle give it motion and flavor
without weighing things down.”
- Craig Havighurst, String Theory Media
“The Black Lillies have proven with “100 Miles of Wreckage” that they have arrived as
one of the Southeast’s greatest offerings of modern Americana music. Contreras is a
lyricist who can stand toe-to-toe with today’s best, while surrounding himself with a
talented circle of bandmates that help carry the heartbreaks into important songs of
reflection. Watch out for this band. They mean business.”
- Patrick Gipson, Blank News
“The instruments that carry The Black Lillies along ‘100 Miles of Wreckage’ are driven
with top notch playing. Fingers are flying on strings, every note clear and clean. Cruz
Contreras’ vocals come through like a high gloss polish, offering so much attention to
detail that you can see yourself inside the words.”
- Danny McCloskey, The Alternate Root
“From the first time I saw them perform for us on the stage of the Ryman Auditorium, I
knew that the Black Lillies were WSM artists. And now with the release of “100 Miles of
Wreckage”, it’s a fact with two songs already in our top 10! The sound of the Black
Lillies fits right in with the tradition of WSM.”
- Joe Limardi, Program Director, WSM (home of the Grand Ole
Opry)
“Whiskey Angel and the more recent 100 Miles of Wreckage exemplify all that’s good
with country/Americana, but I’d want to stress that it’s simply brilliant music – whatever
the tag – with accomplished musicianship, rock-solid songwriting, and glorious harmony
vocals.”
- Some Diurnal Aural Awe