Street Sounds: Hymn For Her

The Black Keys, White Stripes and Hymn For Her. Though more on the country side of the fence than the two former, two-person groups, Lucy Tight and Wayne Waxing are quietly making a name for themselves, playing electrifying folk-blues all around the country. Accompanied by their daughter and dog, the duo is traveling in the same 1961 Bambi Airstream where they recorded their first album, “Lucy and Wayne and The amAIRican STREAM.”  The Temple News caught up with Tight right before Hymn For Her played a show in Cleveland to discuss banjos, the Beatles and 40-piece orchestras.

The Temple News: A lot of the songs on “Lucy and Wayne and The amAIRican STREAM” fall safely between heavily folk-influenced country and crunchy blues-rock. Which side do you associate more with?

Lucy Tight: Whichever side is the most unsafe.

TTN: Because you both live primarily on the road for touring and recording purposes, do you ever feel the need to have a home that isn’t on wheels?

LT: Sometimes, but we feel we are meant to be nomadic. Our creativity is stifled in stagnation.

TTN: The Cigar Box guitar has an incredibly distinctive sound. What made you decide to use it?

LT: We heard it calling from the back of the closet at a serendipitous moment. We needed to unleash the beast.

TTN: What does your daughter think of your tunes, especially because she is constantly surrounded by them?

LT: She says, “It’s good. I love daddy and mama’s music. It gives me more alone time in the bass drum case.”

TTN: Do you consider yourselves part of the Philadelphia music community or do you think living in the Airstream made you feel less tied down to one place musically?

LT: The latter of the two. Home has just become another stop along the road. way. Friends and family are everywhere, and blood is not thicker than water.

TTN: Do you think somewhere down the road you might find yourselves needing another musician on stage with you to supplement the musical ideas you come up with in the future?

LT: A 40-piece orchestra would be nice for one song. Maybe just the break. Then again, wasn’t that the beginning of the end for the Beatles?

TTN: Do you think there will always be an audience for your brand of high-energy folk music? Are there specific influences from the genre guide you musically?

LT: We sure hope so. Not sure if what we’re doing is a genre, but we are definitely influenced by anyone who chooses Plan A. Our biggest influences are our adventures on the road, who we meet and what we remember.

TTN: When your daughter grows up, will she be joining the band as well?

LT: She says, “Yeah, I’ll play a banjo like mama does.”

Kevin Stairiker can be reached at kevin.stairiker@temple.edu.