Low Cut Connie

Low Cut Connie is an American rock and roll band based in Philadelphia, United States, which was formed in 2010. The band has been recognized by various media in the US for their records and high-energy live show, of which the Los Angeles Weekly said "Their ferocious live show...is unmatched in all of rock right now."[1] Frontman, pianist, songwriter Adam Weiner has been described by NPR music as “masterfully fluent in the foundational languages of Western pop, living at the crossroads where the church house meets the roadhouse, or where the Dew Drop Inn meets CBGB.” [2] Essentially a solo project for Weiner, the band is known for appearing on Barack Obama’s list of favorite songs,[3] and their association with Elton John who has called the band one of his favorites.[4]

Low Cut Connie
OriginPhiladelphia, United States
GenresRock and roll
Years active2010 (2010)–present
LabelsContender Records
Websitelowcutconnie.com

History

Weiner performed as a solo artist prior to starting Low Cut Connie. While living in New York City, he played piano in gay bars, karaoke bars, restaurants and ballet classes, often under the name Ladyfingers.[5] He toured throughout North America and Europe playing to often unforgiving crowds in dive bars, honky tonks, anarchist squats, warehouses, drag bars, etc. Weiner started the project that would become Low Cut Connie with former members Dan Finnemore (from Birmingham, England) and Neil Duncan (from Gainesville, Florida). The band's name came from a random combination of words of proposed, but already taken band names. Once the name was out in the world, Weiner drew a picture of an middle-aged diner waitress from Southern New Jersey that he thought captured what Low Cut Connie might mean, as well as the resilient and sexy spirit of the band. The drawing of "Connie" is on the cover of their debut album.[6]

Get Out the Lotion

The group recorded their debut album, Get Out the Lotion, at Weiner's friend Neil Duncan's garage in Gainesville, Florida, over a period of four days in the summer of 2010.[7][8] The band recorded both Weiner's and Finnemore's songs, with Duncan engineering, and they considered the collaboration so informal they had not even decided on a name for it yet during recording.[9] The band self-released this album in 2011. Starting with a surprise review from music critic Robert Christgau, the record received many positive reviews from critics, including NPR's Ken Tucker praising the "buzzsaw yowl of Adam Weiner" on the record.[10] The album also prompted Merrill Garbus to name Low Cut Connie her "favorite artist of the year,"[11] and was awarded 3.5 out of 5 stars by Rolling Stone, which described it as "what indie rock might sound like were it invented in Alabama in the late Fifties."[12]

Call Me Sylvia

The band began work on their second album, Call Me Sylvia, with the goal of trying harder to make a "real" album than they were with their debut, when their songs were less arranged.[9] Finnemore moved to the U.S. in advance of the record release. The album was released on September 24, 2012,[13] and currently holds a score of 80% on Metacritic, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[14] Among these reviews was a four-star (out of five) review from AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine, who praised them for making music in a style that originated in the 1960s, but without seeming outdated.[15] PopMatters also reviewed the album, giving it a score of 7 out of 10 and also noting that the album's sound resembled that of mid-20th-century music, as well as specifically comparing Weiner's piano style to Jerry Lee Lewis.[13] The album's song "Boozophilia" was ranked the 31st best song of 2012 by Rolling Stone, which described it as "like Jerry Lee Lewis if he'd had his first religious experience at a Replacements show."[16] It was also chosen by Barack Obama as one of the songs on his Spotify summer playlist in 2015.[17]

Hi Honey

In January 2015, Low Cut Connie announced the release of their third album, Hi Honey, which was released April 21, 2015 via Weiner's Contender Records. Duncan had left the band after the release of Call Me Sylvia. The record was produced by former member of Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings Thomas Brenneck (Charles Bradley, Black Lips, Alabama Shakes) and features contributions from Tune-Yards, Dean Ween, Greg Cartwright of Reigning Sound, members of The Dap-Kings, Budos Band, and a special cameo by Vincent Pastore of the Sopranos. The record features new members of Low Cut Connie James Everhart and Will Donnelly. The album was recorded at a small studio owned by Daptone Records.[18]

The record received widespread acclaim, including being named #2 album of the year by NPR/Sound Opinions critic Jim DeRogatis.

Dirty Pictures (Part 1)

In May 2016, Weiner and the band began an album titled Dirty Pictures for release in 2017 in two parts. Dirty Pictures (Part 1) was released on May 19, 2017 by Contender Records to critical acclaim. Rolling Stone lauded the band for “their mix of Seventies Stones (but dirtier), the New York Dolls (but tighter) and Jerry Lee Lewis (but Westerberg-ier)," noting the album “comes with an extra sense of bare-knuckled grit and sonic thwump to fight against the darkness."[19]

Dirty Pictures (Part 2)

Low Cut Connie's fifth album Dirty Pictures (Part 2), released on May 18, 2018 on Contender Records, also received critical acclaim. The album premiered on NPR Music's First Listen with writer Alison Fensterstock noting, “The blood that pumps through the Philadelphia band's work comes from a place that's fresh, original, and truly pledged to rock and roll.”[20] NPR Music's Ann Powers "Everybody's in this sweaty mass," Powers says. "Everybody's dancing, everybody's connecting. It's just the joy and sensuality of the rhythm and the music. To me, that's the essence of rock and roll."[6] In his four star review, Rolling Stone writer David Fricke called Dirty Pictures (Part 2) a “stand-alone triumph of missionary zeal.” The album debuted on Billboard's Independent albums chart.[21] In June 2018, Rolling Stone named the album to its list of 50 Best Albums of 2018 So Far.[22] The publication also named Dirty Pictures (Part 2)'s single “Beverly” one of the 50 Best Songs of 2018, calling it “...the catchiest chorus of a career that’s produced more than a few and a song that could’ve been on the radio in the era it honors.”[23] “Beverly” also received recognition from public radio stations around the US, and was named the #1 Most Played Song of 2018 by Philadelphia's WXPN,[24] WXPN's #4 Listener's Choice,[25] and #24 in New York's WFUV list of Top 90 Songs of 2018.[26]

Network television debut

On August 13, 2018, Low Cut Connie made their network television debut, performing “All These Kids Are Way Too High” off of Dirty Pictures (Part 2) on Late Night with Seth Meyers.[27] Rolling Stone lauded the band's appearance, saying the band delivered “energy and swagger” to their “rollicking performance."[28]

Celebrity support

In addition to critical praise, the band has garnered support from several high-profile individuals including Barack Obama, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, Howard Stern, Rob Thomas and Nick Hornby.

In August 2015, former President Barack Obama included the band's song "Boozophilia" on his presidential Spotify playlist.[29] Weiner posted on Facebook that they were “completely humbled and honored and confused" by Obama doing this. Weiner and his wife met Obama at the White House in May 2016 during a special meeting arranged by presidential photographer Pete Souza.[30]

On September 12, 2018, Elton John, dedicated a song to Low Cut Connie at his sold-out show at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. Before performing "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me,” Elton John announced, "There's a band that I love at the moment so much called Low Cut Connie, who are also from Philadelphia. And I'd like to dedicate this song to them right now, because I love them very much, And you should check them out. Buy their records, go see them.”[31] Low Cut Connie had previously been featured on Elton John's radio show Rocket Hour on Beats 1 in July 2017[32] and August 2018.[33]

In June 2018, Weiner met Bruce Springsteen backstage at Springsteen on Broadway, where he learned Springsteen was a fan of the band.[34] Award-winning author Nick Hornby and radio personality Howard Stern are also a fans of the band.[35][36] The band was featured twice on Stern's Wrap Up Show, as well as performing in Howard Stern Tribute to David Bowie.[36]

Festival appearances

In support of the 2018 release Dirty Pictures (Part 2), the band made their debut at several notable US festivals, including Newport Folk Festival,[37] Bonnaroo,[38] Pickathon,[39] and BottleRock.[40] Their performance at Newport Folk Festival was praised by critics, including Rolling Stone who included it in a list of “Newport Folk Festival 2018: 12 Best Things We Saw."[41]

Interviews

Discography
  • Get Out the Lotion (Self-released, 2011)
  • Call Me Sylvia (Self-released, 2012)
  • Hi Honey (Contender, 2015)
  • Dirty Pictures (Part 1) (Contender, 2017)
  • Dirty Pictures (Part 2) (Contender, 2018)
  • Private Lives (Contender, 2020)[42]
  • Christmas Makes Me Cry (Adam Weiner, Single, 2020)

References
  1. Weiss, Dan (22 March 2013). "Low Cut Connie Is the Coolest Critically Lauded Band That You've Never Heard Of". LA Weekly. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  2. "Low Cut Connie's 'Dirty Pictures (Part 2)' Pumps Blood Into Rock And Roll". NPR.org. Retrieved 2019-09-05.
  3. Garofalo, Alex (2017-08-03). "What Happens When the President Puts a Struggling Band on His Spotify Playlist". Thrillist. Retrieved 2019-09-05.
  4. DeLuca, Dan. "Watch Elton John shout out Philly band Low Cut Connie at Wells Fargo Center". inquirer.com. Retrieved 2019-09-05.
  5. Amorosi, A.D. (29 December 2010). "Ladyfingers/Low Cut Connie". Philadelphia City Paper. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  6. "Low Cut Connie's Rise Is 'The Essence Of Rock And Roll'". NPR.org. Retrieved 2019-10-03.
  7. DeLuca, Dan (9 November 2012). "Well-connected Low Cut Connie throws a rock and roll party". Philly.com. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
  8. Wells, Brent (19 March 2014). "Dressed to kill: Low Cut Connie sasses it up with playful personality, throwback grooves". The News & Advance. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  9. Baker, Brian (4 March 2014). "Connie Men NYC's Low Cut Connie has established a healthy Cincinnati following with perseverance and great shows". Cincinnati CityBeat. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  10. Tucker, Ken (13 September 2011). "Low Cut Connie: Contagious, Low-Brow Fun". NPR. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  11. Philyaw, Zachary (22 August 2012). "Song Premiere: Low Cut Connie - "Boozophilia"". Paste. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  12. Keyes, J. Edward (21 June 2011). "Get Out the Lotion Review". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  13. Cober-Lake, Justin (8 October 2012). "Low Cut Connie: Call Me Sylvia". PopMatters. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  14. "Reviews and Tracks for Call Me Sylvia by Low Cut Connie". Metacritic. 2012-11-02. Retrieved 2017-07-10.
  15. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Call Me Sylvia Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  16. "#31: Low Cut Connie, 'Boozophilia'". Rolling Stone. 2013. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  17. "The White House Just Joined Spotify: Listen to the President's Summer Playlist". whitehouse.gov. 2015-08-14. Retrieved 2019-10-03.
  18. Voipe, Allie (24 April 2015). "Low Cut Connie defies division". Philly.com. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  19. Dolan, Jon (2017-05-19). "Review: Rock Revivalists Low Cut Connie Face Reality on 'Dirty Pictures'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2019-10-03.
  20. "Low Cut Connie's 'Dirty Pictures (Part 2)' Pumps Blood Into Rock And Roll". NPR.org. Retrieved 2019-10-03.
  21. "Low Cut Connie "Dirty Pictures" (Part 2) Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-10-03.
  22. Bernstein, Christopher R. Weingarten,David Fricke,Jody Rosen,Jon Dolan,Jon Freeman,Hank Shteamer,Elias Leight,Brittany Spanos,Charles Aaron,Mosi Reeves,Kory Grow,Jessica Hopper,Simon Vozick-Levinson,Richard Gehr,Maura Johnston,Joe Levy,Will Hermes,Rob Sheffield,Meaghan Garvey,Suzy Exposito,Jonathan (2018-06-12). "50 Best Albums of 2018 So Far". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2019-10-03.
  23. "50 Best Songs of 2018". Rolling Stone. 2018-12-14. Retrieved 2019-10-03.
  24. "Listen to XPN's 25 most-played songs of 2018". The Key. 2018-12-31. Retrieved 2019-10-03.
  25. "Your top 50 XPN songs of 2018". The Key. 2018-12-31. Retrieved 2019-10-03.
  26. "The Best of 2018 | WFUV". www.wfuv.org. Retrieved 2019-10-03.
  27. Low Cut Connie: All These Kids Are Way Too High, retrieved 2019-10-03
  28. Zemler, Emily (2018-08-14). "Watch Low Cut Connie Bring 'Greasy Rock & Roll' to 'Seth Meyers'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2019-10-03.
  29. Garofalo, Alex (2017-08-03). "What Happens When the President Puts a Struggling Band on His Spotify Playlist". Thrillist. Retrieved 2019-10-03.
  30. "Philadelphia's Low Cut Connie On Obama's Playlist". 2015-08-14. Retrieved 2019-10-03.
  31. DeLuca, Dan. "Watch Elton John shout out Philly band Low Cut Connie at Wells Fargo Center". Inquirer.com. Retrieved 2019-10-03.
  32. "Listen to "Elton John x Low Cut Connie Full Interview | Rocket Hour" posted by Apple Music News on Apple Music". Music.apple.com. Retrieved 2019-10-03.
  33. "Low Cut Connie - Thanx Elton John, love you". Facebook.com. Retrieved 2019-10-03.
  34. Tijerina, Daniela (2019-01-04). "Low Cut Connie Rips Up the Stage". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2019-10-03.
  35. Teo-Blockey, Celine. "Nick Hornby on Setlists For Young Voices and Championing Youth Literacy". undertheradarmag.com. Retrieved 2019-10-03.
  36. "Low Cut Connie Releases 'Oh Suzanne' Music Video and Announces Fall Tour Dates". Howard Stern. Retrieved 2019-10-03.
  37. "Newport Folk Festival 2018 Lineup - Jul 27 - 29, 2018". JamBase. 2017-10-17. Retrieved 2019-10-03.
  38. "2018 Lineup!". Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival. Retrieved 2019-10-03.
  39. "The Pickathon 2018 Lineup + Tickets On Sale!". Pickathon. 2018-01-27. Retrieved 2019-10-03.
  40. "2018 Artists". BottleRock Napa Valley. Retrieved 2019-10-03.
  41. Bernstein, Jonathan; Doyle, Patrick (2018-07-30). "Newport Folk Festival 2018: 12 Best Things We Saw". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2019-10-03.
  42. "Low Cut Connie - Private Lives - 4/17". Genius. Retrieved 2020-10-10.
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