Read Me Out Loud
by Lizzy Ross Band
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Digital Album
Immediate download of 12-track album in your choice of MP3 320, FLAC, or just about any other format you could possibly desire.Buy Now $10 USD
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Black River
03:01
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Read Me Out Loud
02:57
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3. |
Something I Lost
02:33
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Waves
04:24
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Maria, Maria
04:10
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Mad Farmer
04:00
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Needle and Thread
03:12
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Not Yet
03:32
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Everyplace
03:44
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Cross the Cuyahoga
03:17
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11. |
Used to Wish
02:58
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Traces
04:20
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about
Many bands take their time crafting their first full-length. Chapel Hill’s Lizzy Ross Band took a bit longer than they wanted. Their self-released debut Read Me Out Loud shines through a 6-month struggle of broken bones and busted budgets, tackling obstacles with rich indie soul and boundless enthusiasm. Upbeat rhythms and melodies hide more serious themes. Lyrically, Ross’s sincerity cuts deep. This is an album about growing up, wanting to know others and be known yourself, about embracing the world and all of its incumbent risks.
These struggles mix perfectly with Ross' fiery pipes. She recently won the Carolina Music Award for Rock Female of 2011 and is nominated for Best Female Blues artist at the 2011 Charlotte Music Awards. It's easy to understand why. Her voice delivers a charming trill one moment, only to erupt in rough, bluesy emotion the next. It's a powerful instrument that's earned her comparisons to artists like Grace Potter and Edie Brickell among others. Backed up by sophisticated arrangements that include touches of country, '60s roots rock, and a dash of Motown, Ross stares down the uncertain future and sings it into submission.
Read Me Out Loud’s emotional power is rooted in its troublesome origins. The band began recording at Arbor Ridge in January. Drew Daniel, the band's drummer, broke his wrist two weeks in and recording ground to a halt. The band was at an impasse, but Ross was determined to continue. Unable to schedule regular studio time, Ross and Daniel started recording on a two-channel Tascam interface in her attic bedroom. Ross bought and learned Pro Tools, and Daniel recorded drum parts one-handed – tracking first the right hand part, then the left hand part.
"We were staying up all night, cables and drums strewn across the bedroom floor, constantly preoccupied with recording," Ross remembers. "When my head hit the pillow, I dreamt of Pro Tools."
In the midst of this fervor, the band brought in James Wallace (Max Indian, Light Pines) on keys, Tim Smith (Squirrel Nut Zippers) on sax, Josh Starmer (Birds and Arrows) on cello, John Garris (Big Fat Gap) on fiddle and other guest artists to round out the album, expanding the sound beyond the rough-and-ready folk-rock of their impassioned shows. Recording novices, Ross and Daniel sought out the mixing skills of Chris Stamey to bring it all together.
By the time the album was finished Brett Hart and Jock Pyle had joined on bass and electric guitar to solidify the band's lineup. Finally finished and raring to go, the Lizzy Ross Band plans to tour heavily in the coming year to support their powerful debut.
These struggles mix perfectly with Ross' fiery pipes. She recently won the Carolina Music Award for Rock Female of 2011 and is nominated for Best Female Blues artist at the 2011 Charlotte Music Awards. It's easy to understand why. Her voice delivers a charming trill one moment, only to erupt in rough, bluesy emotion the next. It's a powerful instrument that's earned her comparisons to artists like Grace Potter and Edie Brickell among others. Backed up by sophisticated arrangements that include touches of country, '60s roots rock, and a dash of Motown, Ross stares down the uncertain future and sings it into submission.
Read Me Out Loud’s emotional power is rooted in its troublesome origins. The band began recording at Arbor Ridge in January. Drew Daniel, the band's drummer, broke his wrist two weeks in and recording ground to a halt. The band was at an impasse, but Ross was determined to continue. Unable to schedule regular studio time, Ross and Daniel started recording on a two-channel Tascam interface in her attic bedroom. Ross bought and learned Pro Tools, and Daniel recorded drum parts one-handed – tracking first the right hand part, then the left hand part.
"We were staying up all night, cables and drums strewn across the bedroom floor, constantly preoccupied with recording," Ross remembers. "When my head hit the pillow, I dreamt of Pro Tools."
In the midst of this fervor, the band brought in James Wallace (Max Indian, Light Pines) on keys, Tim Smith (Squirrel Nut Zippers) on sax, Josh Starmer (Birds and Arrows) on cello, John Garris (Big Fat Gap) on fiddle and other guest artists to round out the album, expanding the sound beyond the rough-and-ready folk-rock of their impassioned shows. Recording novices, Ross and Daniel sought out the mixing skills of Chris Stamey to bring it all together.
By the time the album was finished Brett Hart and Jock Pyle had joined on bass and electric guitar to solidify the band's lineup. Finally finished and raring to go, the Lizzy Ross Band plans to tour heavily in the coming year to support their powerful debut.
credits
released 30 September 2011
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Chapel Hill’s Lizzy Ross Band makes exuberant indie-rock-soul. They deliver rhythmic and periodically rootsy pop from a ... more singer-songwriter perspective, presented with that rare blend of veteran confidence and rookie abandon. Their debut album Read Me Out Loud shines through a 6-month struggle of broken bones and discarded deadlines to shake the speakers with infectious enthusiasm. less
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May 26Pittsboro, NC
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- Track Name: Black River
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Lay me down in the black river.
I will sink just like a stone,
For the fire that consumes me
It has burned me to the bone.
Roaring golden all around me
There’s a burning on the banks.
To the water down below me
Dark and easy is my thanks.
I ran, ran, ran, now I rest my head
Way down here on the riverbed.
You can run, run, run, far away from me
But I’ll come back to you someday.
When I come to find you, darling,
I will wear wet weeds and stones.
And the mud that rides upon me
Hides the gleaming of my bones.
With a thousand sunken angels
From the water I will rise
With my teeth and hair in tangles
And the moonlight for my eyes.
I ran, ran, ran, now I rest my head
Way down here on the riverbed.
You can run, run, run, far away from me
But I’ll come back to you someday.
Lay me down in the black river.
I will sink just like a stone,
For the fire that consumes me
It has burned me to the bone.
When I find you I will take you
In the cradle of my bones.
We will go to the black river
To the place that is my home.
All songs written by Lizzy Ross © ℗ 2011 Merdog Records (ASCAP). - Track Name: Read Me Out Loud
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Sometimes I feel like a letter that’s been lost in the mail.
All these thoughts and all these words, and no one to tell.
Carry me home, open me up,
Read me out loud, deliver me, my love.
Twenty years ago or so, someone must have wrote me down.
Letters lining into lips and ears and eyes, a nose, a brow-
Well here I am! My page is full. I’m writing now, who knows what for.
I’m on my way to something, but I think I must have took too long.
I’m on my way to something, but I think my destination’s wrong,
And something is long gone, so deliver me, my love, Deliver me, my love.
All songs written by Lizzy Ross © ℗ 2011 Merdog Records (ASCAP). - Track Name: Something I Lost
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There’s something I lost.
I think you got it.
I think you know
What I’m talking about.
And maybe it’s gone,
But I want it back.
I don’t care if it’s broken,
I don’t care if it’s bruised and black.
I know that making up can look a lot like giving up,
Giving in because you love someone,
But it’s not. You were right and I know it.
You can bring your boot heel down
And grind me right into the ground.
You can take my heart right out of my mouth,
And I’ll leave you alone
If that’s what you want.
I came here tonight
Not looking to fight,
Don’t wanna settle the score.
It doesn’t matter anymore.
I just wanted to see
If you would talk to me.
This town’s too small to pretend
That I don’t miss my old friend.
I know that making up can look a lot like giving up,
Giving in because you love someone,
But it’s not. You were right and I know it.
You can bring your boot heel down
And grind me right into the ground.
You can take my heart right out of my mouth,
And I’ll leave you alone, but
Don’t bring your boot heel down,
Don’t grind me right into the ground.
Here’s our chance, let’s take it now,
It can be like it was
If that’s what you want.
All songs written by Lizzy Ross © ℗ 2011 Merdog Records (ASCAP). - Track Name: Waves
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Now I’m rocking on the waves that I made
When I was back on my boat and I used to have some speed.
Now I’m rocking on the waves that I made,
Barely staying afloat while the lights from your big ship fade.
Do they serve you escargot and cocktails, too,
On big plates in rooms large enough for one hundred and two to
Sit down, eat up, dance around and get drunk?
The chandelier is swinging now; there’s no one watching at the bow.
Now I’m rocking on the waves that I made
When I was out on my boat and I used to have some speed.
Now I’m rocking on the waves that I made,
Barely staying afloat while the lights from your big ship fade.
I sped so fast on my fragile, little craft,
Trying my best to make it in time to get dressed
For drinks out on the deck, caviar and cigarettes, but
Sadly, I was unable to dine that night at the captain’s table.
You looked down at me from the prow of the ship, and what did you see?
My boat upside down, but you didn’t throw a life raft out.
And now here I am trying to swim back to the sand
I guess your ship’s not for me and I’d rather be floating out on the sea.
Now I’m rocking on the waves that I made
When I was back on my boat and I used to have some speed.
Now I’m rocking on the waves that I made,
Barely staying afloat while the lights from your big ship fade.
All songs written by Lizzy Ross © ℗ 2011 Merdog Records (ASCAP). - Track Name: Maria, Maria
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Maria, Maria,
Been so long since I’ve seen you.
Maria, Maria,
Been so long since you’ve heard my voice.
And I don’t quite know how to
Tell you what I must tell you.
Maria, Maria,
You haven’t heard from me in so long.
Maria, Maria,
Tell me, how was Seville?
Maria, Maria,
Tell me, how was Rome?
Were the boys there so pretty;
Did you feel wanted and witty?
Maria, Maria,
When are you coming home?
Dancing lights behind your eyes
Blind me; they hypnotize
They remind me
That you light up my skies;
They remind me
Don’t wanna break these ties—
Shining words and astral highs
Can’t take you up beyond goodbye, but
Why would I want to say goodbye?
I don’t know why I want to say goodbye.
Maria, Maria,
Please explain what I’ve heard.
Maria, Maria,
I swear I didn’t swallow a word.
I just kept walking on,
Past lines of right and wrong.
I thought that I did it for you,
But the promise I broke was to me.
Dancing lights behind your eyes
Blind me; they hypnotize
They remind me
That you light up my skies;
They remind me
Don’t wanna break these ties—
Shining words and astral highs
Can’t take you up beyond goodbye, but
Why would I want to say goodbye?
I don’t know why I want to say goodbye.
All songs written by Lizzy Ross © ℗ 2011 Merdog Records (ASCAP). - Track Name: Mad Farmer
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It’s strange, I know. I don’t have much else to show for
My time, that’s all, those businessmen don’t call me.
I left, I settled down. No sense in chasing all those silly things around.
I understand what was going on. I guess they had me in their grips a little long.
Just paint me out of that picture.
I swear that truth will deliver.
They’ve got punch cards for minds, god knows they don’t have time to
Shut up, sit down, spend a summer day getting out of town.
I got the hills, I got the trees, between them I got nearly everything I need.
I know the pain buried beneath the living in this world, the wanting to believe.
Just paint me out of that picture.
I swear that truth will deliver.
Beware all that machinery prolonging your longevity,
Lose your mind just when you find it, I’ll help if you talk to me.
Love the world, work for nothing, live inside the mystery,
Listen to the vultures laughing, join in on their tittering.
Take your love out to the pasture, rest your head upon her lap,
Hear the music in her laughter, joy in spite of all the facts.
Slow down when they say go faster, better yet just turn back,
Love your life and what comes after, love the light and love the black.
Just paint me out of that picture.
I swear that truth will deliver.
All songs written by Lizzy Ross © ℗ 2011 Merdog Records (ASCAP). - Track Name: Needle and Thread
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I’ve got a needle, been sewing all night
Trying to fix what don’t fit right.
You’ve got a heart halfway torn,
Hole in the middle and the edges worn.
When I reach out for your hand,
All I get is a ragged strand.
And I would give you everything,
But you’d leave me hanging by a string.
Some other lover tore you up,
Ran you ragged, loved you rough.
Trust in tatters, faith all frayed,
Sure your love will be betrayed.
I’ve got a needle and I’ve got thread,
But I can’t get inside your head.
And if I wanna leave then I got the right,
But I’ve got a needle and I’m sewing all night.
You’ve got a thread that runs to me,
Thin enough that I can’t see.
Strong enough I can’t break free,
Long enough that I’m lonely.
It takes two to patch things up,
Make it whole where holes are cut,
Stitch together threadbare hearts,
Make a new love from old parts.
I’ve got a needle, been sewing all night
Trying to fix what don’t fit right.
You’ve got a heart halfway torn,
Hole in the middle and the edges worn.
All songs written by Lizzy Ross © ℗ 2011 Merdog Records (ASCAP). - Track Name: Not Yet
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I stole a buckeye from your old bedroom
A baseball cap, a flannel shirt, a photo of you—
Scowling in a classroom, trying to hide a grin,
Ten years younger, hair much longer, hand upon your chin,
And I can see a beard that’s making threats of growing in,
But not yet.
You took me out to meet your hometown friends
And every face, it matched a name, and I knew the stories—most of them.
I thought I saw your name etched in the table at that bar.
I pictured you engraving that lovely little scar.
Your mark is near as permanent upon my heart,
But not yet.
All in good time,
That’s what they tell me.
You only learn if you keep going.
But the deeper we “go,”
The deeper I fall,
Even though I’ve got no way of knowing—
Not yet.
And as we’re driving down the back roads home
You pull over, quiet the radio,
Turn to me and look me in the eyes,
Start to speak, but only sigh,
If you can’t say it, baby I can try.
It’s difficult to tell if love will stay,
In theory it could work out lots of ways,
But I don’t really mean it when I say
Not yet.
All in good time,
That’s what they tell me.
You only learn if you keep going.
But the deeper we “go,”
The deeper I fall,
Even though I’ve got no way of knowing—
No way to know where this is going—
Yes, I know I’ve got no way of knowing.
Not yet.
All songs written by Lizzy Ross © ℗ 2011 Merdog Records (ASCAP). - Track Name: Everyplace
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Driving home,
Listening to what’s playing on the radio.
Don’t you know I feel so much better
Knowing that you’re sleeping in my bed tonight.
Rest your head,
You know you’re always welcome in my bed,
You know you’re always welcome in my arms,
You know you’re always welcome in my heart.
Grab a coffee and a magazine,
Stay up late, baby, wait for me.
In the morning you will see my face, and until then
I’ll see you everyplace.
Sneaking in,
Listening to the handle on the door creaking,
Listening to the beating of my heart speaking
For me so loud.
It goes BOOM, BOOM, BOOM,
I know you’re waiting for me in my room,
Or you were waiting till you closed your eyes—
And now I’m waiting for you by your side.
It’s the end of a long, long, week, and
You tried to make it, but you fell asleep, and
In the morning you will see my face, and until then
I’ll see you everyplace.
Hallelujah, look what I have found,
I’m just looking at you, laying around.
Hallelujah, look what I can see –
It’s my love, my love, and he’s next to me.
All songs written by Lizzy Ross © ℗ 2011 Merdog Records (ASCAP). - Track Name: Cross the Cuyahoga
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Well, he’s balancing on one rail, rust against bare toes
Down by the tracks where the hyacinth grow.
Not allowed back there, but mama don’t care,
Mama don’t care cause she don’t know where he goes, where he goes.
Leaves the backyard baseball till it’s time to eat,
Crosses the Cuyahoga, cleans those dusty feet,
Gets them black again all over, running out to meet
The afternoon, the backwoods, and a friend or two.
Years fly by like train cars on old, forgetful tracks,
Soon he’s singing Springsteen songs all summer long, and taking whiskey back
Where the wildflowers turn to wildfires burning in the woods,
And a teenage boy can get his hands on his share of the goods.
Leave the books behind you, go find something sweet,
Cross over the Cuyahoga, clean those dusty feet,
Get them black again all over, running out to meet
The setting sun, the night’s begun.
Now me, I’m from the east coast, and in my town we sail,
But I met a man who makes me think I’d rather go by rail.
And we’re miles from his old station, but the same tracks run through here,
And if we walked them far enough we’d cut right through the years
To play some backyard baseball in the summer heat,
Cross over the Cuyahoga, clean those dusty feet,
Get them black again all over, running out to meet the morning sky.
Gonna catch a ride, hopping the same line, sitting side by side.
All songs written by Lizzy Ross © ℗ 2011 Merdog Records (ASCAP). - Track Name: Used to Wish
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I used to wish that I would get sick
And stay home from school when I was a kid.
I’d spend the day reading and laying in bed,
Cat at my feet, lamp at my head.
Mama’d come in to check on me, say,
“Hey, little girl, how you feeling?
I think tomorrow you’ll be alright
If you can get a little bit of sleep tonight.”
I can still feel her sitting there
On the edge of the bed, stroking my hair.
With her cool, cool hands and quiet words
I drifted to sleep while the pages turned.
Drifted to sleep while the pages turned.
Well, the page has turned.
Sometimes I think if I could get hurt
Just bad enough to stay home from work,
I’d spend the day doing whatever I please,
Paying no mind to the things that I need.
But mama won’t come to check on me
And say hey little girl, how you feeling.
I know that when I go to sleep tonight
It’s not gonna make anything alright.
I’ll wake up to the same old mess,
Same old hurt, same regrets.
You’ll wake up there next to me,
Two souls drowning on the open sea.
There are holes in the sky and holes in my heart,
I gotta get back but it’s so damn far.
I gotta get out but it’s so damn hard.
All songs written by Lizzy Ross © ℗ 2011 Merdog Records (ASCAP). - Track Name: Traces
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Racing the night to get to you.
I know you thought that we were through,
But I can’t leave behind those nights,
The river in the dying light.
Who knows what one more try will do?
Every time I close my eyes,
Like mist across the water, visions rise.
The raindrops sliding off your skin,
Holding my breath and jumping in,
Our bodies finally collide.
All these traces lead me back to you.
And all these places, I’m just passing through.
All these faces, none of them are yours.
I don’t know what I left you for,
I just know I can’t live like this anymore.
I left you dreaming in the sun,
Sprawled out on the rocks, your heart undone.
I loved you then, but didn’t know,
I only knew I had to go.
A love like that can make you run.
And when I finally came around,
I went back to that old river town.
I looked for you, but you weren’t there,
The locals said a love affair
Had broken up and brought you down.
All these traces lead me back to you.
And all these places, I’m just passing through.
All these faces, none of them are yours.
I don’t know what I left you for,
I just know I can’t live like this anymore.
I’m on your front porch, got your paper in my hand
I’ve been waiting for you, lord, well I’ve got it all planned.
Give me one more chance and I’ll explain,
Through every single thing I’ve seen,
I only wished that I could be with you again.
All these traces lead me back to you.
And all these places, I’m just passing through.
All these faces, none of them are yours.
I don’t know what I left you for,
I just know I can’t live like this anymore.
All songs written by Lizzy Ross © ℗ 2011 Merdog Records (ASCAP).
