The Grievous Angels
Libby and I met back when the Spice Girls were telling us what they really, really wanted and the Cowboys were capable of winning a Super Bowl. She was older and cooler and successfully banned me from entering her bedroom until December of 2011. One summer we figured out that the sound we made when we sang together was something special. And it helped me get a boyfriend. So it was really win, win. Libby went off to college, then law school, and eventually made it home to Houston. From Aggieland to Nashville to Houston, she kept writing and singing. Running 4 years behind her, I followed a very similar path, only mine kept me in Austin for a decade. You’re probably thinking, “How could a Longhorn and an Aggie ever find a way to peacefully co-exist?” And when we figure it out, you’ll be the first to know.
When Libby decided to pursue music full time we were able to reunite our voices, and I began singing harmony vocals for her on a regular basis. And at a fan appreciation party, with the help of Celine Dion and cinnamon schnapps, I once again got a boyfriend out of it. Win. Win. Win. In what can only be described as a divine plan, my new relationship linked a connection between Libby and Debbie by way of a mutual friend in Nashville. Debbie had been in Nashville for 9 years, attending school, working in music city, and perfecting her Tennessee twang. If you ask nicely she’ll let you hear it. And if you buy her a sweet tea and water she’ll tell you about her college nickname. Call it fate, call it God, either way Debbie was back in Houston and was about to change the way each of us looked at our music. And the way I looked at tutus.
In the wake of the Bastrop Wildfires, Libby put together a benefit concert featuring artists from all over the state. As we would all be playing that day, Debbie suggested we cover a fun song she had heard on the radio that called for three-part female harmony. Three type-A female artists attempting to blend and share sounded like a recipe for disaster. It’s a cliché, but it’s supported by dozens of B-list teen movies and the devastating breakup of Destiny’s Child. A week before the benefit, over red wine and really terrible hummus, we started to sing together and every doubt and fear we had disappeared. Now, that may have been attributable to the wine, but I choose to believe it was the sound we made when we sang together. Taking our name from the Gram Parsons album, we test drove the Grievous Angels at the Wildfire Benefit and haven’t looked back yet. Our first song writing retreat, a 24 hour trip to Galveston, resulted in 5 new original tunes. The way we write together makes us wonder why we ever bothered writing alone. As we begin the process of recording these songs for an EP, we are overwhelmed by the excitement and support of the people around us. Getting to write and sing songs every day is such an incredible gift. Getting to do that with your best friends every day? Well, that’s just heavenly.
Xoxo
Lainey