Interview with Mandy and Sturgis from Low Society by Brea Guettner. [audio:http://www.meltedzipper.com/podcastMusic/lowSocietyInterview.mp3] Members :: Mandy Lemons Sturgis Nikides Bio :: You’d be forgiven if, in stumbling upon the first notes of a Low Society song, you thought you’d found a forgotten classic. But a few bars in and you know this is not your grandpa’s blues. Sturgis Nikides slide guitar starts at the blues, but wends its way through the full repertoire of what we sometimes call rock and roll, from its origins in delta blues to its far dark alternative edge. Woven with the powerful voice of his partner in life and crime, Mandy Lemons, his genre-bending guitar style has found its home. Over the past two years the pair has codified their shared love of Texas and Delta Blues, hillbilly music and the subversive underground rock music of mid-seventies New York City into their own subconscious language. Their original album of modern blues, ‘High Time’ is the result. Nikides first picked up a guitar after seeing the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show. By his teens he was playing sold out shows at New York’s legendary nightspots CBGB and Max’s Kansas City. First with Neon Leon and then for iconic Velvet Underground chanteuse Nico before joining the VU’s John Cale for his 1979 single, “Ready for War.” After a few years of touring and recording with Cale, most notably the underappreciated Honi Soit for A&M Records, Sturgis migrated south, to Miami Beach where he formed the critically acclaimed band Voidville before releasing his debut solo album, Man of Steel, in 2004. He packed venues in the Northeast, from New York to the Great Lakes, before he and Mandy played their first gig together as Low Society in February 2010. Mandy sings the blues with an astonishing powerhouse voice which mixes southern fried soul and northern attitude. She hails from Houston Texas, home of the late great Lightnin’ Hopkins, and considered one of the blues ‘capitals’ of the world. Her mother exposed her to Billie Holiday at an early age, which made a lasting impression. You will be astonished to hear so much power coming out of such a small figure, and you can clearly hear the influences of Koko Taylor, Etta James, Bessie Smith, and of course Janis Joplin. Her performances are visually and emotionally dramatic, approaching near legendary status. Hans Werksman, writer of the music blog ‘Here Comes The Flood’ says “Seriously lacking in stage fright, Miss Lemons is able to scare the shit out of Joss Stone.” Low Society’s songs are an exciting amalgamation of blues, rock ‘n roll and old school soul music, with lyrics that invoke Mandy’s hard scrabble Texas origins. Their exciting debut CD ‘High Time’ has been called “an audacious dirty blues record” by Sex & Guts Magazine writer Gene Gregorits, including standout tracks like ‘Dead Man’s Shoes’, ‘Black Pelican’ and Mandy’s soul baring, soon to be a classic, ‘Three Time Loser’. Low Society is on a mission to reinvigorate the ears of music lovers the world over. Contact :: info@screaminblues.com www.screaminblues.com