Lance Whalen’s music has been described as Americana Noir, which I would say is an appropriate description of both his sound and his look--think ink-black boots, suspenders, pompadour. Kentucky-born, his southern roots give him an authenticity that many artists in Americana get away with faking. Lance spent over a decade plugging away in Nashville’s singer-songwriter scene and playing in a criminally underrated boy-girl garage rock duo the Blue Velvets. His stage presence can go from pensive to menacing to unhinged, calling to mind Elvis, Jack White, Nick Cave. His ability to successfully bridge the large gap between singer-songwriter Americana and Detroit-flavored punk rock reveals his versatility as an artist. His latest solo release, the song “Muddy River,” illustrates these two worlds colliding.
~Jacqui Sahagian
