Low Cut Connie keep the swagger in rock 'n' roll
by Bill DeVille
May 27, 2017
As Low Cut Connie prepare to perform in The Current's studio, host Bill DeVille asks the band's frontman, Adam Weiner, if rock 'n' roll has lost its swagger. "We're doing our best to keep it alive, whatever that means," Weiner says. "We're not trying to do a throwback thing like a watered-down wedding-band version of [Bob Seger's 'Old Time Rock 'n' Roll'], but we're trying to do our thing with it and keep some kind of spark in it."
Spark may be an understatement. Low Cut Connie's latest album, Dirty Pictures (part 1) was recorded at Ardent Studios in Memphis, under the steady hand of producer Jody Stephens and the lingering vibe of Big Star, the Replacements and the Stax catalogue. Low Cut Connie's recent single, "Revolution Rock 'n' Roll," found its way into the top 80 in the Triple-A charts and into the Top 40 of the college charts. And when they visited us in studio (their second visit), Low Cut Connie had recently played a sold-out show at the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis. "What a live music city you have here, and what an amazing radio city you have here," Weiner says. "You can just feel when you come into the club here that people love music, and they love rock 'n' roll."
Weiner is, naturally, a music lover himself, and he talks about his influences, which include Professor Longhair, Chuck Berry, Dr. John, Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino, the Replacements, and in particular, Prince. "Prince is just about my biggest idol, in terms of a live performer, on this planet," Weiner says.
In that spirit, Weiner shares a story about meeting then-President Barack Obama in May 2016; in doing so, Weiner tells a story he's been saving for this visit to Prince's hometown — it involves Prince, President Obama, and some photos taken by White House photographer Pete Souza. "What's amazing about the story is what was in the pictures," Weiner says (use the audio player above to hear the story; we've also published the story as part of the Prince Remembered podcast).
Weiner explains how he and the band began covering Prince's "Controversy" and how it came to be on their latest album. The song featured regularly in Low Cut Connie's live shows, where Weiner has observed something important. "I'll tell you, we travel across the country, we play like 80 shows a year," Weiner says. "We play in blue state, red state; we play to black, white, gay, straight; we play old, young; we do colleges; we do free concerts in the park; we do small towns and we do big towns. And I still have to tell you that rock 'n' roll is the thing that brings people together the most."
Listening to and seeing them perform in the studio, it's apparent Low Cut Connie not only embody the spirit of rock 'n' roll — they just might be the saviors of it.
Songs Performed
"Dirty Water"
"Revolution Rock 'n' Roll"
"Controversy" (Prince cover)
All songs from Low Cut Connie's 2017 album, Dirty Pictures (part 1), available on Contender Records.
Hosted by Bill DeVille
Produced by Derrick Stevens
Engineered by Michael DeMark and Matt Lentz
Visuals by Nate Ryan
Web feature by Luke Taylor
Resources
Low Cut Connie - official site
