ANALYSIS/OPINION
Don’t think locally based bluegrass-country artist Lissy Rosemont has disappeared.
Miss Rosemont, the frontwoman of the Washington, D.C.-based Junior League Band, has not toured or recorded much lately because of family obligations. But that’s all changing now as she prepares for the July 25 release of the group’s latest recording, “Nowhere to Be.”
“This album is one of the most unique releases we’ve done,” said Miss Rosemont. “This band has all these different facets, and this album highlights the country and Americana side of our music.”
The four-track recording includes B-sides from famous artists that Miss Rosemont and her band have played live for years but never recorded. If one didn’t know better, it would be easy to mistake Hank Williams Jr.’s “I Came to Take the Hurting,” Webb Pierce’s “More and More” and Stephin Merritt’s “Born on a Train” as songs written by or for Miss Rosemont. Perhaps that’s because her own music is steeped in a rich history of listening to and studying those and similar artists, as evidenced by her original composition “You Don’t Love Me Anymore,” which slips easily into the sequence.
The album marks a turning point for Miss Rosemont, who has preferred to record her own compositions. Experience, maturity and confidence in her own style have allowed her to loosen her resolve and explore the beauty of covers.
Still, Miss Rosemont felt compelled to include “You Don’t Love Me Anymore.” Lucky for the listeners. The song, about surviving unrequited love, finds Miss Rosemont’s haunting alto vocals at their most expressive.
That’s likely not surprising to fans of Miss Rosemont. She is widely known as a young woman with an old musical soul. The Atlanta-born banjo player grew up playing bluegrass with her dad, other family members and friends. She still plays regularly with a host of luminaries including Jim Avett, father of the Avett Brothers.
“I’ve always said that my music is very acoustic, very country and very Hank Williams,” she said. “I learned a lot of these songs because my dad used to sing them.”
Miss Rosemont is no stranger to challenges. After turning down medical school and other prestigious professional opportunities to pursue her musical aspirations, she steeped herself in music history, working for a time with the Smithsonian Folkways.
Although she is not a household name, Miss Rosemont is well-known to country and Americana performers including Rosanne Cash, with whom she has performed and who has given her shoutouts from various stages.
“I grew up listening to my family play music and, of course, we always listened to the Cash family. They were huge influences on us,” she said. “Continuing to play and create this music makes me feel like I’m continuing my family’s musical heritage and also have become part of something much bigger than myself.”
Miss Rosemont and the Junior League will play an album release party on July 25 at the Birchmere theater in Alexandria, Virginia.
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