LKN

The second disc in a series of three, Postulate II picks up where 2006's I left off with 13 tracks of gloriously powerful noise. Whether Lauren K. Newman is chanting over a funky piano beat and thundering drums or screaming over slicing electric guitars, there's no shortage of intricate layering. The cool thing about that? Not only does LKN write and record each songer herself, but she also plays every single instrument on the album. Talk about DIY... [RL] FAVORITE SONG: "Terrica Jean" - ALTERNATIVE PRESS Sept. 2007 Issue 230.2

"LKN is a golden god. I've seen her outshred killer opening acts [while] missing a G string. I've seen her barechested and unabashedly fucking her guitar in the middle of a solo. She's magnificent as a horse—powerful, beautiful and as wild as she is in control. She's a fucking jungle cat—graceful as she is killer deadly. If rock and roll is to be saved from the banks of the next generation of loop stations, it will be LKN who we will rally behind. She's brutal, honest, unflinchingly passionate and unflappably dedicated. I've never wanted to have kids, but I once asked her in all honesty if she'd rear my child. It's that Sandy Thompson notion: I think the world could use more Hunters." —Randy Bemrose, member of Junkface, Green House booker

Lauren Kathryn Newman is, physically, the smallest person to make this year's Best New Band Top 10 list, but she could kick the ass of any whole band on it. On "Exit Mistakes," a track from Postulate II (to be released this summer by Greyday Productions), she sings, "You cannot break a heart like mine," in a voice that goes from paved to gravel as quickly as Kurt Cobain's. And she does it over finger-tapping prog guitar as bizarre as a lead by the Mars Volta's Omar Rodriguez-Lopez—but executed with all the fluidity of Hendrix. Still, what is essentially an extended, driving drum solo propels the track. Oh, and the 28-year-old Newman plays everything on LKN recordings (wait for it) without rehearsing. "My nature as a musician is, I'm spontaneous," she says. "Everything I do, it's like, here's a moment in time."

Such whims often possess Newman to throw off her clothing and guitar at shows, earning her a maniacal reputation. But she claims that on her upcoming national tour (her first since 2004) she'll settle down and play mellower, more piano-driven songs of the sort she records daily at home. Bassist Bobby Dezfulli and drummer Terrica Kleinknecht (also Newman's partner) will help fill out her live sets (and contribute some singing), but Newman will play drums on a few numbers, as well. Newman was featured in Modern Drummer last summer, after all, though she can play—and it seems do—damn near anything. JASON SIMMS. - WILLAMETTE WEEK April 25th, 2007

In an age when indie-rock bands are as stiff as Mr. Roger's corpse and play music as glossy and unadventurous as any radio crap, crazy-eyed killers like Lauren K. Newman are even more important. LKN doesn't give a fug. She doesn't give a fug about keeping a composed, perfect hairdo whilst onstage, or about not offending the rail-straight, cocktail-holding stiffs in the audience. Instead, she manically crashes around the stage, improvs on any instrument you might toss at her, screams, smashes stuff, and basically gets all Iggy'd out on our poor little souls. Indie America, you have been warned. Be ready to be shaken out of your gloomy, post-punk coma! GRANT MORRIS, PORTLAND MERCURY, SEPT 2006

True rock 'n' roll adventurers read a review, and without a clue as to whether the expedition will bear fruit, head out into the cold, rainy night. While they are navigating the stormy seas of Portland's underground music scene, there are times when their compass reading is amiss and their ship is dashed into the rocks. Other times, these fortune hunters are rewarded with a chest overflowing with gold: a sound that is innovative, dynamic, and seemingly paving the way for modern music. LKN is this treasure worth her weight in gold. Her raw and vital performances are well on their way to becoming legendary and, surprisingly, she has not yet been spirited away to a larger city. This woman is not just playing the guitar—her shows are powerful presentations of a true art. While she thrashes and howls, she is exorcising the demons from the cynical world of performance and opens doors for dialogue—whether you are down for her aggressive spazz rock or not, you'll for sure be talking about it. LKN's work is inspirational and a thorough ass-kicking—take a chance on this show tonight and be able to say you knew her when. SN, PORTLAND MERCURY, OCT 2006

The last time I saw LKN was at the Tonic Lounge opening for Thee Emergency and Kleveland. I found myself in a room full of women who could kick my ass, including, of course, Lauren K. Newman. It was an intimidating situation, to say the least, but oddly enough one that I found appealing. Newman owned the stage. The room stood at attention as she held court, cursing her malfunctioning pedals, her cold, and anything else in her way, all the while beating the holy hell out of her guitar. She kept apologizing for how "bad" it sounded, but I tuned her out. First of all, she was wrong, and second, all I could think about was how, if I ever do get my ass beat by a woman, I hope it's one as legit as LKN. I'd totally brag about it. MATT DRISCOLL, PORTLAND MERCURY, FEB 2007

If you missed the CD release of Lauren K. Newman's (LKN) Postulate II earlier this month, tonight will be your chance to do some catch up. Newman is a rare breed, and one that this town should be thankful to have, as wildly creative guitar-shredding frontwomen like her don't come around too often. At a time when rock music has never been safer, give LKN a shot—she'll show you the raw-nerved side of the genre that has been missing for far too long. Plus when you put an explosive performer like Newman in a small space like Tube, someone will surely be wiping footprints off the ceiling come tomorrow morning. EAC, PORTLAND MERCURY JUNE 2007 - PORTLAND MERCURY

Many an artist has recorded an album on which they recorded all the instruments themselves. Some of them, like Todd Rundgren and Pete Townshend, have lived by the studio. Others, like Ian Anderson and Paul Rogers, weren't quite as lucky and died by the studio.

Well, you can add Lauren K. Newman to the honor roll of musicians who have taken the do-it-yourself plunge and survived because her ambitious new album proves that she's a multi-instrumentalist to be reckoned with.

Ambitious because she starts out by tossing off thick slabs of meaty trad rock before suddenly changing direction and veering down a side street into the kind of isolated part of town that's usually psychologically populated by the likes of Siouxie Sioux and Diamanda Galas. But even when she's at her most vexing, Lauren uses her double tracked vocal gifts and grinding stereo guitar riffs to keep the beat pounding out past the point of no return where the buses don't run.

Then she abruptly switches over to piano and acoustic for a beautiful closing ballad that'll have you coming back just to sit in awe at her feet. She's that good.
-- JEFFREY MORGAN - WILAMMETTE WEEK April 2006