Lesibu Grand
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Lesibu Grand

Atlanta, Georgia, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2019

Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Established on Jan, 2019
Band Rock Indie

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"Lesibu Grand Weaves Dreams Together on New Song, "Mi Sueño""

At the Pains of Being Pure at Heart show in East Atlanta on June 28, 2017, Tyler-Simone Molton bumped into John Renaud.

Which is a very good thing, because the chance encounter resulted in the formation of a sultry, powerful and illuminating band: Lesibu Grand.

Since then, Molton and Renaud have stayed busy, and 2019 saw the release of Lesibu Grand’s first EP, The Legend of Miranda. Now, the two are releasing their most moving music to date.


The group’s new single, “Mi Sueño” — “my dream” in English — is an enchanting and immersive tune. Featuring soulful horns, Molton’s smooth voice and an overall smoky tonality, the song musically captures the essence of “dreaming.”

However, the musical accomplishments of “Mi Sueño” are almost dwarfed by Molton’s lyricism.

“Dreams have long been a central theme in the African-American experience,” Molton said. “Expressed most famously by Martin Luther King Jr. in his ‘I Have A Dream’ speech, dreams of freedom, equality, fairness and salvation are what held African American people together during the most difficult experiences imaginable. The collective dream of oppressed people.”


“Of course, we also had the more typical dreams that everyone has — the ones about being with someone we’re attracted to, or becoming a teacher or doctor, or raising children or creating art. The dreams of personal aspirations. And obviously we dream when we’re asleep. The unpredictable — yet potentially very powerful — dreams of the unconscious mind. All three of these dream types are a part of who I am today,” Molton said. “Although we are separated by the passage of decades, I feel a connection to the people in our video through these shared dream types. With this video, I ask the viewer to imagine what their dreams — large and small, collective and personal, woke and sleeping — might have been.” - American Songwriter


"25 Local Artist to Watch in 2020"

You know what they say about imagination and the American dream: if you use your noggin, you can be whatever you want to be. These days, the cozy goals that we had as kids feel far out of reach, but crafty duo Lesibu Grand can still scheme up bold adventures. With the playful yet sleek style of college radio stalwarts like Pixies or Belly, Tyler-Simone Molton and John Renaud have so far guided us on three flights of fancy, including domestic fantasies in space and high-speed scooter chases for the perfect pizza. Clearly, these dreamers really can fly whatever they choose, and we’re eager to follow their bouncy trails. The duo aim to embark on their debut this year, so best set your alarm now so you don’t oversleep. - Immersive Atlanta


"Track Premiere: Lesibu Grand - Runnin' Round"

It was June 28, 2017, and The Pains of Being Pure at Heart were playing at The Earl in Atlanta – and a fortuitous meeting was about to take place. It was here on an evening in East Atlanta where Tyler-Simone Molton just so happened to bump into John Renaud, and while both had been acquaintances prior to the concert, it wasn’t until that night when they realized how much they had in common in terms of shared musical histories. And from this unexpected meeting was born Lesibu Grand, the musical vehicle through which Molton and Renaud can reinterpret and adapt their indie rock and soul influences without restriction or restraint.

Molton grew up in a suburb of Atlanta, in a home where she was constantly being exposed to a variety of musical genres. Her formative years were dotted with songs from Outkast, Erykah Badu and Lil Wayne, but she also spent time with the punks, metalheads and the indie kids. She also found musical inspiration and personal relevance in the work of bands like Talking Heads, The Clash and Nirvana. Renaud shared a similar lineage of musical disparity. He moved from New England to Athens, GA while playing bass for alt-rock band Crab Daddy and eventually took up residence in Atlanta where he subsequently played with a handful of local rock and funk bands.

Sharing a passion for, and fascination with, synth-soaked indie-pop (and not too long after their chance run-in at The Pains of Being Pure at heart concert), they delved into a long and productive bout of collaborative songwriting, with them finishing a record’s worth of material in just a month. Once they were satisfied with their efforts, they brought in Brian Turner on guitar, Lee Wiggins on drums, and Chris Case on keyboards to round out the rhythmic muscle for the band. After a series of recording sessions, the band came away with what would ultimately become the basis of their debut EP, “The Legend of Miranda,” which is due out Oct. 4.

With their latest single, “Runnin’ Round,” they blend a fiery punk attitude with a barreling pop euphoria, taking cues from bands like Pixes and Superchunk as chunky, churning guitar lines spin and echo alongside Morton’s riotous and righteous voice. This mixture of ferocious tones and miles-long melodies allow the band to dig deep into the base elements of their influences, giving them room to explore and eviscerate with equal enthusiasm.

Throughout “Runnin’ Round,” Molton makes it clear that she is tired of playing games in relationships, and that she’s tired of the burden of having to worry about the actions of someone who supposedly cares for her. The song possesses the kind of revelatory self-empowerment that can only come when emotional truth is laid bare and consequences are acknowledged rather than avoided. And while it’s bound up within a pop-punk-rock vitality, there’s still a bite and caustic energy to her words, a notice to others who might possibly find themselves within the orbit of her affections in the future. - The Southern Sounding


"Atlanta Music News: Lesibu Grand"

In February, Lesibu Grand unveiled a new video for the song “Mi Sueño,” the closing number from 2019’s mini album, The Legend of Miranda. Based on the songwriting of bass player John Renaud and Tyler-Simone Molton, the group revels in a blend of Pixies-style indie rock, classic new wave, horn flourishes, and classic soul sounds. “Mi Sueño” is a bit of a departure from the group’s typically baroque rock style, but it’s a song no less steeped in heavy layers of quiet Southern surrealism that’s all about a dream within a dream, and the cultural, subliminal, and literal meanings of the word dreams. Directed by W. Addison Wood, the video blends drifting imagery of Molton, mirroring scenes from historic black films such as Commandment Keeper Church, Beaufort, South Carolina, May 1940, and Spencer Williams’ 1941 film The Blood of Jesus (1941), with Zora Neale Hurston’s untitled fieldwork footage from the late 1920s.

Lesibu Grand plays the Atlanta Room at Smith’s Olde Bar on Saturday, April 4, with Howling Star and Awleen. - Creative Loafing


Discography

Still working on that hot first release.

Photos

Bio

The origin of Lesibu Grand (pronounced Le-SEE-boo Grand) can be pinpointed with unusual accuracy: June 28, 2017, when Tyler-Simone Molton bumped into John Renaud at the Pains of Being Pure at Heart show at The Earl in East Atlanta. 

 The two had been acquaintances, but until that moment didn’t realize how much they shared in common.

 Tyler-Simone grew up in a diverse neighborhood in the suburbs of Atlanta, a somewhat conventional-looking place with a surprising degree of creative vitality.  There, Tyler-Simone was exposed to a great variety of musical genres.  Like everyone else, she loved the local hip-hop heroes like Outkast, Eryka Badu, Lil Wayne, but also hung out with punks, metalheads, and indie kids.  She also loved listening to late-70s new wave bands like Talking Heads and Blondie, punk bands like the Clash, and 90s rockers Green Day, and Nirvana.  She did not cling to one genre as her identity. 

A transplant from New England, John moved to Athens, GA while playing bass for Ace of Heart Records’ alt-rock band Crab Daddy and eventually moved to Atlanta where he played with a variety of local rock and funk bands.  

 John shared Tyler-Simone’s interest in synth-drenched indie-pop, and shortly after their chance encounter at the Pains of Being Pure at Heart show, the two sunk deeply into an unexpected songwriting frenzy.  Completing each other’s thoughts and phrases, the two wrote an entire album’s worth of original compositions in just over a month.  Thereafter, they brought in Brian Turner on guitar, Lee Wiggins on drums, and Chris Case on keyboards to complete their sound.  The band takes its name from Tyler-Simone’s middle name given to her by her maternal grandfather, who emigrated from South Africa.

Lesibu Grand’s debut single, "Hush Hush", produced by LA-disc jockey/producer Christian James Hand (The Mowglis), explores the nuances of self doubt and insecurity in the modern, overly-connected world, drawing on the musical stylings of The Motels, Blondie, and Berlin. Lesibu Grand’s second single, Miranda, has a strong Pixies influence and centers around a couple struggling to keep their relationship together in 50s suburbia — until a shock wave in the time/space continuum sends them into deep outer space.  Their most recent video, for Mi Sueño, explores the nature and depth of dreaming individually and collectively, and draws from historical black films found in the public domain. 

Band Members