Lindsay Rakers Band

August 18, 2006

The Lindsay Rakers Band: Skip the surface and get to the good stuff

"I've always had this desperate need to communicate myself to people," says singer/songwriter Lindsay Rakers. "But it's a two-way street. When I'm interacting with people, I really like to probe them and get into the deep things you aren't supposed to ask people about right away. I want to skip over all the surface parts and just get to the good stuff."

Her cut-to-the-chase demeanor and clear-eyed narratives make the Lindsay Rakers Band's live shows and debut album, Less Asleep, intimate and highly caffeinated experiences. The exuberant Rakers says she truly enjoys the artist-to-audience exchange. "I like to know people and I like people to know about me, and that's why I love making music," she says.

Personal interaction is key to the effusive musician's enjoyment of a performance. In fact, Rakers says she gets euphoric if just one person in the audience seems to truly get it. "That's what songwriting is for me, a way of relating to people. I constantly crave interaction on a deep level. It's intense and I love it."

The Pennsylvania native has been leading her eponymous rootsy, folkin' soul band since 2003, but the vocalist/guitarist was moving listeners long before she could actually play an instrument. As a kid she made up songs with no accompaniment just to convey a message. "Some of my best moments have always been when I've played a song to a friend -- or even to my mom -- and it made them get teary-eyed. I moved them with something I made. I'm so honored that people even want to listen. Spending the time to hear my music is the ultimate compliment.”

– Lee Valentine Smith, Creative Loafing
- Creative Loafing

One of the most appealing female singers to emerge from the Atlanta area in recent years has to be the relatively unheralded Lindsay Rakers. With a sweet girl-next-door personality and a knack for penning irresistibly catchy tunes, she radiates a warmth and sincerity in her voice that calms your innards and makes you want to kiss strangers and give to charity. Supported by an accomplished but pleasantly non-flashy band...Rakers dwells in conventional pop-rock with slight country undertones that, interestingly, shine stronger when the band plays live, when they almost come across like a spunkier version of Sugarland. Only they're good! Hunt down their excellent, newly-minted CD, Less Asleep, and see if you concur.
July 2006 - Stomp and Stammer / Jeff Clark

Roots rock, alt-country, whatever you want to call it, all I know it sounds pretty damn good to me. Rakers reminds me of Maria McKee during her stint in Lone Justice. This is an album full of ballsy, rip-roaring songs with clever lyrics of love and loss in much the same vein as songs by the Bottle Rockets. Another favorite of mine. Very promising stuff coming from this Atlanta band. You better keep your eye on this girl.
July 2006 - Ear Candy Magazine / J.R. Oliver

Locally Comfy: Rakers -- think a less salacious Liz Phair with a rootsy twist and a touch of Rilo Kiley's Jenny Lewis -- and her band makes an admirable first step with debut album "Less Asleep." Both Rakers' voice, her sturdy band and the songs she sings have a likeable, straightforward quality that seems familiar without being dull. This show is a CD celebration.

June 2006 - Atlanta Journal/Constitution/Access Atlanta / Shane Harrison

Rakers and her band celebrate the release of "Less Asleep", a wide-awake look at the state of singer/songwriter pop-rock circa right now. Refreshing, challenging and often insanely catchy, the disc is a wonderful debut from a talented and promising young artist.
June 2006 - Creative Loafing / Lee Valentine Smith

"Literate, Intriguing Songwriting."

"Charming."
- Lee Valentine Smith, Creative Loafing