Memphis Music: Low Society

New REVIEW from the blog "Confidently Awesome" by Averill Conway

In the past week and a half I have seen Low Society perform three times. Yes, I am absolutely bragging! After seeing them for the first time on August 31st at Jack Magoo's on Broad I needed to see them again, and immediately.

Luckily, Radio Memphis hosted Sturgis Nikides and Mandy Lemons the very next night for the Booze & Blues program. While they were in the studio I had the pleasure of pulling up a piece of carpet directly in front of the duo.

If you have the opportunity of meeting Low Society, you should. They are quiet a dynamic force. Mandy Lemons is a petite woman with an eclectic punk style all of her own. Lemons' hair is blonde like Marilyn, but cut in a fashion that is reminiscent of Bettie. The wing tips of her eyeliner are a virtual Pied Piper trail enticing fans with her brilliance. She is intriguing, radiant, and exudes sultriness. Her voice is a powerful, emotional experience and supernaturally soulful. 

Lemons' bandmate and husband, Sturgis Nikides wears sunglasses, indoors, at night. When he speaks, New York escapes through his voice. He dresses in black. His bare forearms hold colorful sleeved tattoos that dance on his arms as he slides his fingers across the strings of his guitars in the style of Elmore James. Nikides creates foot-stomping delight and electrified splendor with a guitar.

Before he even takes the stage to pick the first note on the guitar the connectivity between him and Lemons is visibly palpable. Together they are seamless. When she takes the microphone and opens her mouth to sing she commands presence. The hairs on the back of my neck stand to attention, receptors ignite all of my senses, and I realize that I am witnessing greatness.

Their music is abundant in the sounds of the past, present, and future of Americana blues, but it specifically encapsulates the shimmering heat of the Deep South. I have an essential, primal need to ingest their dirty, electric, Southern Blues. Simply listening becomes a truly a spiritual experience. 

Just as the graffiti on the bathroom wall in the ladies room at Kudzu's on Monroe in Memphis declares, "There's no society like Low Society!!!"

Visit Low Society at ReverbNation, Facebook, or http://www.screaminblues.com/, and definitely see them live!