Genres are for the birds
Eclectic Leslie & the Badgers kick off residency at the Echo & the Time and many more
By Bliss 09/03/2009
The past year’s been full for Leslie Stevens, frontwoman of eclectic indie band Leslie & the Badgers. The enterprising Occidental College grad’s performed on FX’s “The Riches,” licensed music to ABC Family and Tony and Ridley Scott’s forthcoming thriller “Tell-Tale,” and recorded a well-received album with David Bianco, who also produced Bob Dylan’s “Together Through Life.” More challenging was a tour that almost derailed when the band van broke down in Arizona.
“We broke down 10 miles outside of Hope,” Stevens recalls with a laugh. “While we were by the side of the road this guy drove by in a golf cart; he must have been 80 or thereabouts. He asked, ‘What are you doing? I’m out huntin’ snakes.’”
She’s been couch-surfing since her return, having sublet her apartment for summer so she wouldn’t be saddled with rent while touring. It’s a measure of her career commitment. Stevens, who’s mentored students at Pasadena’s LA Music Academy, has made music full-time for two years. Presently she’s recording demos for an animated “Wizard of Oz” sequel, and “talking to management people.” She wants to focus more on songwriting.
“Whenever I read interviews with Dolly Parton, she says she’s a songwriter first and circumstantially a singer, which is so hard to believe because she’s sooo amazing. I think, ‘Me too!’ That’s when I feel most alive, is when I’m writing, and that’s where the depth of the art lies. …
“When I was 12, I heard a saying in Greek [that] means ‘the beautiful is difficult.’ That was really an important moment for me as a person and as an artist. To reach the heart and soul of something you have to go below the surface, and sometimes that process can be painful, but it can lead to deeper revelation. I’m not afraid of the pain of knowing.”
Stevens’ songs reflect that open, curious worldview. A lit major who also studied jazz at USC and seriously considered opera before embracing folk and alt-country, she started Leslie & the Badgers in 2006 after leaving punk band Zeitgeist Auto Parts. Their Bianco-produced album, “Roomful of Smoke,” comfortably balances the sweet and the sly, melancholy and celebration, cowpunk and jazz around Stevens’ deceptively girlish, smoky soprano. They’re promoting it with Monday shows throughout September at the Echo with bands they consider kindred spirits and songwriting inspirations, including Olin and the Moon, Band of Annuals and Pasadena’s Old Californio.While earning kudos with the Badgers for blending diverse musical elements, Stevens recently made another left-field addition to her resume: singing torchy standards with lounge veterans Marty & Elaine. Like restricting labels, she says, “genres are for the birds.”
Leslie & the Badgers kick off residency at the Echo, 1822 Sunset Blvd., Echo Park, 8:30 p.m. Monday; free admission. With bassist Ben Reddell’s band Welldiggers Banquet and Old Californio. Info: (213) 413-8200. myspace.com/leslieandthebadgers.
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