Nov 10, 2022
By Mark Redfern
Photography by Alysse Gafkjen
Alt-country singer Margo Price is releasing a new album, Strays, on January 13, 2023 via Loma Vista. Now she has shared another song from it, “Lydia,” as well a live performance video featuring a string quartet. Check out both the studio version and the live video below, followed by Price’s upcoming tour dates.
Price had this to say about the new song in a press releae: “I wrote ‘Lydia’ in one sitting in a tiny hotel room after walking around the city of Vancouver one day. I was jet lagged and feeling really depressed, hopeless, but instead of taking a nap, I picked up the guitar and the words just flowed out all in one quick moment. I hit record on my phone to make a demo and sort of blacked out or went into this meditative state, and boom—eight minutes later, I had this song. It’s one of the only songs I’ve ever written that doesn’t have any real melody or even rhyme, but somehow it still works. Songs like that are rare and don’t come often.
“It was inspired by a cacophony of things. There was a women’s health clinic and a methadone clinic with a needle exchange right outside of our venue. I was looking into the eyes of the people I passed and thinking about their stories and really being a conduit for pain.
“The song feels like a premonition now, with women’s rights being stripped and all the abortion bans happening. When I listen back, I hear what might go through a woman’s mind when she has a difficult decision to make about her body, her choices and her future.”
The string quartet in the live video features Chauntee Ross, Nicole Neely, Kristin Weber, and leader Larissa Maestro. The video was shot at Nashville’s Downtown Presbyterian Church by filmmakers Eric Geadelmann and Kelly Magelky.
Strays was produced by Price and Jonathan Wilson. It features guest appearances from Sharon Van Etten and Lucius, along with guitar from Mike Campbell.
In August, Price shared the album track “Been to the Mountain.” When the album was announced she shared its second single, “Change of Heart,” via a video for it.
Price also recently released her debut memoir, Maybe We’ll Make It.
We did a photo shoot with Price and her husband, fellow artist Jeremy Ivey, for our 2021 Protest Issue.
Margo Price Tour Dates:
11/16 – Nashville, TN – Parnassus Books^
11/29 – Fayetteville, AR – George’s Majestic Lounge*
11/30 – Baton Rouge, LA – Chelsea’s Live*
12/2 – Lake Wales, FL – Orange Blossom Revue
12/3 – Charleston, SC – Music Farm*
12/5 – Charlotte, NC – Neighborhood Theatre*
12/6 – Louisville, KY – Headliners Music Hall*
1/30 – Asheville, NC – Orange Peel%
1/31 – Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse%
2/2 – Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall&
2/3 – Austin, TX – Scoot Inn&
2/4 – Dallas, TX – Granada Theater&
2/6 – Phoenix, AZ – Crescent Ballroom$
2/7 – San Diego, CA – The Observatory North Park$
2/9 – Los Angeles, CA – Fonda Theatre$
2/10 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore$
2/11 – Arcata, CA – Van Duzer Theatre$
2/13 – Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom$
2/14 – Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom$
2/15 – Seattle, WA – The Showbox$
2/17 – Bozeman, MT – The Elm$
2/19 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue$
2/20 – Madison, WI – Majestic Theatre$
2/21 – Chicago, IL – Vic Theatre$
2/22 – Indianapolis, IN – The Vogue$
2/24 – Toronto, ON – The Phoenix Concert Theatre#
2/25 – Detroit, MI – Majestic Theatre#
2/27 – Burlington, VT – Higher Ground Ballroom#
2/28 – Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club#
3/2 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club#
3/3 – Philadelphia, PA – Theatre of Living Arts#
3/4 – New York, NY – Webster Hall#
3/9 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium!
^Maybe We’ll Make It Book Tour
*w/ Kam Franklin (of The Suffers)
%w/ The Deslondes
&w/ Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country
$w/ Lola Kirke
#w/ Tre Burt
!w/ Jessi Colter