Set against the buoyant backdrop of the New Orleans bon vivant, “The Henderson Sessions” is an exquisitely intimate self-portrait with Lilli Lewis’s vocals set to the barest of piano accompaniment. The record was co-produced by Lewis alongside James “Jimbo” Walsh (HBO’s Treme) and Mark Bingham (Allen Ginsberg, REM, Sun-Ra) at a studio built in a country home in Henderson, LA that was once used as refuge for Walsh’s musical community after Hurricane Katrina. When the three teamed up to demo songs for a full band album, they found the songs had something useful to say in their most raw, earnest, and primitive incarnation.
Award-winning singer/songwriter Lilli Lewis grew up on a dirt road on the outskirts of Athens, GA. She is the daughter of a southern minister and a Chicago reared civil rights activist, and her bent towards social justice is reflected in her music and stage show. The prolific writer, composer, pianist, and producer has been composing music since she started playing piano at the age of three. Lewis is known for her powerful vocals and progressive message. The classically trained “folk-rock diva” is a sought after featured performer on main stages across the United States and abroad. In 2017, feminist folk trio The Malvinas recorded Lilli’s “O, Let Your Light Shine Bright” (Louisiana Red Hot, 2016) on God Bless the Grass (Soona Songs). Lewis made New Orleans her home in 2013 where she performs regularly as a soloist and with her acoustic soul orchestra, The Lilli Lewis Project (LLP). Lewis is also a current member of sousaphone master Kirk Joseph’s Backyard Groove.
