The first time Lord Huron performed in St. Louis in 2011, a natural disaster was encroaching.
“There was a big tornado,” front man Ben Schneider says over the phone. “The sirens were going off and the sky turned that eerie green color. Luckily nothing happened and the show went on.”
The erratic weather of St. Louis isn’t new to Schneider. The lead vocalist of the contemporary folk band is also a Midwest native (Michigan, specifically—hence the band name). Minus the annual sprinkle of tornadoes, Schneider says he admires the overall spirit of Midwest cities, including St. Louis.
“Midwest cities all have that similar vibe that I appreciate,” he says. “They have a determined spirit.”
That spirit allowed Schneider to turn Lord Huron from a quiet solo project into a band that booked gigs. After recording a handful of EPs, Schneider passed out his CDs to journalists at a northern California music festival—then the show offers came in.
That led him to recruit some high school friends to play a few shows. Later, Lord Huron's debut album, Lonesome Dreams, dropped in 2012; their second album, Strange Trails, was released in April.
If you’ve listened to either album, it’s evident the outdoors are a big inspiration for Schneider (he even mentioned that he and the band enjoy hiking and fishing during breaks on tour). The dreaminess of the vocals and acoustics, combined with thoughtful, poetic lyrics reminiscent of any good Western movie, create Lord Huron’s refreshing sound—that, and the fact that both albums are conceived around original fictional characters.
“I’m into storytelling,” he says. “I tend to start from someplace personal—something that’s happened to me or someone close to me, but then I let it spin off into fiction… I’ve found that fiction is often a better way to talk about the truth. It can cut out a lot of the complications.”
In Strange Trails, you might hear tales of a menacing “world ender” or a “fool for love” who’s “asking Lily to be [his] bride.” The music video for “Fool for Love” combines these characters in a vintage short film complete with a greaser-esque gang, bar fights, and sleek camera shots.
“I wanted to write a traditional country, rock and roll, tragic love story,” Schneider says. “I had this idea of setting [the song], and the whole album, in this quasi-50s era.”
St. Louisans can visit that era when Lord Huron plays Sunday evening in Forest Park. Schneider says the band’s set will incorporate songs from both albums. “Hopefully we’ll put on a hell of a show.”
And with any luck, it’ll be under clear skies this time.
Lord Huron performs on Sunday, September 13 at 5:30 p.m. For more information, visit loufest.com.
