The Ladybirds

The Ladybirds masterfully balance a mean juggling act. The Louisville, KY-based five-piece -Jaxon Swain, Max Balliet, Anthony Fossaluzza, Brett Holsclaw, and Sarah Teeple, articulately summons greasy garage rock and lush Spector pop sans kitsch or tribute act fluff. Their main influences are the years 1954 to 1973, when it was just about fun and swingin’ grooves, not the droll, heavy-handed, over-serious approach to songwriting oft employed in the contemporary American underground. The Ladybirds first took root when Jaxon and Sarah met in Bloomington, Ind. over their affinity for classic R & B and shared memories of the slice of Americana known as riding around in a car with AM oldies blasting. They relocated to Louisville for a new scene, and incorporated their friend Max into the fold. While originally conceived as a throwback girl group a la The Shangri-Las, the band quickly adopted a more traditional structure, with Teeple as the siren who easily bosses the boys around. Their 2007 debut, Whiskey & Wine, was well received in the region, and saw the group sharing the stage with the likes of Wanda Jackson, Dex Romweber Duo, Heavy Trash, The Greenhornes, and many more. Appropos to the classic rock and roll archetype, the band cycled through many drummers before welcoming Brett Holsclaw (Paul K & The Weathermen) as permanent skin hitter – establishing the band’s best lineup for their strongest effort, "Shimmy Shimmy Dang!" The Ladybirds’ sophomore album, as demonstrated in the title, is truth in advertising. Flavors of surf, rockabilly, doo wop, and dusty retro bubblegum pop all take a front seat. Yet, as Jaxon explains “we’re all punk rockers in the end.” And that’s what separates The Ladybirds from a simple nostalgia offering – modern and original twists on familiar sounds, influence by the genres the band describes as “rock at its most authentic.” Written and recorded over the course of two years, Shimmy Shimmy Dang offers a full-band songwriting effort, incorporating many different aesthetics while holding true to their singular vision, the sound of rock and roll’s original and primary directive. With renewed interest in such timeless sounds via Third Man Records and Goner’s gritty, balmy punk tour de force, The Ladybirds are poised to become a pivotal name in reviving what we lost in rock music, replete with the glean and shimmer of the modern age. RRRRRRRRRR N RRRRRRRRRR!!!!!