Lily Vakili

About Lily Vakili: “…compelling the way the first Patti Smith music gripped a listener, The Swans’ Jarboe enthralled or even Nico startled” – Americana Highways “The audience was in her palm. Not one phone was raised, not one distracted look… This felt intimate, this felt personal, this felt like what live music used to be when musicians and audience shared something real..” – New England Sounds About Lily's latest project - the EP LIVE WIRE, Americana Highways says: “…‘Anybody Knows,’ a crawling, dirty blues song that underlines Vakili’s smoldering, femme fatale vocals…‘Heart’s Afire’ drifts and oozes on Hart’s fat, round bassline as Vakili’s drawling, breathy vocals imbue the lyrics with simmering passion…this track summons suggestions of Springsteen’s ‘I’m On Fire.’ Both are enormously sensual and unapologetic. Tangs of swampy blues textures give ‘I’ve Been Hiding’ an ooey gooey flow, while at the same time providing a nasty, bluesy matrix for Vakili’s deliciously howling voice”. Born in Honduras to a family of six, Lily Vakili was raised across Honduras, Florida, Thailand, Puerto Rico, and Iowa absorbing pieces of each place, each culture, along the way. This shaped her voice, her worldview, and her lifelong search for connection. Before she found her footing in music, Vakili built a life as a dancer, an actor, a lawyer, and a mother. She was drawn to songwriting not by ambition or industry, but by a deep, undeniable need to give voice to the world around her. The past decade has seen her channel that force through 6 studio albums released both as a solo artist and with Vakili Band each one experimenting with the wide, untamed possibilities of rock. "I love the serendipitous nature of art, Vakili says. It’s disruptive, it’s intentional, it’s an exertion of will." About Mighty Joe Castro & The Gravamen: “..a noir-tinged journey through vintage rock ‘n’ roll, americana, and gothic storytelling. It’s a reverb-drenched landscape, full of vibrant tunes and arresting lyrics. “ – Americana UK “Mighty Joe Castro and the Gravamen don’t make music for those that are trying to relive the Golden Age of Rock’ n’ Roll. They’re writing soulful songs for the people who are giving everything that they have to the struggle of living through these times. These are the kinds of songs that Buddy Holly or Johnny Cash might feel obliged to write as a way to answer our collective anxieties. ” – Alt77.com Mighty Joe Castro & The Gravamen hail from Philadelphia, PA, blending the vintage swagger of 1950s rock ‘n’ roll with a gritty, modern edge. Imagine Buddy Holly armed with a stack of effect pedals and some of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds records. That’s the vibe. Their sound is rooted in classic rockabilly, but it’s filtered through a postmodern lens—complete with sonic Easter eggs cribbed from old episodes of MTV’s 120 Minutes. Frontman Mighty Joe Castro crafts sharp, lyric-driven songs, while The Gravamen build cinematic atmospheres with Link Wray-meets-Jesus and Mary Chain guitars, booming doghouse bass, and foot-stomping swing beats. The band occupies a unique crossroads where Sun Records and Creation Records collide.