Unique is a special word, like pregnant and dead. You cannot be sort of dead, or kind of pregnant (we’ll accept very pregnant), and in the same vein nothing can be rather unique or very unique. It is… or it isn’t. Period.
With that in mind, we’re not sure if the duo Hymn for Her is unique or not, but for darn sure they’re very close. Lucy Tight and Wayne Waxing have been touring in their Airstream trailer (except when they play Europe), and we’ve certainly never seen anyone like them.
After our first encounter at the Blueberry Patch in St. Petersburg, we wrote:
If I told you that a lady with a three-string cigar-box guitar and a dude playing floor tom, guitar and banjo would sound like Led Zeppelin and ZZ Top, you would say I’m crazy. You would probably say that about me anyway, but Hymn for Her rocked everybody’s socks off, even the people without socks! It was impossible not to watch so much great sound emanating from a seemingly tiny source.
I can’t top this description from their website: “Injecting juiced-up backwoods country blues with a dose of desert rock psychedelia that has been described as ‘Hell’s Angels meet the Amish’.” They opened with an homage to their Airstream trailer titled “Hi Ho Silver Trailer.” My thought after several more songs: the B-52s wish they sounded like this! “Fiddlestix” was a blast. Lucy introduced their ‘ballad:’ “The Whole World is One Big Aching Heart.” How touching! Maybe it was somewhere in the middle of “The Road Song” that I looked to see who was playing congas, but it was Wayne, drumming on his banjo. Incredible.
We had a second opportunity last May when they played at Orange Blossom Jamboree. Our comment:
I checked out another of Orlando’s great bands, funkUs, before heading to the Bath Salt Zombies stage to check out Hymn for Her again. I had seen this duo from Maine via Airstream trailer a year ago, and they were just as quirkily delightful this time. Lucy Tight was playing banjo (I think), and Wayne Waxing was playing the three-string cigar box guitar AND playing bass drum. They finished a tune, then slid into “Devil’s Train.” You just cannot believe they are getting such power from such a simple set-up.
Hymn for Her
Then Lucy and Wayne switched axes, and they called up their daughter (perhaps 11 years old?) to sing, and she did a fine job on “Sioux City Sue.” I was hearing bongos, but no… it was Wayne with banjo flat on his lap, using it as bongos. Nice touch!
So Lucy and Wayne just sent out this message:
Hey out there,
We are on a happy road break this semester. Been writing songs, recording videos, hashing out ideas, organizing and getting ready for the next road trip. We’ll be playing at Ranch Days Festival in Dade City, FL on Feb 11 & 12.
We finally have our new release, Drive ’Til U Die, on vinyl thanks to Baby Gas Mask Records. You can order our vinyl (Smokin’ Flames and/or Drive ’Til U Die), shirts and stickers by sending us an email at hymnforhermusic@yahoo.com
We just released a new video for NPR’s 2017 Tiny Desk Contest, but we especially made it to share with you about how we feel in this current political situation. Please share if you stand with us for love, peace, compassion and equality for all. (Isn’t it crazy that we have lost friends/fans over that last sentence???)
We are heading back on the road in the US, UK and Europe this summer. If you or anyone you know would like to have us play a house concert, venue, festival, etc… please send us an email.
Order the latest CD here. Request it at your favorite college/Americana/AAA/public radio station, ’cause they all have it. Read about it here or here or here. It has received so many heart-felt, rave reviews. Pick it up at a show near you and take it on your next road trip.
Thank you for sharing our videos & music with your world. It’s how our wheels on the bus keep goin’ round and round.
