If Lola Kirke looks familiar, that might be because you’ve seen her onscreen. Last year, she appeared in the critically acclaimed horror film, Sinners, playing a vampire. In addition to her acting career, Kirke is also a highly respected — and second generation — musician, and an author to boot. In her recent appearance at The Miracle Theatre, she treated the audience to a highly engaging night of songs and stories.
Lola mentioned brought up her father, Simon, a drummer who played with Bad Company and Free, when she introduced “Zeppelin III.” She continued on Feb. 6, telling the audience that, while her path in life has put some distance between father and daughter, she remains grateful for the music he introduced her to, including this album. While some of her music hews to to country — like a new song she’d never played live before called “Cowboy Junkie” (which is almost certainly a reference to the pioneering Canadian shoegaze-meets-alternative-country band) — her approach is ultimately eclectic, as demonstrated by this song and her cover of the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s “They Don’t Love You Like I Love You.”
Speaking of family, Kirke also brought up being one of four kids in her family, and the youngest of three sisters before playing “Mississippi, My Sister, Elvis, and Me.” Her oldest sister, Domino, is also in the music business.
Lola kicked off her set with the title track of her last album, last year’s Trailblazer. The bulk of the set drew from that record: in addition to the aforementioned “Zeppelin III” and “Mississippi,” she also dug in to classic country tropes with “Hungover Thinkin’.” “Marlboro Lights and Madonna,” a love song for her mom, connects her country and pop influences.
Watch Lola Kirke perform “Trailblazer” live on YouTube:
Before playing “Raised by Wolves,” Lola read an excerpt from her book, Wild West Village (published last year), in which she described her mother as “unconventional.” I can relate to that, having an unconventional Jewish mother! Other songs from the album included “241s,” which she also called “Pop and Milk Duds,” (a combination I find seriously unappealing), “Too Damn Sexy,” and “Easy on You.”
Kirke did a few readings during the show, including one about a difficult experience with acting when she had to take part in an orgy scene. She said there’s nothing worse than “simulated sex,” and she got vulnerable, sharing her anxieties about her body. Especially in Hollywood, women face pressures to have almost impossibly perfect bodies. She also told a story about how she failed to grasp the summer camp etiquette of wear shower shoes and a swimsuit to and from the showers; I can relate to this to, having made the same mistake, although my version of this gets darker, as some of my cabinmates decided to strip me of the towel one day. Oh well, sad trombone, womp-womp.
Lola’s set also included some older songs like “Better Than Any Drug,” and “All My Exes Live In LA,” which she ended with. The latter song, from her Country Curious EP, clearly references George Strait’s classic “All My Exes Live in Texas,” though the sound and lyrics are radically different.
Before Kirke took the stage, the audience was treated to two opening acts. Storey Littleton and Calder the Destroyer, who played guitar and bass with Lola, respectively, were up first. Littleton just released her debut album, At a Diner, and played some songs from that. Calder did a couple of her songs, “Last Great Rock Star” and “Nurse Idol.”
Next up was Chloe Kimes, who is also working as Kirke’s tour manager. She introduced “Barstool Lemonade” as a song for her dad, and mentioned growing up in northern Michigan. She also played “Uh Huh” (no relation to the John Mellencamp tune), “Not Afraid to Die,” and “He Still Listens to the Radio,” which she also calls “Hammer and Nail Me.”
Nashville is known as the home of country music. And while Lola Kirke is at at least, as the title her of EP says, “country curious,” she shows just how diverse the music coming of that city really is, drawing on influences from classic rock and pop, too, filtered through her own unique perspective and worldview. She’s a born entertainer, and Friday night’s show was delightful.
