Lost Patterns is an American roots duo based in Austin, TX, featuring songwriters and multi-instrumentalists Beth Chrisman and Silas Lowe. They bring an earthy grit to the lonesome, lowdown backroads of acoustic Americana, that is always moving and evocative. That skill shines bright in their latest song “Didn’t She Stand,” a celebration of then-state Senator Wendy Davis. On June 25, 2013, Davis held a thirteen-hour-long filibuster to block Senate Bill 5, a measure which included more restrictive abortion regulations for Texas. While the measure ultimately passed in Davis was defeated in her run for governor against Greg Abbott, Lost Patterns give her the folk hero treatment she deserves. Below, Chrisman and Lowe tell us about their songwriting approach and the best ways to tour.
Do you have any songwriting tips you can share?
Silas: I’ve tried to train myself to be aware of things around me that are evocative or impactful and then write them down. I think writing things down as soon as you can is really important because I can’t tell you how many things that I’ve forgotten before I had a chance. Even writing down things that will never end up in a song is a great way to get yourself into the habit of noticing. There are so many small details in life that can be the perfect thing to help craft a song that both instantly creates its own universe while still being a deeply personal canvas for the listener. Noticing is the first step to finding them.
Do you play covers at your shows? Why or why not?
Silas: We come from a roots background so playing the songs of our heroes is pretty baked in. We’ve both been really lucky to personally know and learn from legends who were older and paved the way. Folk music is always, at its best, a conversation between generations about tradition and modernity and we really try to honor that. I mean, I can tell you what older songs I am referencing on just about everything I’ve ever written, so it feels appropriate to keep those legacies alive.
Do you try to make the most of being in a city, or do you prefer to just rest up?
Beth: We are both in our 40s and have the need to strike a pretty good balance between being lazy bones and party time. Some nights you have to order take out and laugh at bad cable tv from hotel beds and bust out the ice packs and heating pads. Other tour nights you stay out til drinking until 4am with your local friends and arm wrestle strangers. Last summer we planned a few days off on our Netherlands/Norway tour and that allowed us time to cruise around Amsterdam in a party boat pickin’ bluegrass, visit the Edvard Munch museum in Oslo, and hang at our friends farm on the border of Sweden. It was one of the most fulfilling tour legs we’ve done because we built in rest and community time and weren’t hustling venue to venue the entire trip.
How are you using your platform to support marginalized people?
Beth: Silas has written about tough topics including the abysmal state of our medical system (“Poor People’s Doctor”), man-made disasters (“Texas City”), and Texas’ draconian abortion laws (our new single “Didn’t She Stand”). I feel like singing about these things in a thoughtful and personal way brings light to issues that get pushed aside too often in favor of a feel good song. I tend to write and cover feminist songs and songs written by women.
In my free time I yell at bookers of venues and festivals for lack of booking diversity and supply them with lists of folks they could book and contacts within those communities. So many bookers still do not do their homework and just book the same old straight white dudes over and over again. If they tried just a little harder to bring in a diverse variety of artists and give more marginalized folks a chance for a big Friday night show, or a regular residency it would make a huge difference. I’ve had some success with getting venues to do the work, and have tried to publicly out the ones that refuse.
Recent release you cannot stop listening to?
- Creekbed Carter’s self titled album
- Alice Gerrard – Sun to Sun