The Black Lillies

A country act that shades to the Americana side of things, the Black Lillies were formed in Knoxville, Tennessee in 2009 by singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Cruz Contreras (formerly of Robinella & the CC Stringband), guitarist and pedal steel player Tom Pryor, drummer and percussionist Jamie Cook (both Pryor and Cook were formerly members of the Everybodyfields), bassist Robert Richards, and vocalist Trisha Gene Brady. The band, featuring a fresh blend of bluegrass, jazz, rock, country, and blues, with just a touch of string band Appalachia, began recording a debut album project in Contreras' living room (with help from Leah Gardner on backing vocals, Billy Contreras on fiddle, and Taylor Coker on bass). The resulting album, Whiskey Angel, was independently released by the band in the spring of 2009 and quickly garnered positive critical attention, regular play on American stations, and also brought the band a management and booking deal. A second album was announced in 2010 and funded through fan sponsorships sold through the band’s website. 100 Miles of Wreckage appeared in the spring of 2011, again to positive reviews, and quickly entered the national Americana charts.