The state of Ohio is responsible for a large tract of popular American music. From pop-punk to garage rock, the Buckeye State has produced numerous sons and daughters of music, including DEVO, The Cramps and Jessica Lea Mayfield.
In recent years, another name has been added to this long list. Lydia Loveless, born Lydia Ankrom, has put herself and her city, Coshocton, Ohio, on the map with her own distinctive take on alt-country. Loveless sings with country heart while playing with alt-rock attack.
“There were a lot of bands in Columbus that influenced me,” Loveless said. “Probably the main one was this band called The Feelers. It was a funk band that we’d go see all the time. They really influenced me and inspired me.”
In support of her latest album, “Somewhere Else,” Loveless has taken to the road, touring up and down the U.S. to bring fans her signature slicked-back, barnstorming compositions. Her next stop is New Orleans’ One Eyed Jacks. This is not Loveless’ first time in Louisiana, having played the location several times in the past.
“I really like New Orleans,” Loveless said. “I just like that everyone seems to be pretty cheerful there at shows. It’s definitely a place that’s nice to walk around the city. I’ll have a lot more time off this time to actually get to do some cool stuff. And the food is awesome.”
Before releasing “Somewhere Else” in February, Loveless scrapped an album’s worth of material, chalking it up to “spring cleaning.”
“I think I just needed to be more honest. I think, possibly, I was holding back lyrically and trying to do something different too hard,” Loveless said, making comparisons between “Somewhere Else” and the abandoned work.
On “Somewhere Else,” Loveless addresses topics of personal interest. One of the tracks is titled “Verlaine Shot Rimbaud,” which references French poet Paul Verlaine’s attempted murder of fellow poet Arthur Rimbaud. The mention plays off of Loveless’ fascination with history and poetry.
“I was just reading a lot of Verlaine at the time,” Loveless said. “I really relate to his desperate insanity and Catholic guilt. I just was kind of mumbling something that would rhyme. That ended up being something that amused me. I just love that story of [Rimbaud] being shot in the hand and it didn’t really ultimately do anything that dramatic.”
Loveless sees “Somewhere Else” as an indication of her growth as an artist. Since releasing her first album, “The Only Man,” in 2010 at the age of 20, she has steadily put out work both independently and with Ke$ha and Elvis Costello.
“I started writing songs when I was 15, so my album was written when I was like, 17,” Loveless said. “I was still trying to figure out who I was so right now; I’m just kind of getting started on the right track. It’s kind of hard to stumble along and try to find yourself while releasing albums. I feel like this is actually me and I have of a grasp on what I’m doing.”
Lydia Loveless will be headlining tonight at One Eyed Jacks. Doors are scheduled to open at 9 p.m.
You can reach Gerald Ducote on Twitter @geraldducoteTDR.