Lindsay Beaver discovered the blues in an unlikely place—her Canadian hometown of Halifax, Nova Scotia.
She began playing rock guitar and singing jazz, but hearing Billie Holiday led her to the blues, and there she found her musical home.
The urging of her friend Jimmie Vaughan (who heard her leading her Canadian band, the 24th Street Wailers) led her to her adopted hometown of Austin, Texas. There she formed her tough trio with Brad Stivers on guitar and Josh Williams on bass.
Since then, she’s won fans among the city’s musical royalty and a regular gig at the famed Antone’s club, as well as multiple European tours.
Beaver is an urgent, intense singer who infuses every performance with naked passion and energy. She’s described her music as “punk blues’ but that’s far too limited.
She can rock out like the Ramones (one of her musical heroes) on a song like Oh Yeah, but she can also bring amazing vulnerability to a ballad such as You Hurt Me.
On Tough As Love, Lindsay’s seven originals blend seamlessly with songs from Little Willie John, Slim Harpo, Angela Strehli and Art Neville.
Beaver is set to perform in Cumberland on Nov. 13 as part of the MusicFest Concert Series at the Cumberland Hotel (2714 Dunsmuir Ave.). The show is set for 8 p.m. and tickets are $20. For more information, visit www.islandmusicfest.com.