A drummer with a broken wrist became an unexpected asset for the Lizzy Ross Band.

The impairment was the catalyst for UNC graduate Lizzy Ross and her bandmate Drew Daniel to work harder on perfecting each note of their new CD.

Ross produced her first album as a solo album, but with a few musical accompaniments. Tomorrow, she’ll release her second album, Read Me Out Loud, as the Lizzy Ross Band at the Haw River Ballroom in Saxapahaw.

The four main members will be joined by Mipso Trio and BIG Something as they release the record that’s been almost six months in the making.

“It’s very different from the first album,” Ross said. “It’s much more of a rock ‘n’ roll album. It involves the whole band — it’s not an acoustic effort.”

Elements of folk and alternative music make it difficult to define the album as a whole, and jazz and blues creep into several of the songs. But a hint of bluegrass sticks throughout the album, perhaps a bit surprisingly — Ross lived in Maryland until she came to college.

“(Bluegrass) is like the white of the walls in the room for me. You stop noticing it’s there because its so ubiquitous,” Ross said.

Chris Stamey, who mixed the record, said the band’s effective arrangements made his job that much easier.

“When most people do records they do lots of different takes, and then cobble them together to make a seamless performance,” Stamey said. “When you go see them live you’ll see that there’s no studio wizardry going on with the vocals.”

Like its sound, the band’s formation wasn’t traditional.

“We have this accidental selection process for people who are really dedicated, because they’re willing to learn 20 songs in three days,” Ross said. Two of her current bandmates came about through last-minute hysteria. Panicking about playing a show at the Orange Peel in Asheville without a drummer, Ross turned to Craigslist, where she found drummer Daniel.

Daniel came from a background of jazz, rock ‘n’ roll and blues. While the music he plays isn’t what he typically studies, his background influences seeped into the record, showing up in songs like “Cross the Cuyahoga” and “Mad Farmer.”

Daniel’s dedication to learning her music impressed Ross, and their creative energy and passion for songwriting made for a good team. Daniel’s been the drummer ever since, and now lives with Ross.
After all the ups and downs with inconsistent bandmates, Ross said she’s certain this lineup will be around for a while.

“I feel so grateful for these people I’m playing with right now,” Ross said. “I think we approach the music from the same direction. Our process is really similar. We communicate effectively and we make it for the same reason. We make it because we love to make music.”

After working together for over a year, Ross and Daniel began to produce the newest album together in their home. The group was recording every single day, which Ross said wasn’t necessarily a good thing.

After Daniel broke his wrist, they had to take a break from recording and playing. Ross said it allowed them to spend more time on each song and to put out something they were proud of.
Nine guest musicians will join Ross and her band tomorrow night. Besides musical festivities, there will be a pig-picking, a slip ‘n’ slide and even overnight camping.

“I, myself, am really excited about playing with an expanded ensemble on stage and all the great musicians we’re going to have there,” Daniel said. “We would like to tote around all our favorite musicians with us to shows, but budgets and schedules and stuff don’t really permit that.

“This will be an opportunity to realize some of the musical things we can do when you have additional musicians at your disposal.”

Contact the Diversions Editor at diversions@dailytarheel.com.