Cara Louise is a singer songwriter from St. Louis, MO.  Her backing band includes Adam Donald (guitar, steel), Simon Chervitz (bass), and Scotti Iman (drums).  Cara Louise’s sound combines honest lyrics and twangy, soulful vibrato with simple melody. Major influences include Carole King, Bob Dylan and Fleetwood Mac. Throughout the course of her career, she has opened for Margo Price, Nikki Lane, Hayes Carll, Kelly Willis and many more.

From an early age, Cara logged journals of poetry and short stories, eventually graduating with a degree in creative writing from Webster University. While finishing school, she taught herself guitar as a means for songwriting and cut her teeth playing open mic nights around St. Louis city.

In 2013, she formed Cara Louise Band and self-released her first set of recordings, To Be Dead Is To Be Known, recorded at Sherpa Studios. The six-song EP, inspired by 1960s Nashville, includes a Patsy Cline-esque ballad, a political satire, and a progressive title track about artistry and death.  After briefly touring the Midwest, Cara Louise Band released their debut LP Fire’s Out through Gaslight Records in 2016. 

Fire’s Out is an eclectic mix of tracks highlighting the singer’s ability to bend genre without losing the familiarity in her thematic story telling. From “Past My Prime,” a song refuting societal pressure to “Aimless Lee,” a classic cowboy tale, this LP covers everything from folklore to hard-hitting existential anxieties.

Cara spent the end of 2018 into early 2019 working alongside producer David Beeman at Native Sound  in St. Louis, MO curating her latest release. The outcome is a 5-track EP, titled Fragile Heart, that transcends the singer-songwriter's past repertoire by introducing soaring synthesizers, drum triggers and ethereal vocal effects to her otherwise alt-country sound. The album opens with the title track and first single; a dance worthy pop tune that uniquely resists genre and era casings much like the rest of the collection. Her acute lyrics reflect earnestly on personal relationships while calling for compassion from every direction.

The second single, Turn Tears Into Rain, slows time in a rhythmic trance creating a modern Neil Young feel as Louise’s vocals sail over inspired strings arrangements and delicate steel guitar. As a whole, Fragile Heart, separates Louise from her past work with Cara Louise Band as she navigates a sound inspired by the early 1960s yé-yé movement and leans into her unassuming vocal talent. 

 

 

“The Cara Louise Band creates a style of country-rock that showcases the alternating moods of strength and frailty in its singer’s voice.” -Riverfront Times

“What you’ll hear are the band’s tightly constructed, classic-country-referencing songs given flight by Cara’s strident and commanding vocals.” -RFT 

“Classic country sounds partner with Americana sensibilities and a clear path for Cara’s keen songwriting.” -I Went To A Show