Lyndsey Battle at HumboldtMusic.com

Pensacola�s Lyndsey Battle�Destin Welcomes a Unique Voice
Chris Manson March 23, 2005 Issue

I�d been hearing a lot of good things about Pensacola�s Lyndsey Battle, particularly from Space Medicine�s Justin Powell. Powell encouraged the 22-year old singer-guitarist to expand her performing radius to include Destin�s Funky Blues Shack and the upcoming Mossy Headz Festival. Intrigued, I googled her name and came up with about 2000 results concerning �Lindsay Lohan�s Battle with bulimia.� Next time, I�ll remember to spell her name correctly.

Her boyfriend and business partner Justin Smegelski on electric bass joins Battle at the Shack Monday nights. While she bemoans her lack of original material��not quite four hours� worth��she�s only been writing songs for about three years. Her regular touring band includes Sean Peterson on upright bass and drummer Brandon Warren. �A jazz trio,� she calls it. The Lyndsey Battle Band appears at random gigs on the weekends and at Pensacola�s Gutter Lounge every Wednesday.

�I really do like Bill Frisell,� she tells me when I point out one of the many influences listed on her Internet site, lyndseybattle.com. I had been listening to Frisell�s double live album of jazz guitar East/West a lot recently, and this seemed like a good way for us to bond. �A lot of the local musicians have really inspired me, too,� she says, giving special mention to Pensacola�s Damien Louviere. �I steal things from him all the time,� Battle laughs.

She frequently came to town to see Dread Clampitt, and was galvanized by what she heard. �I like the scene here,� Battle says. �We did a gig at The Sound. Those are the kind of places I like.� Joe Crocker�s friendly record shop in Fort Walton Beach is a far cry from Pensacola�s punk rock clubs, where Battle�s relatively low-key musings were scheduled between a couple of very hardcore bands. �Everyone would be riled up, and here we are with our mellow stuff!�

Battle�s first album, The Prototype, was recorded with Col. Bruce Hampton�s rhythm section. (He was immortalized in white blues chick Susan Tedeschi�s song Hamptonized a few years back.) She is currently putting the finishing touches on a new disc, a �mellow and jazzy� set with her current band. �It�s a combination of new songs and older songs I never put down. It�s different, full of rhythmic explorations.�

Her music is �kinda like Ani DiFranco meets Joni Mitchell with a little less anger.� It�s a triumphant mixture of blues, jazz, and folk with just the right amount of funk touches. Battle is an interesting vocalist, effortlessly singing songs of love gone bad and other assorted pain. Her forays in and out of high singing are amazing and strike me as completely unforced.

I only recognize one song�Bob Marley�s Is This Love�but Battle delivers every song like it comes from the deepest, darkest corners of her soul. It�s hard to tell where the interpretations end and her original compositions begin. This is clearly music whose agenda has nothing to do with getting people laid and selling beer. She later tells me she�s been listening to a lot of Ella Fitzgerald and Bessie Smith records. I�m not surprised to learn Battle does not own an iPod and could not name one of the tunes in the current Billboard Top Ten.

�For the longest time, I didn�t know what keys my songs were in,� she admits. �I�m musically illiterate, but Justin is a great translator.� In addition to playing music for a living, Battle is an artist and graphic designer. She and Smegelski have formed a promotion company to book local musicians with the ultimate goal of �forming an alliance with bands around the region.�

Future plans include a tour in May. �I�m going to Colorado, Oregon, Washington, looking for a different scene. I feel I�ve reached my limit as to what I can do in Pensacola.� Not that playing in Destin has not been rewarding. �People really listen here, but in Pensacola, there�s maybe a core group of 20 musicians who play there. There are musicians that play every week, but they�ve got about five different projects going on. There�s a �rock� scene, but it�s hard to push your original songs. They don�t like change much.�

JACKSONVILLE FLORIDA TIMES-UNION

BEACH SCENES: Lyndsey Battle: Soft, soulful sound

Her name may sound tough, but singer-songwriter Lyndsey Battle is peaceful and friendly unless someone tries to get her to compromise about her art. The 22-year-old musician who calls Pensacola home insists she does not and will not play any Jimmy Buffett tunes.

"I've lost gigs because of it," Battle said during a telephone interview. "I like him alright and I've heard him a lot. I don't want to do what everyone else is doing. I'm not willing to compromise. It's not my thing. I don't fit in there."

What Battle does play is a blues-infused mix of jazz, folk and funk. Battle's original music has a soft, soulful sound and has drawn comparison to Ani DiFranco and Joni Mitchell. She's scheduled to perform at 11 p.m. Friday at the Atlantic Theatres with her trio, completed by Sean Peterson on upright bass and Brandon Warren on drums.

Singer/songwriter Lyndsey Battle will perform at the Atlantic Theatres at 11 p.m. Friday.Comedian Phil Hogan opens the show at 8 p.m. The theatre is at 751 Atlantic Blvd., Atlantic Beach. Tickets are $10. For tickets, call 249-7529 or visit www.atlantictheatres.com.

"I incorporate different styles into my sound," Battle said. "I don't want every song to sound the same. That's boring. I don't want to be monotonous.

Battle has been performing for about 1 1/2 years. Originally from the Tampa area, she moved to Pensacola to attend the University of Western Florida as an art major. Battle started playing the club scene, which led to appearances at Pensacola's Springfest and a live appearance as the featured artist on a Pensacola radio station's Blue Plate Special program.

Battle has also opened shows for Col. Bruce Hampton and the Codetalkers. She enlisted his rhythm section, Ted Pecchio on upright bass and Tyler Greenwell on drums and percussion, to back her on her debut album, The Prototype. The CD contains the single Assez Dit, which reached No.3 on MP3unsigned.com's official charts.

"It wasn't going to be anything more than a live recording with Ted and Tyler for people who wanted my music around town," she said. "But we started selling it and it started taking off."

Now Battle is working on a second album and preparing to embark on a tour outside of the North Florida region. She supplements her original works with obscure cover songs by a wide range of artists, including Gillian Welch and Denise LaSalle. She says other musicians have inspired her to write original music and develop her unique style.

"Dread Clampitt is my favorite band on the scene," she said. "They offer something completely fresh and unique and they have a special energy that comes through music. Ultimately, that's what I like to do."

In addition to performing, Battle works as a freelance artist and runs a promotion company that books other bands.

"It's interesting how much the music business has changed," she said. "It used to be that you had to tour constantly to get well known. Now, with the Internet, all you need is a Web site."

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LOADED GUN BOSTON

Last night�s IN Music Award ceremony at Atlas Oyster House more than exceeded my expectations. For me, the most rewarding thing is watching something that I believe so passionately about and watch it evolve�and ultimately take on a life of its own. When the awards were handed out, it meant something.

For me, one of the main highlights was seeing Roy Jones Jr. give the �Best Rap/Hip-Hop� statue to his sons from the group 3D. I�ve been critical of the boxer in the past. However, you could see in his smile how proud he was of his kids. It was one of those moments that I kept replaying as the night progressed�and it made me happy.

Another part that moved me was the many parents in the audience who came in support of their kids. Most of those who were nominated and won have pretty much dedicated their lives to music. It�s not an easy path. I�m sure the average mother or father would rather have their children steer clear of the rock �n� roll lifestyle�and go to law school or whatever.

For example, Lyndsey Battle, winner of �Best Vocalist,� always jokes that her mother pressures her to finish college. However, if you genuinely listen to the subject matter she explores in her lyrics, the woman is truly gifted. In fact, you need a PHD in creative writing to achieve the multi-layered complexity of her words, especially with songs like �Operation Common Man� and �Play in the Mud.�

Tonight�s showcase at UWF promises to be full of milestones and will bring us one step closer to my ultimate dream for the IN Music Awards�to shine a spotlight on local musicians who dare to put out original content in a scene dominated by cover bands.

The Lyndsey Battle band typically performs as a trio, however Battle performed a stripped down version of her work instead of her usual upright bass and percussion backed sound when she played at the Gutter in late September. When asked what became of her comrades, Battle answered that they had probably been vaporized by the thought police. Despite the absence of her backing musicians, Battle proceeded with her intimate, yet commanding performance. The singer/songwriter's music is subtle, yet complex and evokes emotions similar to relaxing in front of a campfire with friends while listening to the serenade of acoustic guitars and nature's concurrent ambiance. The dulcet combination of smooth jazz and earthy folk phrasings that emanate from her guitar provide Battle's voice the perfect backdrop, delicately enhancing her velvety timbre.