Lissie

Photo by Shelley Hiam

Lissie

Lissie Maurus, the hippie girl with a gospel voice, is a hard one to pin down. The Illinois-bred singer/guitarist stands (barefoot on Saturday) on the edge of breakout thanks to the catchy folk-rock of her Fat Possum debut Catching a Tiger, which recently landed somewhere between West Coaster Sheryl Crow 15 years ago and Southern belle Chan Marshall at the start of the decade. Further back, Janis Joplin in the 1960s and Stevie Nicks a decade later also echo in Maurus' great blow-your-bangs-up howls. It's that balance of influence within her own quirky style that makes Lissie such an attractive talent – that and the crooked melodies of "Bully," "Everywhere I Go," and "In Sleep." Her bassist played a kick drum and high hat, and with a second guitar player, the trio proved apt in re-creating Catching a Tiger's coast-to-coast warmth. A cover of Kid Cudi's "Pursuit of Happiness" closed the set, Lissie delivering the rapper's live-free-or-die mantra with gusto.