Lyons & Co., the rising force in fringe-Americana, return with their fiery new single “Hell To Pay”, a track that feels like both a throwback and a fresh revelation. Fronted by the powerhouse presence of LYONS and supported by an ensemble of all-star players including Allie Kral (Yonder Mountain String Band), Mark Lavengood (Billy Strings/Lindsay Lou), and Claire Kibodeaux (Blue Water Highway), the collective has crafted a sound that crackles with energy, grit, and Southern swagger.
From the first chord, “Hell To Pay” bursts out like a 1970s rock revival—recorded live with seven players in the room, the track hums with the raw electricity of a band feeding off each other in real time. We had the chance to sit down with Lyons & Co to talk all about the new single, what inspires her and much, much more here at Music Crowns
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“Hell to Pay” has that raw, full-throttle energy. What was it about this song that made you want to capture that ‘70s rock-band-in-a-room energy?
The energy captured us! We were completely immersed in the song and it flowed so easily. The vibe was perfect for some old school rock collaboration.You describe the final track as “nostalgic joy” and “heart-racing excitement.” What emotions or stories were driving the writing of “Hell to Pay”?
Writing Hell to pay was rooted in betrayal. The thing about betrayal is that it cannot come from your enemies. There was a major break of trust in my life and figured the best way to get it out was to just hold up a mirror.Lyons & Co. pulls from so many strands — Delta blues, Chicago R&B, Southern rock, Americana. How do you approach weaving those sounds together without losing your identity? We are a recipe of all those ingredients. They are* our identity. And even now we have a couple blue grass players that are bringing some vibrance in outta left field! Allie Kral crushes on this track on fiddle and we had an unexpected addition with Ryan Tedder on Saxophone!
You’ve got some incredible musicians in this project — Allie Kral, Mark Lavengood, Claire Kibodeaux. How did these collaborations come together, and what does each player bring to the sound?
We joke pretty often that every tour should just be called the “These are my friends” Tour because we play together because we are friends and its the most natural thing in the world to make music together with your pals. These are not just first class musicians, they are people I consider family.Was there anything you intentionally left imperfect in the mix to preserve that live-band feel?
Many things. This was recorded live and damn what an incredible take with Kelsey Flanagan at Orb but we left the edges exactly where they were, funny noises in the throat, something off pitch. Thats real life. They did an incredible job.Looking ahead to the next few releases — is “Hell to Pay” a standalone moment, or a preview of what’s coming sonically? Definitely a preview of what’s to come sonically, at least with this configuration. We have a synergy that works with ease for us and feels so good to put together. We will be back with more asap!
