By Jonathan Levine
Low Cut Connie is hard to categorize. A little bit of garage rock and punk, some rootsy soul, a touch of old school boogie-woogie. I’ll go out on a limb here and state that it isn’t often that the same album evokes comparisons to Jerry Lee Lewis and the Replacements, like 2011’s album Call Me Sylvia did.
One thing that isn’t so hard to describe is Low Cut Connie’s live performance style: 100% pure energy. You might not know where to file their albums in your genre-sorted collection, but feel confident a Low Cut Connie show will leave piano-pounding frontman Adam Weiner sweating like he just finished a triathlon.
We caught up with Adam for a brief chat about his time in Austin, live-streaming during the COVID-19 lockdown, and his latest album, Livin in the USA.
Jonathan Levine: Adam, thank you for your time. Fans here in Central Texas are lucky that you’ve made Austin a regular tour stop for Low Cut Connie the past few years. At prior shows, I’ve heard you mention that you lived in Austin a while back. Help me out: when was that?
Adam Weiner: Yes indeed. I lived in Austin 2007-2008 and just absolutely adore that city. I played many gigs at the Carousel Lounge, Beerland, Beauty Bar, while working tuning pianos at Strait Music, and playing piano at bars in Pflugerville and New Braunfels. I had many adventures during those times. I truly love Austin.
JL: Austin has been in a state of rapid transformation for what at this point is 20+ years. Back when you lived here, what would a fun Friday night out on the town look like? What places would you hit, and what might you have done?
AW: Carousel Lounge has always been my spot. I also always loved the early days of Alamo Drafthouse, Vulcan Video, and finding weird little bars and clubs to meet people and hear music.
JL: I first got hooked on Low Cut Connie early in the COVID lockdown. Like a lot of musicians, you suddenly couldn’t play live shows, so you started streaming performances from your apartment. I was drawn to the sincerity, energy, and supportive community vibe (and ample shvitz), and soon Tough Cookies became a must-see in my home. You also brought a therapeutic element to the shows and even started separate online “Group Therapy” sessions with fans. What drew you to streaming in the first place, and did performing and connecting with an audience that way have a therapeutic effect on you, too?
AW: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. We were all going through a shared crisis, and it just felt right to do these livestreams that would both distract and uplift people dealing with major stresses. It gave so many people something to look forward to, myself included. We are going through a whole other set of crises now, in many ways worse, and I continue to try to find ways to uplift people and talk about the issues we face.
JL: How did that long COVID shutdown change your perspective on touring and playing live in front of in-person audiences?
AW: I fell in love with music and performing in a whole different way. I gained a deeper understanding of the healing magic of musical performance. I truly believe it can save lives. So now I take my job of touring and entertaining more seriously in terms of what it can mean to people and how it can be a force for good and for change.
JL: Speaking of Tough Cookies, give me a guesstimate: How many white tank tops have you destroyed in the furtherance of artistic expression?
AW: It is beyond calculation at this point.
JL: One last question on your live streams: you highlighted a lot of music from your home base of Philadelphia. You also had some interesting and fun guests on the show. Big Freedia; Beyoncé’s dad, Mathew Knowles; Dion DiMucci was a highlight. Pretend you could have any guest on your show from Philadelphia or the area.
AW: I would love to do a sit-down chat with Questlove. He and I are both deep lovers of Philly music and culture and we would have a lot to talk about.
JL: I would love to hear that! I read his memoir Mo’ Meta Blues: The World According to Questlove not long ago, and as big of an artist and producer as he’s become, he’s probably an even larger music fan.
Let’s talk about your newest album, Livin in the USA. The title sounds like it could be a party album, but obviously the album is about much more than that. There’s been a more serious, reflective side to your music for years, mixed in with those party numbers, but Livin in the USA seems to exude more political frustration than before. Is that a fair statement?
AW: Yes, exactly. It is a protest album. . .and a party album. Like many of my heroes—Sly Stone, Prince, James Brown, John Fogerty, Bruce Springsteen—I want to make socially-conscious music that is also fun and uplifting.
JL: Another area of change is your band’s lineup, which has evolved over the years, with a recent wave of turnover. Given your vision for Low Cut Connie, do you see changes like these as an inevitability that fans should expect to continue?
AW: Just like David Bowie, Prince, or Saturday Night Live, the cast changes over the years, but that’s part of the beauty of artistic exploration and keeping things current and dynamic. I have been blessed with so many incredibly talented people in this group past and present. I’m lucky to have performers around me who believe in me and the music enough to put their talents and passion into the shows and the records.
JL: Watching Tough Cookies and seeing you in concert a bunch, speaking to your audiences seems to give you a lot of joy. You’ve also done some radio work. What drew you to radio? Did you enjoy it, and is hosting a radio show something you’d consider doing again in the future? Maybe like the long-running syndicated show Little Steven does, Little Steven’s Underground Garage? Any chance we could get something like Adam’s Underground Cabaret?
AW: I love the art of radio. I have done my Connie Club Radio Show [for] 2 seasons before and it’s looking like I’ll do it again next year.
Note: Adam and his genre-defying band are rolling into town—along with his trusty Baldwin upright piano, Nellie—on November 6 for a date at Antone’s Night Club, with Laney Jones and the Spirits opening.