Elizabeth Lane, a lifelong Alexandria resident and a rising senior at Alexandria City High School, is set to play at Jammin Java, Vienna’s iconic musical institution, on August 14. The 17-year-old singer-songwriter broke into the area’s music scene in 2021 when she released her debut EP, Summer Passed, an indie-pop album containing the hit single “Mediocre at Best.”
Now, with the attention garnered from that musical success, Lane is at the helm of a budding musical career. Lane recently signed with the Alexandria-based independent label Baffin Records, and shortly after released a new single, “Ghost Town.”
While Lane says that she had always been musical in her childhood, it was during the early days of COVID quarantine when she began to take the hobby more seriously. At her parents’ suggestion, she took vocal lessons, then, with prompting from her voice instructor, began dipping her toe in songwriting, pulling inspiration from occurrences in her day-to-day life.
Over the summer, Lane took on a week-long songwriting course at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, an experience that she says has helped her develop her skills and explore new paths when it comes to her musical style.
“That kind of really changed my perspective on the music that I want to write and what I want to do, just because being in a place surrounded by so many talented songwriters, and so many good faculty members as well, it was just such an inspiring thing,” Lane says. “And through that, I kind of decided, like, ‘Oh, I can be more experimental with what I’m writing. And I don’t have to, like, stick to the same sound that I that I always do.’”
Musically, Lane says her sound has been gravitating toward something more folk-influenced, pulling inspiration from artists like Bob Dylan and the Lumineers, while her earlier songs had a more pop-centric influence.
Audiences at the Jammin Java show will get a chance to hear some of her new, unreleased songs, alongside the songs from “Summer Passed” and “Ghost Town.” This will be her first time playing the new song in front of a live audience since its release in early July.
“I remember being like 5 years old and going to shows [at Jammin Java] for people my parents like. It’s definitely kind of crazy that I’m getting to perform there as well,” she says. “And I think I felt the same way when I performed at DC9 as well, but also just being in a place that specifically means so much to lots of people that live in Northern Virginia, I think it’s very special.”
During the show, Lane will also be joined by another Alexandria-based musical group, Indigo Thursday. The show begins at 7:30 p.m., and tickets are available at Jammin Java’s website for $15-25.
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