MNspin Artist of the Week: Cindy Lawson

Cindy Lawson began her rock and roll career in Minneapolis in 1985 with her all-female rock band, The Clams. Over the years, she has played in several bands in Minneapolis and New York City, but then took a break starting in the late 90’s. She returned in full force with a new band in 2021 and in 2022 released “New Tricks”, her first full length record in 25 years on Boston’s Rum Bar Records. New Tricks got airplay both nationally (on Little Steven’s Underground Garage and on Little Steven’s Coolest Songs in the World) and internationally, garnering rave reviews in publications across the globe. In April of 2023, she released a new single and video called “Don’t Come Crying To Me”, with an LP due in the fall.

She’s backed by longtime collaborator and inventive guitarist Jerry Lefkowitz (of The Young Nashvillians, Something Fierce, Whoops Kitty, and Fauna, among others), bassist and multi- instrumentalist Dave Randall, whose rock bonafides include The Spectors, The Boot R&B, The Silent Treatment, Kinda Kinky, and many more, and on the drums is Mark Devaraj, who’s kept the beat going in bands High on Stress, Whiskey Rock and Roll Club, The Heavy Sixers, as well as dozens of other Minneapolis bands.

MNspin is an online collection of Minnesota music curated by local experts, brought to you by Hennepin County Library and the Friends of the Hennepin County Library. The collection features hundreds of selected albums by Minnesota artists of all genres. Minnesota artists gain exposure, and music lovers can explore the rich diversity of the local music scene and discover new favorite artists and bands. Music is available to freely stream or download here: hclib.musicat.co/.