For the past decade-plus, Holly Laessig and Jess Wolfe have balanced roles as background vocalists for hire in addition to being one half of the group Lucius—guitarist Peter Lalish and drummer Dan Molad complete the band.
Laessig and Wolfe have recorded and toured with a dizzying array of artists, from Roger Waters and John Legend to Sheryl Crow and the Killers. In 2022, the band raised its profile considerably with the release of Second Nature, their third non-self-released studio album, which was co-produced by Dave Cobb and Brandi Carlile.
The band took time in 2023 to take stock of the decade anniversary of their second studio album, 2013’s Wildewoman. This moment allowed the band’s current selves to have a conversation with their past selves.
“We realized we hadn’t listened to the album for almost a decade,” Laessig said in a recent interview. “Listening back to it, we realized what the record sounded like. It was like, ‘I don’t sing that harmony any more’ or ‘I don’t even remember the last time I sang that harmony.’”
So the current group decided to re-record the album, and in 2024 Lucius released the new version as Wildewoman (The New Recordings).
“We thought it would be nice to bring some of what the road taught us over time back to this particular record,” Laessig said, regarding the decision to record and release the new version. “It was fun. Some of the things were newer arrangements of the song and some of the things were just pretty true to the original, but with a couple of tweaks that were more road-informed.
“When we decided to re-record Wildewoman, that kind of solidified for us that we were missing that feeling of hope within our band, the way we started and the nature of it just being us together creating,” Laessig continued. “We had been talking a bit about coming back together, just the four of us, and doing a record that we had done the way we did for Wildewoman and the early days stuff. This was how it worked so well the first time and how good it felt.”
And as it turned out, the decision to re-record that 2013 collection of songs created a more far-reaching effect than merely being a walk down memory lane. It had a direct impact on how the band approached the eponymous album, Lucius, released in May 2025. What also helped bring back the in-house, do-it-yourself spirit to the project was deciding to have drummer Molad produce the self-titled album and record the songs at his Los Angeles-area home studio and Altamira Sound studio in the L.A. suburb of Alhambra.
“Danny kind of understands our musical language like nobody else. It cuts out a lot of translating and time,” Laessig said. “It was also the first time he, Jess and I wrote a bunch of songs together from the beginning of the song. That was a great experience. Pete Lalish lives in Portland, and he came up a bunch, too. It was a great experience.
“It just felt right and like home. We’re all just in that stage of life where we’re getting married, buying houses and having babies, and are just in that sweet spot right now. That’s kind of where the record came from,” Laessig added.
Although much of the new album is self-contained, the relationships the band has made with other artists naturally bled into the recording process. Among those old friends who checked in were War On Drugs guitarist Adam Granduciel, Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes and singer-songwriter Madison Cunningham. These cameos played into the vibe of oneness that came out of this new batch of songs.
“Having these guests played into our favorite part of this overarching feeling of comfortability and familiarity,” Laessig said. “Just having Danny behind the wheel and knowing our instincts and his knowing where we might be trying to [go] with what we’re trying to explain, having that level of communication was the best part and it was really fun—just making music with your friends again.”
This sense of fun and unfettered creative abandon is one hallmark of Lucius’ live shows. Prone to donning matching wigs and outfits, Laessig and Wolfe are often mistaken for being twins. On top of the flawless harmonies they deliver, longtime fans have learned not to bat an eyelash when the duo busts out matching “keytars.” It’s this kind of spontaneity Laessig nonchalantly mentions when asked what fans should look forward to on the group’s current tour.
“Folks coming out to see us can expect a [fiery] show,” Laessig said. “As always, we have small, intimate moments where we come together as just a stripped-down band … acoustic. It’s just us and the audience, and then there are other moments with lots of rocking out, big sounds, synths and psychedelia. It’ll be a dynamic show.”
Lucius will perform in Healdsburg on June 6 at the BloodRoot Ramble, on the outdoor stage of the Abel de Luna Community Center. Tickets at bloodrootramble.com.
