Jeffrey Lewis & The Voltage with Grasping Straws

Songwriter and comix artist Jeffrey Lewis began recording homemade cassettes in New York City in 1998; his critically acclaimed, unusual and word-dense songs lead to Jeffrey signing to Rough Trade Records in 2001 (record label of The Smiths, The Strokes, Belle & Sebastian, etc.). Creating a brilliant style of scuzzy urban indie-rock-folk, like a 21st Century mash-up of Sonic Youth, Pete Seeger and R. Crumb, Jeffrey has played countless gigs all over the world, both solo and with bandmates, including playing as the opening act for bands like the Mountain Goats, Daniel Johnston, Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks, Dinosaur Jr, The Fall, Dr. Dog, Pulp, Roky Erickson, The Vaselines, and more.

New full-length album “The Even More Freewheelin Jeffrey Lewis” was released on March 21, 2025. The previous official album “Jeffrey Lewis & The Voltage: Bad Wiring” released on Don Giovanni Records (USA) and Moshi Moshi Records (internationally) in November 2019 (garnering rave reviews), but Jeffrey has also digitally self-released four DIY albums from his apartment in the interim period. The highly anticipated new studio album was recorded in Nashville with producer Roger Moutenot (Yo La Tengo, Lou Reed, Sleater-Kinney)! Jeffrey continues to wring folksy spiel and garage bohemianism from his ramshackle guitar, whether with his full band or solo, while sometimes incorporating his often politically subversive visual artwork and cartoons into live appearances. Some of these audio/visual projects have been hosted on History.com, such as “The Story of Sitting Bull,” a Jeffrey Lewis illustrated song which won a Webby Award in 2011 for “Best Writing on the Internet;” Jeffrey's “The Story of Keith Haring” was commissioned by the Museum of Modern Art in 2021.

As of 2025 the 4-piece line-up of Jeffrey Lewis & The Voltage includes Mallory Feuer on violin and keyboard, Val Marchesi on bass and Brent Cole on drums.

Grasping Straws’ grungy, jazz-infused abstractions come together with a scream and a whisper in angry, angsty softness that’s raw, controlled and ever surprising.

The project was formed in 2012 by Mallory Feuer who, inspired by antifolk and the music emanating from New York’s basements, started performing, developing, screeching, sleeping on floors, and meeting soulmates. The most recent recordings feature Jim Bloom (drums), Sam Goldfine (bass) and Marcus Kitchen (lead guitars), but the band is often seen live as a solo project, or featuring many additional artists, friends and collaborators.

“We adapt to the space we’re in. Musical collaboration and sharing is a study of humanness. Our recordings are moments in time captured like a sonic time capsule.”

Their self-released debut album attracted glowing reviews in the underground press, and took the band on the road through much of the US, Canada and Europe opening for a host of cool bands like Illiterate Light, Peuk, Church Girls, Bent Knee, Dish Pit, Maya Lucia, and Camp Saint Helene.

Their latest collaboration, with video and performance artist Erica Schreiner, was shown at G Biennale and Art All Night film festivals.

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