Footings is a vehicle for the songs of Eric Gagne, mostly performed by several musicians, but sometimes, and in this case, just Eric solo. Gagne started his musical career in the experimental instrumental band Death to Tyrants in 2003, touring on an alternative circuit of town halls and basements alongside New England hardcore icons like Ampere. Then in 2008, he launched the quieter, folkier Redwing Blackbird with fellow guitarist Austin Wright, playing the same DIY circuit as Death to Tyrants only unplugged; the band recorded three-full length albums between 2010 and 2013 when Wright left the band. Gagne then played briefly with a solo project called Passerine and started Footings with Candace Clement and Elisabeth Fuchsia in 2012.
Since then, Footings has made five albums, toured with Marisa Anderson and played as Bonnie Prince Billy’s back-up band in 2022. Celebrated tastemaker Byron Coley once wrote, “Gagne’s songs and deep vocals, often the core of the band’s operation, combine the literary qualities of a heavy reader with the observational data of a poet.”
Gagne is also a mainstay of the underground music scene in Northern New England, booking a diverse and adventurous bill of artists at Keene, NH-based Nova Arts and curating the excellent Thing in the Spring Festival in Peterborough and Keene for the last 17 years, most recently with Stephen Malkmus and Califone headlining.
Lady Pills is the indie pop rock solo project of Ella Boissonnault known for raw, introspective songwriting and dynamic, emotionally charged performances. Formed in Boston and now based in Providence, Lady Pills blends sharp lyricism with a distinctive sonic edge, weaving together elements of punk, grunge, and lo-fi pop.
She describes her most recent album, Renowned in the Roaring Twenties, as a concept album. “It’s kind of a reflection on the post-pandemic treatment of musicians and artists,” explains Boissonnault. “There’s that self analysis of, why am I doing this? Is it a job I need or am I reframing it for why I love it? And through all that, it includes observations of the music industry through this new lens of living through 2020 and the few years after.