With a hometown base of Knoxville, Tennessee, this group of experienced musicians, hailing from all walks of the Americana landscape, puts out a new album (their fifth studio release) on Sept. 28 called Stranger to Me.

Now stripped down to a rocking and focused quartet, much closer to the original 2009 band concept than the more expansive lineup last seen in 2016, the current Black Lillies consists of founding member and lead vocalist Cruz Contreras, Sam Quinn on bass, Bowman Townsend on percussion and Dustin Schaefer on electric guitar and vocals. Heading into an intense touring period in support of the new record, the internationally acclaimed band covers the country from North Carolina to California, New York to Texas, Arkansas to Arizona and all points in between. In a side note, longtime music venue and cafe Dr. Ugs has closed, only opening for special events. The owners are concentrating on their restaurant space located inside the Hand of Fate brewery in Petersburg.