The daughter of a Pentecostal preacher, it’s little wonder that Bethany Lawson’s voice demands attention. “I grew up in a chaotic house with five siblings and watched my Dad preach every Sunday at our loud, Pentecostal church…I guess I learned I have to be loud if I want to be heard!” she jokes.
In contrast, Jeff Lawson seems to be the calm to the storm, though you’d never know it by his punchy, rapturous guitar playing. “He’s more of the quiet, creative genius. He’s always coming up with these interesting riff ideas or voicings. He also pushes me,” Bethany says. Jeff explains, “Yeah. Whenever she’s hesitant to sing what she feels, I’m the one telling her, ‘Do it. This is f**king rock and roll and this is what it’s all about!’”.
And so despite their differences, or maybe because of them, PLASTIC ANGELS was born when Jeff and Bethany wrote their first song together in the middle of a New England blizzard. It was unexpected; they were dating but involved in their own separate musical endeavors. “Everyone except us seemed to think we’d end up making music together,” Jeff laughs. “We just fell in love and music came later.”
Regardless of what anyone expected, it’s now clear that PLASTIC ANGELS is a force to be reckoned with. With two New England Music Award nominations for Rock Act of the Year under their belt, they’ve managed to sing unabashedly about sensitive topics like trauma and abuse all the while keeping people dancing to their driving beats and catchy hooks. That big voice has garnered Bethany three Limelight Music Award nominations for Female Vocalist of the Year, and it doesn’t seem like she’ll be quieting down any time soon. “I didn’t always feel like I had a voice,” she hesitates, then smiles. “But now that I do, I’m not going to shut my mouth.”
