“How can you not love a song whose opening riff echoes with the roar of The MC5 and whose vocal snarl evokes Joan Jett at her most attitude-fuelled? It’s rock and roll doing everything that rock and roll needs to do, and nothing more. When you get a song like this up on the blocks and start taking it apart, everything looks familiar – guitars grind and groove, basslines add the Nitrous to the engine, drums pound out relentless beats, and the vocals bark and snarl and threaten vengeance – which raises the question of why can’t more people put it all together as brilliantly as Cindy Lawson and her sonic acolytes do here? But that’s it, these things look simple, but are more than the sum of their parts…much more. ” - Dave Franklin
The indefatigable rocker is back with garage-punk fury, rhyming “avoid” with "schadenfreude" and declaring “Karma’s a bitch and so am I” en route to the the chilling coda: “If you could get away with it would you do it again?” Lawson is at the Schooner on Saturday, October 11, with Crush Scene, who you read about here last week, and Green Bay's Holly and the Nice Lions.
“Cindy Lawson brought the band (vocals/guitar, guitar, bass, saxophone, two back up vocals, and drums) and was the high energy step up with her fiery brand of activist rock. We’ve seen her a couple of times, including in March 2025. Lawson was pure fire and that full rock band sound carried over the whole space. Starting with Eat the Rich let you know right away she wouldn’t be pulling any punches, and the two back up vocalists were having fun with poster board sign in addition to their singing. (Side note: The ASL interpreters were absolutely brilliant throughout and added to the energy.) Don’t Believe the Lies continued to let the band simply rock out and it was a great reminder of Lawson’s charismatic performance style. People Have the Power was a Patti Smith cover and really had the crowd singing along, and guitar and sax work were excellent underneath the roiling lyrics. It was a perfect end for Lawson and company and the jazzed up crowd was buzzing afterwards. ” - Thaddeus-WHM
“Watching Cindy Lawson sing has a way of putting a smile on your face. A charismatic performer, she exudes a love of the music and it rubs off on you as you watch. ” - Sheila Regan
— MINNPOST
About CINDY
Minneapolis rock pioneer Cindy Lawson is back, and she means business
She's an American singer/songwriter both charming and profane; a sweet and sassy mix of Ronnie Spector and Iggy Pop. Whether it's a 60's girl group inspired ditty, or a spitting punk rock infused anthem, Cindy gives it her all and then some.
She began her rock and roll career in Minneapolis in 1985 with the all-female rock band, The Clams. Over the years, she played in several bands in Minneapolis and New York City, but then took a break starting in the late '90s. Cindy returned in full force in 2021, and in 2022 released “New Tricks,” her first full-length record in 25 years on Boston’s Rum Bar Records.
New Tricks got airplay both nationally (on Little Steven’s Underground Garage and on Little Steven’s Coolest Songs in the World) and internationally, garnering rave reviews and airplay across the globe. In 2023, Cindy released a new single and video called “Don’t Come Crying To Me” that was immediately picked for Little Steven’s Coolest Songs in the World Channel on Sirius XM. The EP "Don't Come Crying To Me" was released on November 15, 2023. The song "Don't Come Crying To Me" was chosen as Song of The Day on 89.3 The Current for January 12, 2024, in the top ten of 2023 local releases on RacketMN, listed on KFAI's list of "Best Local Releases of 2023." Two songs from the EP, "I Don't Want You Anymore" and "Screamin' White Jezus," were in daily rotation on Stevie's Coolest Songs station since the beginning of November 2023 until early 2025.
Since her first 'comeback' show in September of 2021, she's played hundreds of shows throughout Minnesota, Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Boston. During that time she's opened for Everclear, The Dollyrots, The Dogmatics, The Suburbs, Tina and the B Sides, The Melismatics, Mark Mallman, The Von Tramps, Run Westy Run, Colin Bracewell, Venus DeMars and All the Pretty Horses, and many more.
On September 19, 2025, she released the song "The Reckoning" on Hygh Tension/Virgin Music and the accompanying video later that month. In October, the song was added to rotation on Little Stevie's Coolest Song channel on Sirius XM.
PRESS QUOTES
““Hey Santa” by Cindy Lawson Tongue in cheek, and clever as ever, Cindy Lawson ushers in the holiday season with her wish list to Santa in the song “Hey Santa.” Lawson ticks off things she hopes to receive, gifts that include healing global warming and ending world hunger—items that won’t end up clogging landfills. The rocker’s sharp wit lands supremely well within the lush, gorgeously laid-back rock sound she’s created with her band. While the subject is a tad dark, it shines a glimmer of hope for humanity that will make any cynical listener smile.” - Mpls St. Paul Magazine Editors
“After a decades-long hiatus, Lawson herself is back with a new record — "New Tricks" — and a fresh approach to creating and performing original music. ” - Samantha Fischer
— Kare 11
“Cindy Lawson, "New Tricks." After a long break from the music scene, Lawson is back with a new CD. She pulls off some nifty tricks — sounding like a sweet and smooth 1960s pop singer on one song, transforming into a hard-edge rocker on the next.” - David Aquilina
“How It Feels is all about loud, huge riffs and a mean rhythm section. Adding it all up it spells excitement. If How It Feels signifies Cindy Lawson's return to rock and roll, the world can only welcome her warmly.” - WoNoBloG
— WoNoBloG The official blog of the music magazine WoNo Magazine.
“Cindy Lawson, Don’t Come Crying to Me / The return of the Clams’ Cindy Lawson was the great local comeback story of 2022, and it continued into 2023 with this six-song EP. On the title track, tuff garage-rock takes a mighty swing as Lawson softens her voice to a mocking pout; elsewhere she handles her vowels like a less Rimbaud-ridden Patti Smith. Lawson’s been gigging something fierce since plunging back into the scene last year and it shows here—this band is tight.” - Keith Harris
“This two track festive treat gives fans more of “the voice”, but if anything, Lawson’s natural coolness sounds even better here. When applied to music that aims to lift the spirits – first and foremost – but also supply a dose of yuletide nostalgia, it appears that she’s able to summon some pleasingly huge sounds. On the newly written ‘Hey Santa’, the clean opening chords and soaring vocal melody immediately hark back to the Phil Spector stable, providing melodies that are very broad, but they become much more indebted to the works of the Wall of Sound when a classic girl group groove takes a hold via a massive drum part and curly vocal. The 60s derived music comes strongly juxtaposed with ironic, modern lyrics about iPhone accessories and not wanting traditional toys, but nothing here ever leans on novelty. If anything, Lawson approaches each syllable with a great earnestness that sells the song, and by the time she reaches the chorus and drops in various whoahs that are clearly stolen with love from The Ronettes, this sounds like a modern classic in the old school mould. To hear it once is to love it.” - Real Gone
“Minneapolis rock pioneer Cindy Lawson is back, and she means business” - Chris Riemenschneider
“(There's) New life in older bands. Who could have guessed that four of the best albums by Minnesota acts in 2023 were by acts popular three decades ago that hadn't put out records in more than a decade (Martin Zellar) or even two decades (Run Westy Run, Semisonic and suddenly omnipresent-again ex-Clams singer Cindy Lawson)?” - Chris Riemenschneider
— Star Tribune-Best albums and signs of life from the local scene in 2023
“It feels like I just saw Cindy Lawson perform, but, in reality, other than a small cameo performance at The Von Tramps show a couple of weeks ago, I haven’t witnessed the magic of Cindy Lawson since November of last year, so I was due for it. Cindy is a legend—no other way to put it. Joined on stage by her super fun and solid band, her set on Saturday night was full of anthemic Minneapolis-styled garage-punk songs with a classic rock n’ roll twist that, like those of Tim Casey & The Martyrs, filled me with a sense of energy and enthusiasm. Beyond the flawless sound of Cindy and her band is what they stand for. The heart and fire that was shown throughout the set was perfect and made it clear that I had picked the right show to spend my Saturday night at. I often wonder what I’ll be like when I’m older. If I have any say in the matter, I truly hope I'm just an ounce as cool and amazing as Cindy is.” - Girl at the Rock Shows
“Cindy Lawson is without a doubt a legend in the Minneapolis music scene. Yet it would be hard to deny that she's making by far the best music of her life today — nearly four decades into her recording career. Out on Rum Bar Records, Don't Come Crying To Me is Lawson's second solo EP in two years and an absolute gem of a pop record” - Lord Rutledge
“Cindy’s sound is full of life. It’s that perfect blend of classic rock n’ roll with a singer-songwriter feeling behind it while keeping a punk-fueled energy on top of everything. This all makes sense as Cindy Lawson has been a part of more groups and scenes that I honestly have the time to write about but I love how, in this form, Cindy seems to take a little bit from all of those eras and modes to create something uniquely perfect. Performance-wise, Cindy is a pro. ” - Langen Goldstein
“The song has that garage punk sound of the 1980s. Brings me back to some early shows. Cindy’s steady clear voice make the song more powerful than sad. The ethos is both retro and very now. The lyrics are heartbreaking and yet bring up familiar feelings – at least for me and I think for many of us: Sorry I’m sorry for everything I’ve ever done Worry Don’t worry about me I choose to be alone I know I’m sensitive okay. Do you have to blame me? I was born this way.” - ANN TREACY
“What a breath of fresh air to hear from this trailblazing Minneapolis rock artist (formerly frontwoman and of the Clams and Whoops Kitty) again. She has been reunited with her guitar and pen and assembled a new band to help her record a charming EP filled with both wisdom and sass.” - Andrea Swensson
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