Delving into the backstory of the Charleston band Lantana Fields takes a little work, as does explaining the act’s music.
The artist moniker Lantana Fields is a bit of a Sade or Alice Cooper situation — the band operates under the name Lantana Fields, but it also serves as a stage name for frontwoman Dani Thomas.
“It is a band,” Thomas said. “All the music that’s been made has been with the same people. The same band. Basically I would say that Lantana Fields is also my artist stage name, because there could potentially be a time where it might not necessarily always be those people playing with me. We are all Lantana Fields at this point, I’m just the face of it.”
Lantana Fields is, in one sense, a working band featuring singer/guitarist Thomas, guitarist Stephen Payne, bassist Matt Varner, drummer John Gornati and keyboardist Russell Green.
Virtually every member of the band plays in various projects throughout the Charleston area, most notably Gornati, who also plays drums for Leopard & The Diamond Sky.
So far, Lantana Fields has created three singles, and they’re all very different from one another stylistically.
“No Good For You” was released earlier this year, and it’s a beguiling slice of indie-rock, with guitars that both drift and sting, and a start-stop rhythm that pushes the song forward with subtlety and grace.
The next single was “Joanna,” released last June. This is the first song in which synths are present in a forward-facing, noticeable context, and Thomas expertly navigates the song’s sparse verses and the lush chorus with ease.
The new single dropping Sept. 29 called “Dexies/Downers” is currently in the demo phase of recording, but acoustic and electric guitars are prominent, and there’s an alluring Neko-Case-style echo on Thomas’ dreamy vocals.
The most mysterious aspect of Lantana Fields is the recording process. Thomas said the band records at a place called Secret Cottage, but she wouldn’t reveal much more than that.
“Secret Cottage is a recording studio, it’s a collective, and it’s a label,” Thomas said. “And it’s in Charleston. It is a very unique group of people. Most of the people that come in and out of Secret Cottage, there’s a reason that they’re there — they somehow stumble upon it and find it.”
The band takes the stage at Tin Roof in West Ashley at 9 p.m. Aug. 31 for its next show. Tickets are $10 cash at the door.
Love Best of Charleston? Help the Charleston City Paper keep Best of Charleston going every year with a donation. Or sign up to become a member of the Charleston City Paper club.