Lawrence is a band that we’ve had our eyes on for a while. The soulful pairing of siblings Clyde and Gracie Lawrence won us over back at Bonnaroo, when they tore apart the Miller Lite stage with their infectious good vibes, delivering an awesome show that inspired Vulfpeck collaborator Antwaun Stanley to jump on stage for an impromptu vocal jam. It was a truly awesome moment that proved to be a standout highlight of the weekend. Since then, the band has been on a tear, getting signed to Warner Bros. records, playing shows with artists like Robert Randolph & The Family Band and Jacob Collier, and touring all over the country in support of their breakthrough album Breakfast.

Most recently, they hit the road with fellow up-and-comers Ripe for an awesome co-headlining tour that brought the band throughout the Northeast for a number of awesome shows. Lawrence and Ripe are a perfect pair, as each band puts on an electrifying live show, with excellent musicianship and a bevy of high-energy performers all over the stage. It makes sense that these bands would become friends because of their like-minded musical approach.

At the tail end of their joint tour, Clyde and Gracie, along with Lawrence’s saxophone player Jordan Cohen, teamed up with Ripe’s transcendent lead guitarist, Tory Geismar to put together a wonderful tribute to the recently deceased legend Leonard Cohen, and they recorded a video of them performing a touching rendition of his classic song “Hallelujah”. It’s a beautiful cover that features Clyde on piano, with him and his sister trading verses before Geismar appears from behind a cardboard cutout of Cohen’s brother (from his bar-mitzvah of course) to deliver a beautiful and restrained solo that puts a beautiful cap on the heart-wrenching cover.

See below for a quote from Lawrence about their cover of “Hallelujah”:

““Hallelujah” is one of our favorite songs — it’s melancholy yet life-affirming, and it felt like a perfect way to celebrate the holidays, reflect on the year, and honor Leonard Cohen and all the other artists that passed away this year. We just got back from a co-headline tour with Ripe, and those guys have become some of our favorite musicians and newest friends, so we were psyched to feature their lead guitarist Tory, as well as cardboard cutouts of Jordan and his brother from their bar-mitzvahs (the perfect props for a video that we made on Christmas).”

Check out Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” by Lawrence featuring Tory Geismer from Ripe!

Don’t miss Lawrence and Ripe, as they reunite for one final show at Irving Plaza on Saturday, February 18th. [Buy tickets here]