Ada Lea at the Raccoon Motel -- November 5.
Wednesday, November 5, 6 p.m.
Raccoon Motel, 315 East Second Street, Davenport IA
Currently touring in support of her third studio release When I Paint My Masterpiece, a work The Line of Best Fit called "an intimate record full of poetic and melodic turns," indie-folk singer/songwriter Ada Lea headlines a November 5 concert at Davenport's Raccoon Motel, the latest recording by the Montreal-based artist also hailed by Exclaim! as ""a vibrant, revelatory dispatch."
Born Alexandra Levy, Lea, as detailed at AllMusic.com, "takes an introspective approach to lyrics while experimenting with instrumental texture, including the use of unexpected electronics, crunchy guitars, and odd synths. She signed on with Saddle Creek for the release of her 2019 debut What We Say in Private, and the label stayed on for 2021's Polaris Music Prize-nominated One Hand on the Steering Wheel the Other Sewing a Garden and 2025's Luke Temple-produced When I Paint My Masterpiece.
"Ada Lea played in various projects around Montreal while also working on solo songs. In addition to being a musician, Lea is a painter and visual artist. The inspiration for her debut album, 2019's What We Say in Private, came after a significant breakup, whereupon she immersed herself in her painting for 180 days; she ruminated on her feelings and wrote them in a journal, which she drew from when writing the album. What We Say in Private was released by U.S. indie label Saddle Creek, and after touring in support, Lea quickly followed up in 2020 with her Woman, Here EP, which was made with producer/engineer Marshall Vore (Phoebe Bridgers). Lea wrote and demo'ed songs for her next full-length while at an artists' residency in Banff, Alberta. She again teamed with Vore for recording, and her second album, One Hand on the Steering Wheel the Other Sewing a Garden, was released in September of 2021. It was long-listed for the Polaris Music Prize.
"Over the next three years, Lea continued to expand her creative purview, studying painting and poetry, and teaching a songwriting course at the university level, in the meantime penning over 200 songs. She whittled those down to 16 tracks for the sparer yet more sprawling When I Paint My Masterpiece, which appeared on Saddle Creek in August 2025. Taking a flaws-and-all approach to live recording sessions, it was produced by Luke Temple and performed with core members of her backing band (guitarist Chris Hauer, bassist Summer Kodama, and drummer Tasy Hudson)."
Ada Lea headlines her Davenport engagement on November 5, admission to the 6 p.m. concert is $15.88, and more information and tickets are available by visiting TheRaccoonMotel.com.
