Lauren Kay thrilled with gig fronting Midnight Confessions at Nolan’s

Lauren Kay thrilled with gig fronting Midnight Confessions at Nolan’s

Two years into Lauren Kay’s gig as lead singer and rhythm guitarist with Midnight Confessions, she is still happy to go to work every night. The thrill is anything but gone for the Pensacola resident and mother of three adolescent boys. Midnight Confessions is the longtime house band at Nolan’s Restaurant in Gulf Shores, playing multiple sets nightly from Tuesday through Saturday.
“I always wanted to be in a rock band. Now I’m getting to front a band, and it’s awesome,’’ Lauren said. “I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I feel like I’m part of a big ole’ family. Jill and Phillip Harris (Nolan’s owners) are amazing people – very respectful to their employees. Everybody that works for them loves them, including me. They take good care of us.’’
Although she has been playing solo and in duos all over the Gulf Coast for more than 20 years, Lauren had never played electric guitar on stage before auditioning for her current gig to join Silva Saxon on keys, Alan Girdner on drums, Jamie Walker on bass and Eddie Parker on lead guitar.
“It is definitely a solid group and we have a lot of fun,’’ Lauren said. “The guys are like my brothers.’’
Before auditioning for Midnight Confessions, Lauren had already released two records, a self titled CD of 10 original songs featuring Lauren on guitar and Sugarcane Jane’s Anthony and Savana Crawford on vocals and a variety of other instruments. Crawford produced the CD at his Admiral Bean Studio in Loxley. Her second CD is titled “Single Mama.’’
A Pensacola native, she started playing professionally with the Bubba & Them bluegrass band back in 1996. She was only 17, but she had already found her voice while growing up listening to the songs of female country greats like Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette.
After years of playing the Gulf Coast and a stint in Asheville, Lauren has developed a style that is both bluesy and rootsy – A little bit Sheryl Crow and a little bit Bonnie Rait, yet still all her own. She still sits in with Bubba & Them for a song or two on occasion and can be seen on the band photo that hangs on a wall at The Point.
“I was just a kid then, but I’ve been playing music ever since,’’ she said. “There is really nothing else I’ve ever wanted to do.’’
With Midnight Confessions. Lauren covers music ranging from Rihanna to early 1960s rockers.
“Our base clientele is an older crowd and they love to dance, which is really cool,’’ she said. “But we are also seeing more of a younger crowd coming in.’’
Lauren said she knows she has an amazing gig, one that just about every female vocalist in South Alabama would covet. Getting the audience up dancing to “Stuck In The Middle With You’’ with just her guitar behind her during her audition for the job in front of a live audience at Nolan’s certainly didn’t hurt her chances of joining the band.
“I knew I was up against some stiff competition, but Silva saw something in me. And I did have the Friday night crowd up there dancing,’’ she said.