As the story goes, Lady Lamb, aka Aly Spaltros — and formerly Lady Lamb the Beekeeper — got her start writing and recording music as a teenager working at a video store in her hometown of Brunswick, Maine. Spaltros holed up in the store basement after hours crafting idiosyncratic pop nuggets, often until the wee hours of the morning — and sometimes ditching school in the process.

Some eight years later, and now based in Brooklyn, Lady Lamb is coming into her own. Her new record, After, released on noted indie imprint Mom & Pop Records, is her most mature and fully formed work to date, combining rich  orchestration with moody, introspective songcraft. For example, the song "Milk Duds," which uses a smooshed box of the titular candies as a relationship metaphor. 

Touring in support of that album, Lady Lamb plays Signal Kitchen in Burlington on Monday, April 6. Seven Days recently caught up with her via email. 

Local songwriter Rick Norcross was on the verge of becoming the Susan Lucci of western swing music awards. Last year, Norcross and his band, the All-Star Ramblers, were nominated for the  Best Western Swing Group/Duo award by the Academy of Western Artists. FYI, that's an organization whose stated mission is to, "recognize and honor outstanding individuals who, through their accomplishments, preserve and perpetuate the traditions, values and heritage of the American cowboy." Or in other words, Rick Norcross. (Fun fact about the AWA: The organization is based in Gene Autry, Okla. Yes, really.)

Norcross and Co. came away from last year's awards ceremony in Dallas empty handed. But this year, Norcross and Co. were nominated for six AWA awards. These included Best Western Swing Group/Duo, Best Western Swing Album (for Welcome to OUR Vermont), Best Western Swing Female Vocalist (Taryn Noelle) and three nominations for Best Western Swing Song. 

Well guess what? Last weekend, deep in the heart of Texas, Norcross scored a win in that last category for his tune "You Can"t Make It Up."