A positive push: Twin Shadow to bring ever-changing sound to Lawrence

Twin Shadow will perform at 8 p.m. Thursday at The Granada.

Don’t be surprised if you see George Lewis Jr., the man behind Twin Shadow, zip by you on a motorcycle soon.

If it wasn’t already apparent enough in his music videos, he holds a severe fondness for the bikes and works them into a lot of aspects of his life and music. When he’s on tour, he hits up motorcycle rentals nearby. So if the weather’s nice enough when he plays the Granada on Thursday, he might be tempted to rip it up.

“There’s an inherent culture that’s built around it,” Lewis says of his affection for motorcycle communities. “There’s a familial vibe that you get out of being a part of motorcycle clubs. There’s a built-in family, so it’s naturally exciting to be a part of.”

New focus

But when Lewis hits the stage on Thursday, he’ll come face-to-face with his other family… the musical one. The dynamic performer just got off playing some of the biggest stages at SXSW in Austin, Texas. With a number of big festival dates ahead of him this summer, seeing him back at the Granada in Lawrence will be a real treat for his fans.

Lewis tackled a couple of developments with the recently released “Eclipse,” including making his expert guitar skills take a back seat to his striking vocals.

If you go

Twin Shadow with supporting band Erik Hassle will perform at 8 p.m. Thursday at the Granada, 1020 Massachusetts St. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $16 in advance and $18 day of show and can be purchased at the Granada box office or at the granada.com.

“I just wanted to focus on my voice for a while,” he admits. “I think when you take priority off one thing, you can put more attention to something else. I just want to have more focus on something that I think needs attention.”

Immersing himself in his vocal work must have done the trick. “Eclipse” has received endless attention from the likes of NPR and SPIN. It’s hard not to notice that sultry sound, even when it’s accompanied by such a thick ’80s pop vibe loaded with heavy synths and throbbing bass lines.

Lewis has always been one to make a statement with his work and stand by it, and “Eclipse” is no different. An album that rich requires a new approach to the live show, and Lewis has that covered.

“We have a bigger stage production now,” he says. “We have a big lighting rig that we custom built for us, along with some extra lighting rig that we bring out on tour, and it’s those ways we’re trying to hype the live show experience and make our presence known.”

Positive push

Lewis has to keep working to make his presence known because his “ever-changing” fans keep him on his toes.

“It’s not one type of person. It’s not just hipsters, just jocks, just this, just that. It’s not any one thing, which I’ve actually come to be really appreciative about,” he says, noting the reason for his eclectic sound. “To me, success is kind of a game-by-game win. That sounds like a 12-step program, but it’s really true. My success today is getting onstage and performing my (tail) off. My band performs their (tails) off, and getting the best show to people. That is very much how I think success is.”

Lewis says he has to keep plugging away at his changing and developing sound because he feels he “wasn’t designed to do anything else,” but half-jokes he might be a good mechanic some day.

“I feel like it’s important for everybody to do what they love,” he confides. “I want to be a part of pushing music in a positive direction and a creative direction. I think music is a really beautiful thing. All art is instrumental, and I want to be a part of it for as long as I can.”

— Fally Afani is a freelance writer and editor of I Heart Local Music. For more local music coverage, visit iheartlocalmusic.com.