Midwest Dilemma

Midwest Dilemma

Midwest Dilemma is an Omaha-based indie folk and chamber folk group centred on singer-songwriter Justin Lamoureux. The project makes orchestral folk songs and waltzy ballads, with Lamoureux joined by a large ensemble of 22 musicians. The instrumentation includes strings, woodwinds, brass, orchestral drums and other non-traditional chamber instruments.

Timelines & Tragedies

The group’s debut release, Timelines & Tragedies, is built as a sequence of family history. It traces Lamoureux’s ancestry back to French Canadian fur traders, moves through the experiences of his parents’ generation during the Vietnam era, and ends with his own life in Omaha.

Style and structure

Midwest Dilemma works in a highly arranged folk style rather than a stripped-back acoustic format. The combination of orchestral and chamber instruments gives the music a broad, layered sound, while the songs keep a folk and ballad form.