Lee Emi has spent 16 years as the primary songwriter for The Crane Wives, releasing five studio albums and selling out rooms across the US and Europe. DESTROY EVERYTHING, her solo debut, arrives October 2, and the November 13 show at Lark Hall in Albany lands about six weeks later. Her bio describes the music as having “sharp teeth,” built on “anger, grief, and self-doubt.” Given what it was written through (pandemic isolation, a rare kidney disease diagnosis, a Korean adoptee’s search for belonging), that description is earned.
About the Show
Born Lee Sang-Eun in South Korea, Emilee Petersmark was raised in Michigan under the adoptive name Emi-Lee; she reverses it to Lee Emi as an act of reclamation honoring both her Korean heritage and American upbringing. DESTROY EVERYTHING (Ermsauce, LLC) was written across what her press materials describe as “relationship collapse, pandemic isolation, a rare kidney disease diagnosis, and a deepening connection to heritage and cultural identity.” The record “actually took over a decade to make” and is framed in coverage as “less an act of demolition than reinvention — a collection of songs that confronts uncertainty head-on.” Lee Emi puts it plainly: “When things are unfair or unjust or when they feel like they can’t be fixed, I just want it to break.” Lead singles “Black Hole” (June 2026) and “Clean Slate” (July 14, video directed by Hwa-Jeen Na) have been setting the table for this fall run.
Opening is Cal in Red, the Grand Rapids duo of brothers Connor and Kendall Wright. Their 2024 debut LP Low Low (B3SCI Records) features James Mercer of The Shins on “Kitchen,” and their 2025 EP The Days drew coverage from NPR and Consequence. Cal in Red previously opened for The Crane Wives, so this pairing carries some history: two acts from the same West Michigan orbit, together for Lee Emi’s first solo headline in the Capital Region.
Venue & Logistics
Lark Hall at 351 Hudson Avenue in Albany is a 14,000-square-foot space built in 1916, holding 300 standing. For a debut like this, that size means something — everyone in the room will be there specifically for it. Doors at 7 p.m., show at 8 p.m. Free parking is available at the venue. All ages; under-18 with a parent or legal guardian. If you’re making the trip from elsewhere in the Capital Region, free parking takes one thing off the checklist.
Tickets
Tickets run $30–$42. Buy tickets