Brian Lisik and the Unfortunates

Artist Information

Biography

Brian Lisik’s third solo album, "The Mess That Money Could Buy," was released by Cherokee Queen Records on Sept. 18, 2012, with Lisik kicking off a Midwest and East Coast tour in support of the album.

Meanwhile, "Mess" began to receive favorable press both nationally and internationally.

Former Hit Parader and Rock-n-Soul Magazine editor John Shelton Ivany called "Mess" “a sensational album; tales of a drifting heart on the road.”

Noted roots rock/Amerciana publication No Depression said, “The Mess That Money Could Buy has the winning formula of catchy phrasing, jangly guitar riffs and great pop hooks.”

The Pittsburgh Daily News called the album an “11 track collection of guitar-centric tunes that make for an enjoyable listen. Lisik hits his stride with ‘Longest Day of the Year,’ ‘Nights In Shining Armore,’ ‘Five Other Rooms’ and ‘I Want to Go Home’.”

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer described "Mess" as a “rough and tumble garage-y blast…with singer-songwriter Brian Lisik’s hoarse, heartland-rocking voice soaked in an ocean of chunky guitars,” while Relate Magazine said “ ‘Nights in Shining Amore,’ (is) a song that sealed the deal for me, taking me from a passive attitude toward the entire album, to full out infatuation.”

Closer to home, the Cleveland Scene said the songs on "Mess" “sound so natural; ushers in well-deserved comparisons to Jeff Tweedy/Wilco” and the Sun Post Herald called the album “a healthy back-and-forth conversation about the inevitable ups and downs of life.”

Canton Repository entertainment editor Dan Kane, in his Aug. 31, 2012 cover story “Brian Lisik: A Life in Rock-n-Roll,” said Lisik “has a knack for turning out wry and colorful turns of phrase and lyrics that read like short stories.”

Across the pond, UK-based Maverick Magazine said "Mess" “drives hard and dirty with great lyrical punch” and Belgian rock mags Rootstime and Keys and Chords said, respectively, “Lisik hits his mark as a rock artist on this album (but) proves again he can excel in quiet ballads” and “a nice melting pot of sensitive ballads, rock pop tunes, and Americana.”

Throughout the fall and winter of 2012, songs “Small Town Royal Family” and “Change on Your Own” were added to the rotations of a number of college radio stations, including WJCU at John Carroll University and WRUW at Case Western Reserve University.

A video for the song “Five Other Rooms” was shot on location in Canton, Ohio and Pittsburgh, Pa. and was released Dec. 7, 2012.

Plans are also in the works for the 2013 release of a career-spanning Lisik documentary film entitled "On the Wrong Side Of The Canal," and a live performance video of a July 2012 show at Buzzbin Art and Music Shop in Canton entitled "Save Me From My Life."

Lisik was born and raised in Akron, Ohio - the dour, post-industrial landscape that gave rise to a varied, yet familiarly gritty, music and artscape including the likes of David Allan Coe, Devo, Rachel Roberts, Chrissie Hynde, the Black Keys, filmmaker Jim Jarmusch, and Television guitarist Robert Quine.

The son of a rubber worker father and a mother who "worked in banks and stuff," as he put it to Wilmington, N.C. entertainment magazine Bootleg in 2007, Lisik cut his teeth in and around his hometown in a variety of rock and blues outfits throughout his teens and 20s before forming self-proclaimed "slop rock" band The Giants of Science with drummer Scott Christoff, bassist Jeremy Jarrell, and guitarist/accordionist Jimmy "The Saint" Dobric in the late 1990s.

The group borrowed liberally from such fellow Midwestern post-punk poets as Soul Asylum and Afghan Whigs, but Lisik's often self-deprecating wink-and-a-nod lyrical content drew the band more appropriate comparisons to another Great Lakes-bred foursome. In a July 1999 Akron Beacon Journal feature on The Giants, entertainment writer Glenn Gamboa called the band "a sober version of the Replacements." Lisik's eventual response to the article, made to the host of a local video show, was that "Glenn's never been drinking with us."

The Giants of Science recorded two nationally released CDs (1998's "Hang Ups and All" and "A Minor Disturbance" in 2001, as a three-piece) on the Cherokee Queen/Lattisphere label. After an aborted national tour, and Lisik's increasingly acoustic-folk leaning songwriting, the band amicably called it quits in late 2001, playing its last show in October of that year.

After releasing a 9/11-inspired single - the frighteningly raw "(I Don't Wanna Go To) Heaven Daddy" - in early 2002, Lisik formed the first incarnation of the Brian Lisik Band and his full-length solo debut, "Baggage," was released on Cherokee Queen Records in 2004.

With a much more slick and pop-infused sound than any of his previous material, the album also featured a full-band arrangement of "Heaven Daddy." Produced and engineered by Eddie Tomecko (Bone Thugs-n-Harmony; Don Dixon) - who had also helmed both Giants of Science albums - and Bernie Grundman alumnus Erik Wolf (Delbert McClinton; John Prine; En Vogue), "Baggage" also spawned the radio single, "Still Think I'm Breathing."

Bill Gruber, longtime music director at popular Akron public radio station WAPS-91.3 FM The Summit, had pretty much summed up his colleagues' view of Lisik's previous recordings when he once dubbed The Giants of Science "a wall of frantic." Lisik, in turn, considered the quote a badge of honor and used it in a host of promotional material.

When "Baggage" was released, Gruber was one of the album's earliest and most stalwart champions, adding "Breathing" to the station's rotation almost immediately.

Throughout 2004 and 2005 Lisik and his band toured behind "Baggage," sharing stages with acts such as Jesse Malin, Tim Easton, and Byrds co-founder Roger McGuinn.
In 2005, Lisik had a cameo role in the independent film "Circle Track Summer," as he began work on the follow-up to "Baggage."

Produced by Todd Tobias (Guided by Voices; Clouds Forming Crowns; Robert Pollard; The Celebrity Pilots), and featuring Lisik's most prolific use of a co-writer to date - namely his brother, multi-instrumentalist Craig Lisik - "Happiness Is Boring" was released by Cherokee Queen in 2006.

Returning to a more natural, live feel, the Cleveland Scene said of "Happiness," "Lisik taps the same ragged roots-rock vein as the Replacements and Old '97s, cooking Stones-style country-blues and jingle-jangle twang into a variety of enticing recipes."

In an Aug. 2006 article in the Williamsport Sun Gazette, writer C.A. Keller said "Brian Lisik’s sound is that of a solid ‘90s Americana rock band (but) Lisik definitely has a knack for catching — and keeping — his listeners’ attention. He’s funny (“Sleeping With a Moron”) and sad (“Sleeping With a Moron”). So essentially, Mr. Lisik, you done good.”

"Happiness" managed to continue, and even surpass, "Baggage"'s popularity with radio, as the singles "Nothing I Can Do," "Saving Grace," and "Outside the Elms" became college and public radio favorites.

A video for "Elms" was shot in late 2006, with Akron's Our Lady of The Elms High School and legendary Highland Square arts district featured prominently.

The long stretch between "Happiness" and "Mess" has been well documented in press coverage of the latter album, but Lisik was far from idle during that time. A number of live and studio recordings of new songs found their way onto a variety of cd compilations over the six-year span, and Lisik's show schedule remained consistent - some would say exhausting - with the "Happiness" tour logging roughly 400 stops, both solo and with his band, by now affectionately dubbed The Unfortunates.

Lisik is also an award-winning reporter and columnist for the Cleveland-based Sun News chain. In 2005 his work received a Hooper Award for General Excellence in series writing from the Ohio Newspapers Association, and he was recognized in 2004 by the Suburban Newspapers of America for column writing.

Lisik's work has also appeared in Spin, the Cleveland Scene, Cleveland Free Times, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Suburbanite, Richfield Times, Bath Country Journal and the Sagamore Voice.

While touring behind "Mess," Lisik is at work on several writing projects, including a collection of previously published columns and essays, and a book on “small town politics and big time rock-n-roll” co-written with Victor Milani - former Northfield, Ohio mayor and photographer for the Michael Stanley Band, Wild Cherry, and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Instrumentation

Brian Lisik - Vocals and Guitars
Steve Norgrove - Vocals, Bass, Guitar, Harmonica, mandolin
Ben Evans - Piano, organ, natty chapeau
Craig Lisik - Drums, guitars, bad jokes and beer
Joe "Motion" Waller - Drums, Percussion, cool hats

Discography

The Mess That Money Could Buy (Cherokee Queen) 2012
Happiness Is Boring (Cherokee Queen) - 2006
Baggage (Cherokee Queen)- 2004
Every City Has Its Limits (Cherokee Queen EP) - 2003
(Don't Wanna Go To) Heaven Daddy (Cherokee Queen - Single) 2002
* A Minor Disturbance (Cherokee Queen EP)- 2001
* Hang Ups and All (Cherokee Queen EP) - 1998
(* w/ The Giants Of Science)

Official Website

http://www.brianlisik.com

Links

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Last.fm
• MySpace
• Youtube

Audio

• Sleeping With A Moron
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• Nothing I Can Do
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• Sins of the Fathers
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• Michele
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• Saving Grace
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• Crossing Myself
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Lyrics

• Sleeping With A Moron
• Nothing I Can Do
• Sins Of The Fathers
• Michele
• Saving Grace
• Crossing Myself

Video

"Outside The Elms" - from the album Happiness Is Boring - Dir. Eddie Tomecko

"Five Other Rooms" - from the album The Mess That Money Could Buy - Dir. Henry J. Konczak

Photo Gallery

Press

• "Happiness Is Boring" CD review [+ Show ]
  

  A brutal, honest delivery combed heavily with solid rock riffs and heavy delivery - Brian Tucker (Is...A brutal, honest delivery combed heavily with solid rock riffs and heavy delivery - Brian Tucker (Issue 30 Dec. 2007)

• "Happiness Is Boring" CD review [+ Show ]
  

  With a wonderful grasp of classic Pop/Rock, Ohio songwriter Brian Lisik makes music that is not "of"...With a wonderful grasp of classic Pop/Rock, Ohio songwriter Brian Lisik makes music that is not "of" any specific era. With a tinge of twang, Lisik's songs ring with a melodic effortlessness that great songwriters like Paul Westerberg and Jeff Tweedy ooze on a regular basis. "Happiness is Boring," co-produced by former GBV member Todd Tobias, came out last year; look for a DVD featuring footage from the tour behind that album in the near future.
  
  Dig It: Paul Westerberg, Soul Asylum, Jesse Malin. (MB)

• "Happiness Is Boring" CD review [+ Show ]
  

  Brian Lisik taps the same ragged roots-rock vein as the Replacements and Old '97s, cooking Stones-st...Brian Lisik taps the same ragged roots-rock vein as the Replacements and Old '97s, cooking Stones-style country-blues and jingle-jangle twang into a variety of enticing recipes. From "The Outskirts," whose soulful, horn-fueled shuffle recalls early Springsteen, to "Nothing I Can Do," whose opening refrain harks back to the Byrds' "Turn! Turn! Turn!", producer Todd Tobias (Guided by Voices) manages to keep the sound crisp and clean without polishing out Lisik's barroom roots. Though the Akron native delivers mostly catchy, uptempo numbers, it's the heart-rending ballad "Sleeping With a Moron" that hits hardest, delivering the bitter bite of a man cuckolded by his Corvette-driving neighbor ("a self-made man in a Def Leppard shirt"). - Chris Parker

• "Happiness Is Boring" CD review [+ Show ]
  

  Brian Lisik Happiness Is Boring (Cherokee Queen Records) brianlisik.com Akron singer-son...Brian Lisik
  
  Happiness Is Boring
  
  (Cherokee Queen Records)
  
  brianlisik.com
  
  Akron singer-songwriter Brian Lisik is known for experimenting with different genres of music, so the garagey rock of Happiness Is Boring should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with his career, which dates back to self-christened "slop rockers" the Giants of Science. "Same Old Scene" reminiscences about growing up and being an outcast from society, while "Play a Song for Mother" talks about having a loving approach to the world. Produced by Todd Tobias of Guided by Voices fame and recorded with his brother, Craig Lisik (who plays guitars, drums, bass and piano, in addition to writing five tunes), the album has a lo-fi charm that makes it perfect for late-night listening.
  
  — Stephen Tompkins
  

• "Happiness Is Boring" CD review [+ Show ]
  

  For Lisik, ‘Happiness is Boring.’ For listeners, that’s not the case By C.A.KELLER ckeller@su...
  For Lisik, ‘Happiness is Boring.’ For listeners, that’s not the case
  
  By C.A.KELLER
  ckeller@sungazette.com
  
  Brian Lisik’s sound is that of a solid ‘90s Americana rock band, slightly pop but not so’s you’d notice. Earthy and real, like he just picked up his guitar in a bar and decided to rock out the story of his life, he sounds like Toad the Wet Sprocket meets Bryan Adams meets Tom Petty meets the Gin Blossoms. You know. That era. Only a bit more rock than not, and more like the middle two than not. Just ... not quite.
  
  But Lisik definitely has a knack for catching — and keeping — his listeners’ attention. He’s funny (“Sleeping With a Moron”) and sad (“Sleeping With a Moron”). He sounds like he belongs somewhere, that he’s native to someplace, and that he knows his sense of roots is a good one, despite the happiness and pain those roots might bring. That comes across perfectly in both his lyrics and his sound.
  
  The album’s title is “Happiness is Boring,” but his music brings more happiness than not, and I can’t say I’m bored with him yet, so on that level, he is a bit of a liar. But something tells me that he wasn’t referring to my attention span when he named his collection of tracks.
  
  Lisik sounds like he belongs on a road trip movie soundtrack ... the sort of soundtrack it’s actually a compliment to say you belong on. I’d listen to this CD on the road, and it’d make me feel pretty good about the trip, too. A song like “Outside the Elms,” a sassier, more countrified ode to Americana works. I mean, I think even my brother would like this band, and he only, strictly, emphatically likes country music. So essentially: Mr. Lisik, you done good.
  
  Sample Lyrics: “He’s got the IQ of a bowl of soup, but hey, he’s taking up her time.” (“Sleeping With a Moron”)
  
  Standout Tracks: “Helicopters,” “The Outskirts,” “Sleeping With a Moron” (I like funny).
  
  Section: Showcase Posted: 8/31/2006

• "Happiness Is Boring" CD Review [+ Show ]
  

  "Two songs at once in rotation, 'Nothing I Can Do' and 'Saving Grace.' It's always spirit-lifting..."Two songs at once in rotation, 'Nothing I Can Do' and 'Saving Grace.'
  
  It's always spirit-lifting to be able to play and enjoy a local release without making any concessions or footnotes. This is some really good stuff....welcome to your own skin, Mr. Lisik, enjoy your stay!"
  
  
  Bill Gruber
  Program & Music Director WAPS 91.3 The Summit in Akron www.913thesummit.com
  

• "Baggage" CD review [+ Show ]
  

  Brian Lisik - Baggage Every so often a singer-songwriter and artist comes along that you simply f...Brian Lisik - Baggage
  
  Every so often a singer-songwriter and artist comes along that you simply feel completely compelled to share with others. That is exactly the case with Ohio born Brian Lisik who comes forth as a true rocker with a folk attitude. Somewhere between the 70s era Springsteen, the late 80s and early 90s Mellencamp, and the modern craftsmen like Shawn Mullins, emerges the new breed, and the leader of that breed is who I am introducing you to in this short review.
  
  Ya know, how sometimes when you hear rave things about an artist, and then you get the chance to experience them and you are less than happy with that experience? Well, that is kind of what I was expecting when I sat down to listen to Baggage by Brian Lisik. What I found though was an intense CD that is filled with tunes that actually have substance and real meaning. Not the drivel you are hearing in a lot of the more recent bands, or even so-called artists.
  
  Brian Lisik my friends is the real deal, and I am happy to have received this CD and bring it to you. I don't get really excited about a lot of music, or music makers today, but this is what the rock scene needs today, more that craft their music rather than just throwing it together and serving it up. Brian Lisik has taken some great notes over the years to come up with a combination that is both fresh and retro and completely pertinent in today's over produced market of schlock rock. This is what I started my website for in the first place, to bring you artists, real damn artists that care as much about their music, I would say more , than they do for the money that comes with it.
  
  The music is stripped down, but still tight and strong, and the lyrics that are relevant, timely, and cleverly written to make the emotions that Brian Lisik feels run through the listeners veins at the same time. There is very little to improve on here, and I hope that when the labels come knocking, they let Brian Lisik keep his own creativity, and not try and put this round peg in the square holes they have carved out. Let the creativity run, and don't let this future star fade by trying to calm his heart and emotion. A few of the more standout numbers on this CD are "Toronto", "Heaven Daddy" and the wonderful and upbeat "Bad Reputations". If Brian Lisik holds his place and doesn't change too much, we may just be celebrating his achievements in the not to far off future.
  
  ( 5.5 Stars out of 6 )

• "Baggage" CD review [+ Show ]
  

  Brian Lisik Baggage Cherokee Queen Records Grade: C+/B- For a short moment on the first real t...Brian Lisik
  Baggage
  Cherokee Queen Records
  Grade: C+/B-
  
  For a short moment on the first real track of Baggage "Toronto," I thought this might be a tremendous record. Well, more like a unique treasure. The reason was the overindulgence in some type of keys that sound close to a xylophone. While the song didn't fully deliver, it wasn't a bad start for the strictly independent musician Brian Lisik. Unfortunately, some of that quirkiness isn't featured much beyond "Toronto." Filled out by "Jet Black" Eddie Tomecko, Kehri Spicel, Craig Lisik, Sam Ramirez and Robb Myers, Akron, Ohio-based Lisik offers up ten tracks on his debut solo affair. Lisik certainly channels the Midwestern rock flair of John Mellencamp, particularly on songs like "Crossing Myself" and "Bad Reputations." In that respect, Lisik will easily be able to support his music as bar and small club fodder for years to come. To move beyond this, he will at least need to get picked up as a tour support act for some notable band.

• "Baggage" CD review [+ Show ]
  

  Brian Lisik Baggage (Cherokee Queen Records) Formerly of the moderately successful local indie-...Brian Lisik
  Baggage
  (Cherokee Queen Records)
  
  Formerly of the moderately successful local indie-rock act Giants of Science, Akron singer-songwriter Brian Lisik has opted for an American roots-rock approach on this, his first solo album.
  
  For the most part, the style suits the husky-voiced Lisik well. He evokes Canadian protest singer Bruce Cockburn on "Heaven Daddy" and sounds like folk icon John Prine on "Crossing Myself." A track like "Drunkard Hill" has a natural alt-country feel to it, mixing the raw power of the Replacements with the twang of Uncle Tupelo
  
  -Jeff Niesel

• Live Review [+ Show ]
  

  (11/10/06 live in Kent) Brian Lisik was the epitome of coffee-house cool - Leslie Cusano/Folkalle...(11/10/06 live in Kent)
  
  Brian Lisik was the epitome of coffee-house cool - Leslie Cusano/Folkalley.com

Setlist

Sets are typically 45 minutes to an hour...to two hours...to three hours...it depends...

Helicopters
The Outskirts
Nothing I Can Do
The Poor Kids
Michele
Same Old Scene
Play A Song For Mother
Sleeping With A Moron
Outside The Elms
The Roses
Saving Grace
Toronto
Heaven Daddy
Crossing Myself
Cecilly
Still Think I'm Breathing
Small Town Royal Family
Longest Day of The Year
To California
Chaos Is a Friend of Mine
Change on Your Own
I'm Satisfied
A Mess
Nights In Shining Amour
Five Other Rooms
Paramours
I Want To Go Home
Yesterday Wasn't Real
Last Words
Best Of Intentions
Catholic Girl From Sagamore
Passenger Side (Wilco)
The Waiting (Tom Petty)
Refugee (Tom Petty)
Goin' Out West (Jesse Malin)
Queen Of The Underworld (Jesse Malin)
Brooklyn (Jesse Malin)
Motel Blues (Loudin Wainwright III)
Love Untold (Paul Westerberg)
Here Comes A Regular (The Replacements)
Little Mascara (The Replacements)
Left Of The Dial (The Replacements)
September Gurls (Big Star)
Cry Cry Cry (Johnny Cash)
Between A Laugh And A Tear (John Mellencamp)

..there are more, but we can't think right now.

Basic Requirements

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