Lorijo Manley

Artist Information

Biography

News from KJPR Publicity & Artist Relations
For Release November 2008

Karen Johnson

Singer/ Songwriter/ Guitarist LORIJO MANLEY
Brings “Driving By Midnight” Tour to First-Ever CA Gigs

CHECK OUT LORIJO MANLEY’S UNIQUE “ALTERNATIVE BLUES” APR 3, MAY 1 & 23, JUNE 6, ‘09 AT COLOMBO’S LANDMARK MUSIC CLUB/ RESTAURANT IN EAGLE ROCK/ METRO LOS ANGELES

Righteous “Busker” Spawns Impressive Music Company of Her Own Making; The Ultimate “Indie” Story

(Los Angeles) -- On July 13, Lorijo performed a special concert in Los Angeles, celebrating Blues-maven DJ Ann the Raven’s birthday. The response was overwhelming, and Lorijo has been asked to return to Colombo’s/ Eagle Rock (Los Angeles), for upcoming gigs, Jan 9th and 31st (Feb. and beyond, TBA). While in Southern CA, Lorijo will also perform in Santa Monica, Redondo Beach, San Diego, Tujunga, and Glendale/ Eagle Rock, traveling down from San Francisco, Berkeley, Gilroy and Santa Clara.

Colombo’s is gearing up for Lorijo’s live-from-New-York “Alternative Blues,” a genre Lorijo deeply enjoys, pumping the funk out of her original tunes and handling some fine covers with soulful originality. But, she’s not limited. Folk, Americana, AAA, acoustic… she does it all. (Most performances are solo, but she also records, produces and performs with a band of East Coast stalwarts.) As a business executive, a crowning achievement is her establishment of Muddy Pause Music, handling CD distribution, publishing, promotion, booking, merchandising and tour management -- on the road, Lorijo travels in her “majikal mystery van” (Lorijo’s homey tour bus). You can’t miss her on the ‘net. If you’d like to add her two CD’s, AIRPLANE and NAKED, to your collection, it’s an easy jump to CD Baby (and other outlets) online. Lorijo’s also made a great success of her association with Sonicbids. But, everything you need to know is right there at www.lorijomanley.com, a comprehensive web site designed and implemented by the musician herself.

Lorijo’s AIRPLANE CD (2007, Muddy Pause Music) achieved its title by way of her roots. “I'm always reaching for higher and higher altitudes,” she proclaims. One of her most popular set-list numbers is AIRPLANE’S “Driving by Midnight” which has the feeling of triumph that is a lot like Lorijo. (“Something lives in the dreaming/ Which I will never lose...”) Hence the tour title.

Lorijo’s songs are jettisoned by her unequivocal status as a premier American guitarist. NY’s OutWords magazine started that buzz: "She makes magic through her music... channeling Jimi Hendrix through her fingers... spectacular." When asked about the recurrent Hendrix comparisons, she gives a humble shrug and says, “It’s the kinetic relationship we share with the guitar in live performance.“

The tradition of artistic integrity flowed through Lorijo’s energetic family, with strong artistic influence from her Grandparents and her Mom. “They gave me my creative props, fueling my imagination at every turn,” Lorijo emphasizes. And, she wasn’t the only artist nurtured in that household. When Alex Haley transplanted from New York City, and needed a place to stay in upstate New York, it was Lorijo’s family who opened their home. As a result, “Roots” was written in a comfortable setting.

On “Too Late, Angel,” a la Carole King’s cathartic “It’s Too Late,” she employs a Yamaha plug-in, recalling, “The second guitar I laid down was a Gibson Les Paul electric.” The cut is soulful, vocals reflecting controlled emotion.

Propelled by a truckin’ guitar/harmonica combo (Lorijo/Sal Carolei), she gets due respect from a swampy rhythm section on “Past Dues.” Her guitar work takes it to the greats. “I’m playing a Fender strat on this strut. It makes men cower and women sport wicked grins,” she laughs. The genesis of this song comes from flipping a car and walking away with just a little blood on her hands. With a wink, she adds, “It's also about the music industry.”

Lorijo wrote several songs for her Grandfather, including “Seven Sea Ships.” She says, “I wrote it years ago and thought it was corny. When he passed, I put it on the set list. The response was incredible, so I kept it in rotation. Playing this song is an experience of transcendence. I call these ‘velvet scenes.’” She plays a Yamaha classical acoustic-electric. Like Richie Havens, with whom she has shared the stage, a “sound of freedom” emanates from Lorijo’s guitar. But, hers is a younger, alternative style -- folk, funk and alternative-blues roots intact.

Lorijo produced NAKED, and co-produced AIRPLANE with bassist Darrell Briscoe, founder of New York’s Two Galleries recording studio, with credits including Ari Hest, Paul McCartney, KRS-One and MTV.

Lorijo’s “Driving By Midnight Concert Tour” wound northeast for the Summer, with stops in FL (a month of smokin’ performances at Blue Heaven, Key West’s home for live music and exotic food, where Ernest Hemingway once hung out), VA, MD, NJ, PA, MA, returning to her home state, New York, for the State Fair and Clinton Fest, among club gigs. Then, on to Boston, Provincetown (to packed, SRO crowds), Chicago (where Lorijo’s had a fan base for a decade, as she does in NY and FL). When she got her start as a fervent, young musician, she tried “busking” in the NYC subways, from which word of her talent spread like wildfire.

When she returns to the East Coast in ‘09, Lorijo will tape “Women On Air,” the weekly NPR program of host Laney Goodman’s acclaimed “Women in Music” series, presenting eclectic artists, on the internet, and nationwide.

FEEDBACK: Lorijo’s TV and radio credits are numerous, including WBAI in NYC and WGN in Chicago. Richard Lynch of Chicago’s WNUR: “(She’ll) blow you away with her humanistic funk rock style;” Chicago’s “happenings” magazine, Subnation, says, “Something about her brings to mind a female Lenny Kravitz;” Windy City Times remarks, “Manley is concerned with broad human values…. she praises those who have fought for causes (and) urges her audience to take stock of their personal values…” Even the Key West Citizen picked up on the now-familiar chatter that, when Ms. Manley hits that certain, kinetic groove, she might as well be channeling the likes of Jimi Hendrix.

At this point, she “owns” Manhattan’s abundant, alternative club scene. Conceivably, time might allow an occasional nostalgic show in the psychedelic subways. After all… Lorijo is devoted to “free-roaming” in her “markets.”

KJPR Publicity & Artist Relations
Karen Johnson

www.lorijomanley.com


# # #

Background Notes:
Lorijo Manley studied theatre at Northwestern, creating the University's first women's performance troupe, Astarte Mettle, which garnered Lorijo a TIME MAGAZINE COLLEGE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD. Over the next decade, she logged 3,000 live music performances, between New York and Chicago alone. Lorijo was an official performer at the Athlete's Village, 1996 Olympic Games, Atlanta. In 1998, her vocals were showcased in the Native American Music Awards theme music, on A&E. She
has numerous television and radio appearance credits, including WBAI, New York City; WNUR and WGN, Chicago; WAMC/NPR, Albany; WUMB, Boston. In 2003, she won an arts grant to help produce NAKED.

KJPR Publicity & Artist Relations
Karen Johnson
(career clients... Etta James, U2, Ringo Starr, Taj Mahal, Dennis Hopper,Kim Wilson, Fabulous Thunderbirds, Tony Bennett, Andy Summers,
Keith Richards, Private Music, Warner Bros. Records,
Stony Plain Records, Musicians For Life... )
News from KJPR Publicity & Artist Relations
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
News from KJPR Publicity & Artist Relations/
Karen Johnson
www.lorijomanley.com www.sonicbids.com/LorijoManley

LORIJO MANLEY “AIRPLANE TOUR”
2008-2009
"Lorijo Manley will blow you away with her 'humanistic funk rock' style.
A premier vocalist and uniquely gifted guitarist..."
(WNUR-FM, Chicago)

SUN JUL 13 COLOMBO’S/ EAGLE ROCK LOS ANGELES CA
THU AUG 21 NEW YORK STATE FAIR SYRACUSE NY
SAT AUG 23 CLINTON ARTS FEST CLINTON NY
TBA SEP WUMB/NPR BOSTON MA
TBA SEP-OCT COMMERCIAL/TOWN HALL PROVINCETOWN MA
SAT  OCT 11     UU MEETINGHOUSE  PROVINCETOWN  MA
SAT OCT 11 TASTE OF BIG SHOW/ UU PROVINCETOWN MA
SUN OCT 12 THE LANDMARK PROVINCETOWN MA
MON OCT 13 UU MEETING/Lizzie Borden PROVINCETOWN MA
TUE OCT 14 WOMR-RADIO womr.org PROVINCETOWN MA
THU OCT 16 THE LANDMARK             PROVINCETOWN MA
SAT OCT 18  UU MEETINGHOUSE PROVINCETOWN MA 
SAT OCT 18 REALLY BIG SHO/ UU PROVINCETOWN MA
SUN OCT 19 UU MEETING/Lizzie Borden PROVINCETOWN MA
SAT OCT 25 INDUSTRY FUNCTION BOSTON MA
SAT NOV 1 SUGAR PEARL SYRACUSE NY
FRI NOV 7 HEARTLAND CAFE CHICAGO IL
SAT    NOV 15 BAREFOOT COFFEE ROAST SANTA CLARA CA
SUN NOV 16 SUE'S COFFEE ROAST COMP GILROY CA
MON NOV 17 DUBLIN SQUARE SAN DIEGO CA
WED NOV 19 WOMR-RADIO womr.org PROVINCETOWN MA
SAT NOV 22 C & D’S WELCOME CAFE REDONDO BCH CA
WED DEC 17 SANTA MONICA – OPEN MIC SANTA MONICA CA
MON DEC 22 THE GOOD HURT SANTA MONICA CA
TUE DEC 23 BARE BACK GRILL SAN DIEGO CA
SAT DEC 27 C & D’S WELCOME CAFÉ REDONDO BEACH CA
FRI JAN 2 ARNIE'S CAFE TUJUNGA CA
SAT JAN 3 PARLOR SERIES @SPUD’S BREW BERKELEY CA
FRI JAN 9 COLOMBO'S/EAGLE ROCK LOS ANGELES CA
MON JAN 12 RAINBOW BAR – OPEN MIC LOS ANGELES CA
MON JAN 19 RAINBOW BAR - OPEN MIC TBA LOS ANGELES CA
SAT JAN 31 COLOMBO’S/ EAGLE ROCK LOS ANGELES CA
WED FEB 11 SANTA MONICA BAR & GRILLE SANTA MONICA CA
FRI FEB 20 COLOMBO'S/ EAGLE ROCK LOS ANGELES CA
SAT FEB 21 COLOMBO’S/ EAGLE ROCK LOS ANGELES CA

News from KJPR Publicity & Artist Relations/
Karen Johnson

Instrumentation

SOLO LINE UP:
Lorijo Manley
Vocals, Acoustic and Electric Guitars, Piano

DUO LINE UP:
Lorijo - Vocals, Guitars, Piano
and a Drummer/Percussionist

FULL BAND LINE UP:
Lorijo along with any combination of Drums, Bass, Guitar, and Keyboards, depending on venue/event.

Discography

Airplane - 2007
Naked - 2004

http://www.myspace.com/lorijomanley

Audio

• TOO LATE, ANGEL
  Listen  
• Driving By Midnight
  Listen  
• MAD MAX
  Listen  
• SEVEN SEA SHIPS
  Listen  
• EMILY OPIUM
  Listen  
• PAST DUES
  Listen  

Lyrics

• Mad Max
• Seven Sea Ships

Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• In Concert: Lorijo Manley [+ Show ]
  

  By Ran 8/10/04 She makes magic through her music. I swear she was channeling Jimi Hendrix throug...By Ran
  8/10/04
  
  She makes magic through her music. I swear she was channeling Jimi Hendrix through her fingers, 'cause her guitar playing was pretty spectacular. She played music that hinted of blues, pop and lots of rock and roll...
  
  There is a line from her song "Seven Sea Ships" that I think sums up her music, "There's always a strong heart beating through our lives." This music had a very strong heart...
  
  We were really lucky to be treated to a three hour show by this artist. I hope you have the opportunity to catch this amazing musician the next time around!
  
  

• The Light Show [+ Show ]
  

  By Frederick Geobold I wish you could watch this woman play guitar. She knows her way around the ...By Frederick Geobold
  
  I wish you could watch this woman play guitar. She knows her way around the fingerboard. Impressive.

• Musician Pursues Dream [+ Show ]
  

  By Ed Hershman, free-lance writer Something about her brings to mind a female Lenny Kravitz. In a...By Ed Hershman, free-lance writer
  
  Something about her brings to mind a female Lenny Kravitz. In a gig last fall at Biddy Mulligan's, a patron mentioned her "huge stage presence" to a companion. When this kudo was passed along to her, Lorijo Manley, with typical humility, credited her cowboy boots, which augment a height somewhere around 5' 5".
  
  A more likely source for the praise, however, is the fact that she plays the hell out of her guitar, has a 100-megawatt smile and puts two tons of heart into her singing.
  
  She says she was literally born to perform: "When I was born, they tell me I grabbed the doctor's stethoscope like a microphone."
  
  Lorijo has been supporting herself solely with her music for over four years, earning her keep at local venues such as Beat Kitchen, Not Just Pasta, Lottie's Pub, Roy's, Urbus Orbis, and the Blind Faith Cafe. She is playing July 29 at the Gallery Cabaret, 2020 N. Oakley in Bucktown.
  
  On July 11 Lorijo played at the Gallery Cabaret. Most of the customers paid her the ultimate compliment; they shut up, absorbed, smiling, bobbing their heads, tapping their feet...she makes you feel sorry for all those who spend hours on artifice to achieve what this woman was, evidently, born with.
  
  The club's most remarkable aspect is the art that lines its walls, paintings that combine the best and the worst of Walt Disney, the Night Gallery, and Heironymus Bosch.
  
  She plays a classical guitar modified with a pickup. Lorijo puts out a big sound using just the guitar, an amp, and her voice. The voice shows great range; penetrating, pure, powerful, passionate, seductive, angelic, and refined. Often joyous, her voice climbs from a suggestive whisper to a leather-lunged, heartbreaking sweet shout, in perfect control. In the upper ranges she hits a penetrating pitch reminiscent of Aretha Franklin.
  
  Fulsome praise? Go find out for yourself.
  
  Between songs she does a bit of gentle patter, somewhere between standup and segue, creating a dialogue with the audience. Her physical style is earthy - black jeans, cowboy boots and constant movement.
  
  Tonight Lorijo does a few songs with electric bassist Christopher Wagner, briefly forming a trio later with William Soto, The threesome elicits that rare applause that wells up unbidden in the middle of a song. Later, sans bassist and harp, Lorijo plays an impromptu set with renaissance flutist Jamie Lynn Paradise, also drawing applause before the customary time.
  
  Music's noblest aim, perhaps, is to free you from the world of potholes, bosses and downsizing. To ride on the wings of a greater power toward all that is pure, alive and good. Yes, Mr. Poe, there is a balm in Gilead.
  
  Toward the end of her performance an admirer declared, "You sound so much better without the trains going by." To explain, Manley has also earned her daily bread with a mic, a guitar, and an open guitar case along the subway section of the Howard line el. She still plies her trade there two or three times a week.
  
  What has she gotten out of the el experience?
  
  "The fact that I'm still alive," she says, "It's been good preparation for all the snakes and sharks."
  
  Harsh words, but characteristic of Manley, who is a walking combination of hope and cynicism.
  
  "In the subway I've had my knee kicked, my arm bitten...I've been stalked."
  
  The upside of being a beneath-the-street performer?
  
  "The first smile, foot stamp, head bob...that's what moves your tank from half full to full."
  
  Lorijo's had odd items tossed into her collection plate. "Three different times men have tossed condoms into the till. At least they weren't used."
  
  Another memorable incident:
  
  "One time a guy sat down in front of me, put his head in his hands, resting his elbows on his knees. Then he threw up and passed out. I watched the vultures pick his pockets and toss some of the take into my till. Later on he woke up to applaud."
  
  Indeed the denizens of this particular underworld have prepped your humble musician for other slime that walks upright - sometimes clad in suit and tie.
  
  "The best advice I could give to anyone trying to make it in the music business is 'know a good lawyer'."
  
  Don King once said, in essence, that despite the venal powers-that-be in boxing, the sport looked like a choirboy convention compared to the predatory power brokers in the music business.
  
  Though she has had her share of connections, she says, "I've been led down that rosy path before. I've had major-label interest, known lawyers of note, producers, investor types...inappropriate things have occurred. I'd rather say no and starve.
  
  Despite the Flower Power influence; caffeine, nicotine, and cheap red wine are her only drugs. Today she wears a silver earring which combines the symbols for peace and womanhood with a treble clef.
  
  Her musical philosophy consists of "expressing lessons; my own or others, stories, the 'better world syndrome' - though I don't like to preach. Like Shaw said, I like to get 'em laughing and then stick the knife of truth in."
  * * *
  "...something lives in the dreaming
  
  which I will never lose
  
  It haunts and taunts and persuades me
  
  That it's real and with me and true..."
  'Driving By Midnight'
  Copyright 1994 Lorijo Manley
  Ed Hershman - SubNation
  
  

• Airplay [+ Show ]
  

  By Richard Lynch Lorijo Manley will blow you away with her 'humanistic funk rock' style. A premie...By Richard Lynch
  
  Lorijo Manley will blow you away with her 'humanistic funk rock' style. A premier vocalist and uniquely gifted guitarist, with a sound unlike anything you've ever heard...an incredible blend. This woman doesn't just play the guitar; she attacks it.

• LORIJO MANLEY [+ Show ]
  

  By Albert Williams "Workin' / For my livin' / Well, I'm here all day / And I'm singin' and I'm gi...By Albert Williams
  
  "Workin' / For my livin' / Well, I'm here all day / And I'm singin' and I'm givin'," goes a lyric in Lorijo Manley's song "Workin". For Manley, singing and songwriting are very much a matter of giving. It's her work - a profession by which she earns a living as well as self-respect.
  
  "Busking and gigging," says Manley, describing the avenues by which she reaches paying audiences in the Chicago area. "Busking is a main part of it. Playing on the street - at the zoo, in the tunnels and platforms of the Chicago public transit system. I tend to stick to the underground," she adds, laughing at her pun on the "counterculture" image...
  
  Manley is concerned with
  broad human values. In the powerful "Whatcha Doin?" she praises those who have fought for causes, but also urges her audience to take stock of their personal values: "Up you mighty people / Accomplish what you will / But I say what, whatcha doin', yeah what?"
  
  "I include myself in that," she says. "I don't want anyone to think I'm standing there pointing a finger at everyone else except me. It's a plea to look around at what we're all doing with our lives...how we treat each other on a day-to-day basis."

• WGN - Step Up To The Mic with Spike [+ Show ]
  

  "...Incredible. Quite a crowd out there, too..." -Spike O'Dell "...I'm watching y..."...Incredible. Quite a crowd out there, too..."
  -Spike O'Dell
  "...I'm watching you salivate over her playing..."
  -Anne Maxfield

• Women's Village presents Lorijo Manley in concert [+ Show ]
  

  by Constance Gilbert Lorijo Manley has got to be a remarkable entertainer - really, somebody spec...by Constance Gilbert
  
  Lorijo Manley has got to be a remarkable entertainer - really, somebody special. For the first time in recorded memory, the very self-contained Sugarloaf Women's Village is opening its figurative gates to invite all women of the Keys to join them on Memorial Day, to hear Manley at a free concert, at 2 p.m. Monday.
  
  How remarkable is she? Well, the nationally known and lauded guitarist/vocalist was once credited with channeling Jimi Hendrix and, by another publication, with being "a poet wielding a six-string axe of funky folk rock - the spiritual love child of Hendrix and Joni Mitchell," according to Bonnie Netherton of the Women's Village, producer of the concert.
  
  Manley was an official performer at the Athletes Village during the 1996 Olympics, and in '98 her singing was showcased in the theme music for the First Annual Broadcast (sic) Awards (Native American Awards) broadcast on A & E. Her music is described as "fast, funky, rhythmic and powerful" and has been praised as a singer/songwriter in countless publications across the U.S.
  
  Born in New York City (sic), and raised there and in upstate New York, Manley's formative years were filled with music and theater. Her grandmother began her piano lessons at age five, and a year or two later Santa brought her a guitar - after she was discovered "torturing her mother's violin trying to play it as a six string git." She "wrote her first songs around age 10."
  
  This interest in music and theater never waned. In high school she founded a theater troupe, won an acting contest, and decided to enroll in Northwestern University's acclaimed theater department. There she created the school's first ever women's performance group, Astarte Mettle, which garnered her a Time Magazine College Achievement Award.
  
  Conventional as this "star student" bio seems, Manley is anything but mainstream. "After graduation she traveled the country living out of her van. She thought this was a more practical way to starve. And it was. For 10 years she played music full-time, first in Chicago and then in New York City, logging over 3,000 live performances as a regular in popular venues and as a subway busker."
  
  She has also appeared numerous times on TV and radio, including appearances on WBAI in NYC and others in Chicago and Albany. An arts grant assisted in production of her CD "Naked," and "her newest recording, 'Airpalne,' is a full band rocker with a ton of heart," the bio reports.
  
  In SubNation, Ed Hershman goes that one better: "Lorijo's music puts two tons of heart into her singing," while Richard Lynch of WNUR called her "A premier vocalist and uniquely gifted guitarist, with a sound unlike anything you've ever heard. An interesting blend. This woman doesn't just play the guitar, she attacks it."
  
  OK, that's remarkable.
  
  Manley will be accompanied by drummer/percussionist Phyllis Free.
  
  by Constance Gilbert - The Key West Citizen (May 27, 2007)

• Suede, jazz singer
  

  "Very nice voice. Great playing, too. Keep up the good work!"

• That Sh*t was Da Bomb [+ Show ]
  

  By Gustav Plympton Lorijo Manley plays guitar like...like...she plays a really good guitar. Fast....By Gustav Plympton
  
  Lorijo Manley plays guitar like...like...she plays a really good guitar. Fast. Funky. Rhythmic and powerful. She melts her guitar picks with clockwork precision.
  

• Blown Away [+ Show ]
  

  by Marisa Everett The best surprises to come out of Spud's Parlor are the musicians that absolute...by Marisa Everett
  
  The best surprises to come out of Spud's Parlor are the musicians that absolutely blow Don and I away. Lorijo Manley has blown us away with the attention to her craft, her excellent timing and eclectic style. She is much more than a singer/songwriter - the whole band can be heard in her solo guitar arrangements. Her original songs will live inside your head to the point where if you didn't buy her CD you'll wish you had!!!!
  
  Her treatment of covers surprises, yet stay true to the character of the composer. She plays with the kind of fire and enthusiasm that turns audience members into participants. This woman is the Real Thing, totally authentic, a dedicated musician, on her way to greatness. Take it from us and then hear for yourself.
  

Setlist

Usually two 30-45 min. sets, or one 60-90 min. set, but varies depending on venue.

Mostly original material with a couple or more covers.

From list of 400+ originals:

Too Late, Angel Driving By Midnight
Seven Sea Ships Tried & True But Tired
Mad Max High Waters
Is It Just Roundabout
Workin' Goin' Fast
(Some)Thangs Water
Shelter Dome Long Way To Fall
Graveside Jenny Velvet
Past Dues Tangent Line

Covers include:

Janis Joplin - Me & Bobby McGee
Joni Mitchell - River
Tori Amos - Winter
Joan Baez - Diamonds and Rust
Bob Dylan - Like A Rolling Stone
Joan Armatrading - I Love My Baby
Beatles - Here Comes The Sun
With A Little Help From My Friends
Birthday
Hoyt Axton - Sweet Misery
Ferron - Our Purpose Here
Shadows on a Dime
Ain't Life a Brook
Janis Ian - From Me To You
Bob Marley - Redemption Song
Melissa Manchester - Ruby and The Dancer
Cris Williamson - Native Dancer

Basic Requirements

Calendar