Lizzy Pitch

Lizzy Picciallo brings her sound to Collegetown
By Jim Catalano
Journal Staff
Lizzy Picciallo always knew that she was going to become a musician. She got her first guitar when she was eight, but even before then, she was constantly playing with toy instruments.
“That's all I wanted, so at Christmas, I always got instruments as presents,” said Picciallo, an Ithaca singer-songwriter who will perform Tuesday, Aug. 28 at the Nines in Collegetown.
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Later, she signed up for band on her own at elementary school.
“I started playing drums in fifth grade,” said Picciallo. “They were the first instrument I wanted to play, and but my mom would never let me play them. But I went ahead and signed up for it anyway and didn't tell anyone.”
A native of Cape Cod, Picciallo (who pronounces her name “picky-ahlo”) attended Providence College, where she majored in jazz studies and trumpet.
“Then I switched to guitar as my main instrument and majored in classical composition,” she said. “It makes me feel a little rounded.”
She moved to Ithaca three years ago. “I had a friend going to Ithaca College and she needed someone to help pay the bills,” said Picciallo. “I heard there was a good folk scene and a nice queer scene, so I moved out here and everything was true. I had planned on staying here just a couple of months, but it turned out to be so excellent that I'm going to use this as home base for awhile.”
When she first started performing, Picciallo drew inspiration from her gay peers.
“It helped me so much because I already had a community that supported me and wanted to hear what I had to say,” she said. “They were so excited to have another voice, so that really pushed me.”
Picciallo released her debut CD, “Drawing Triangles,” earlier this year; its spare production showcases her acoustic guitar and versatile voice.
“A lot of my first CD had to do with coming out,” she said. “Some of those songs were older, so it was definitely geared toward lesbians and gay people. But I'm not at that stage anymore, so I don't feel that I need to do that.”
But while she's hoping to expand her fan base, she also wants to maintain her core supporters. “I need to be accepted by my audience to continue writing, because if no one buys my CDs, I can't keep producing them,” she said.
Picciallo has almost completed her second CD. “It has violins, a trumpet player and an excellent drummer, John from L.A. — it has more of a folk-rock feel to it,” she said.
And she's already planning her third CD.
“I'm going to expand beyond just playing the guitar and being stuck with one instrument, so I'm really excited about that. I've started working with these two (music software) programs, Reason and Ableton, and I'm going to put in a lot more electronica production. I'm hoping it's going to be a lot more organic than just changing my style.”
Picciallo will be joined by Chicago-based singer-songwriter Emily White for Tuesday's 9 p.m. show. Cover is $4. To learn more, visit www.myspace.com/lizzypicciallo.
Jcatalano@ithacajournal.com


- The Ithaca Journal

Two years after releasing the stellar debut "Drawing Triangles," local songwriter Lizzy Pitch is back with a new album, "Lunatic Fringe," which she'll unveil Sunday night at Felicia's Atomic Lounge.

The new album was recorded in spurts over the past two years as new songs were written. "I wanted to move away from the standard folksy 'girl with a guitar' and get more experimental, using different genres and musicians to create a broader sound," says Pitch, who recently shortened her last name from Picciallo. "I treated each song differently depending on the mood I was trying to accomplish paying attention not to repeat myself."

On the album's theme, "My underlying feeling when writing most of these songs was that I felt trapped in my life and wanted desperately to hit the road and make the leap into being a full time touring artist," she says. "I mostly write music and lyrics simultaneously and think of my songs as a mix between experiments and spells. If it is a success then a song should have its own power even without me singing it."

The new CD also showcases Pitch's piano prowess. "There is just so much more depth and so much more can be played all at once on the piano than on the guitar," she says.

There's no cover for Sunday's 7 p.m. show, but donations are welcome. Visitwww.nakedfacerecords.com to learn more. To read my full Q&A with Pitch, visitwww.ithacajournal.com. - The Ithaca Journal

Two years after releasing the stellar debut "Drawing Triangles," local songwriter Lizzy Pitch (formerly Picciallo) is back with a new album, "Lunatic Fringe," which she'll unveil Sunday night at Felicia's Atomic Lounge. There's no cover for the 7 p.m., but donations are welcome. Visit www.atomicloungeithaca.com for more information.

Last week, Pitch answered a few questions by email about the new album.

Q: What was your goal with this CD? Did you approach this one any differently than the last one?

Lizzy Pitch: With "Drawing Triangles" I learned the ropes of creating a studio album out of songs that I had already written but with "Lunatic Fringe" many of the songs were recorded as I wrote them over a period of about two years. I wanted to move away from the standard folksy "girl with a guitar" and get more experimental, using different genres and musicians to create a broader sound. I treated each song differently depending on the mood I was trying to accomplish paying attention not to repeat myself.

Q: Is there a theme running through the lyrics? What inspires you to write a song?

Pitch: My underlying feeling when writing most of these songs was that I felt trapped in my life and wanted desperately to hit the road and make the leap into being a full time touring artist. I mostly write music and lyrics simultaneously and think of my songs as a mix between experiments and spells. If it is a success then a song should have its own power even without me singing it. It's hard to say exactly what inspires me because everything inspires me! I feel like I'm constantly swimming through songs and when I sit down to the piano or guitar I just grab whichever one I happen to be passing through.

Q: What inspired the song "Jonathan Livingston Seagull"? That was one of my favorite books when I was a little kid!

Pitch: HA! That one had a definite purpose. It was the result of a short dating experience with a woman who was living in Ithaca. She borrowed my copy of "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" that I kept on my night-stand and I hadn't heard from her in weeks, so I wrote this song and performed it live while she was in the audience. The book was promptly returned to me but she hasn't been to a show since. Good way to lose a fan. Since I've written this song more copies of "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" have mysteriously appeared on my night stand.

Q: I like the piano-based tunes. Have you worked those into your live set yet?

Pitch: Piano is my new favorite. Lately I've been writing almost always on piano. There is just so much more depth and so much more can be played all at once on the piano than on the guitar. My current two hour live set contains seven piano tunes.

Q: I know you're based in Ithaca, but you don't play here too often. Have you getting around the rest of the country and gigging? Are you building followings elsewhere?

Pitch: My manager and I have been living on the road and touring full time since last summer. We started touring throughout New York, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts then in the fall we hit up every major city in the midwest. We were spreading ourselves a little thin so we spent most of the winter doing loops around Florida where I built up a solid following and met a lot of really awesome people. I got to play some pretty exciting shows down there. Some of this winter's highlights include playing at a big controversial pride festival in Port Saint Lucie and a singer/songwriter showcase in Fort Lauderdale called "Women Who Rock South Florida." We travel in a camper and it will be with us when I perform at Felicia's on May 31st so people can see what our life on the road looks like.

Q: Might as well talk about the name change (I don't have any problem with long Italian names, of course!)...

Pitch: Unfortunately, most people don't have long Italian names so they have a hard time when it comes to saying, spelling and remembering them. I was getting pretty tired of having my name spelled wrong at every gig and in every publication (except for the Ithaca Journal, of course!). Pitch works out great because it is just shortening the Italian pronunciation of Picciallo (pitch-e-aloe) and it fits with the music. New and old fans have been responding really well to the new name.

Q: Who are your main influences, musically and lyrically?

Pitch: Right now I'm heavily influenced by NYC-based Regina Spektor and the British pop singer Kate Nash. Lyrically I just love how freaky Regina and Kate can get. I try to disregard any boundaries and Regina's music has helped me to see how weird themes can be accepted by a mainstream audience. Ani DiFranco will always be an important influence for me just like the composers I've studied in my classical training like Beethoven, Rachmananoff and Tchaikovsky as well as the jazz artists I've studied my whole life like Gershwin, Miles Davis and Billy Holliday. John Lennon has also been in the front of my thoughts lately. Whenever I find myself in a tight spot I just think "What would John Lennon do?"

Q: What's next for you, career wise?

Pitch: I'm going to keep touring and building a solid fan base throughout the eastern United States. I used to spend a lot of time in the studio but now it's all about playing live for me and I have about ten new songs that people have been requesting recordings of so I'm thinking my next release will be a live album. People can check up on our adventures at www.NakedFacerecords.com.
- The Ithaca Journal

Since Lilith Fair and DIY movements like the Riot Grrrls disbanded in the ’90s, there hasn’t been much in the rock community to take their place. Testosterone-driven festivals rage on, and women get stuck with Sarah Palin. Thankfully, local music promoter Chrystal Hartigan realizes the importance of estrogen-friendly events and has put together Women Who Rock South Florida as part of her monthly Songwriter’s Showcase. The amazing line-up will consist of some of South Florida’s most rockin’ ladies like Ana Cristina, who performed at the presidential inauguration in 2005, Sol Ruiz, Lizzy Pitch, Michelle Riu, and Teri Catlin, who’s been supporting herself with music since the age of 14.

Women Who Rock South Florida, held Tuesday, will, unfortunately, be the last event at Laffing Matterz before it closes its doors at 219 S. Andrews Ave. in Fort Lauderdale for good. Admission is $5, and show starts at 8 p.m. For more information, visit laffingmatterz.com, or call 954-763-5236.
Tue., April 21, 8 p.m., 2009 - NewTimes Broward-Palm Beach