Alisha Zalkin
Los Angeles, California, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2014
Music
Press
Alisha Zalkin won Best CD and tied for Best Music Video. - Examiner.com
It has been a long time since I've been in Bar Lubitsch on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood. Booker Ian Webber, former booker at the Cat Club on the Sunset Strip and an incredible musician in his own right, has done a remarkable job of booking the highest quality of acts for his weekly shows.
Alisha Zalkin is proving how fearless she can be with the release of her new EP On This Road.
Alisha Zalkin is proving how fearless she can be with the release of her new EP On This Road.
www.alishazalkin.com, used by permission
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Alisha Zalkin's new EP Fearless is now available for download on CD Baby
www.alishazalkin.com, used by permission
On this particular day he booked Alisha Zalkin and some of her friends in a celebration of the recent release of Zalkin's new EP, On This Road.
The ambiance of this venue is incredible. From the moment you walk in the door, you are transported to another time and place and the feeling permeates throughout. In the back room where the music happens, the space is warm and organic, with plenty of places to sit and enjoy the night's musical treats.
After a wonderful opening set by Joe Gillette, it was time for Zalkin to take the stage. I was so happy to be taking it all in with one of my dearest friends, Laura Goldfarb of Red Boot PR, her assistant Aili Watanabe, and songwriter extraordinaire Elaine Macaluso.
The stage was filled with some of LA's finest musicians - Dan Kalisher on guitar, Alex "Badass" Balderston on upright bass, Rob Humphreys on Cajon and Will Herrington on keys. Zalkin takes her seat on the stool at the front of the stage, her beauty reflecting off the mirror on the wall behind her. The lights on the stage come up and illuminate the glow of Zalkin's inner beauty as it bursts forth in the words of her song and the music of her band.
Over the next 40 minutes or so I was transfixed on the stage, watching the magic spread across the room. Zalkin's voice has the tone and timbre of a cross between Mariah Carey and Oletta Adams. It is rich and full, and you can feel the truth of her words as they uplift and encourage you to face life's difficulties with optimism and unrestrained love.
Zalkin's first song, On This Road, is the title cut of her EP. It is upbeat and positive, and laid the perfect foundation for the music that followed. Her second song, Follow Your Own Heart, is not on the new EP, but was written for the Three Percent Conference that Zalkin recently attended, which is geared towards Women in Advertising, which make up only three percent of that industry.
You could feel Zalkin's soul and passion in her third song, Woman in Me, which included some incredible guitar work by Kalisher. The magic continued with Way Over Yonder and Let the Music Play. Then, just when you thought it couldn't get any better, Zalkin busted out with a cover of Mariah Carey's Always be my Baby before returning to her original material.
Zalkin's last three songs were her strongest of the night and featured the powerful Fearless, the uplifting Beautiful You and the inspiring I Believe in Angels. Check out the video of Fearless below. Fearless was co-written by the amazing Mary Ruth Schuler.
After the power of Zalkin's show, I had to take some time to relax in the bar with my friends. All in all it was one of the best nights of music I have ever experienced. Zalkin came and joined us at the bar. I felt like I was in the presence of a close friend. Alisha - thanks for sharing your heart and soul in your music. Whether or not you go far, your music has impacted my life in a good way. - Examiner.com
‘Tapestry’ by Carole King was one of the best-selling albums of all time … everyone I knew had a copy.
And it was not just the girls either … All the boys had a copy of ‘Tapestry’ as well … which is quite amazing – the same boys were just getting into Deep Purple, Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin.
People said that the trick Carole King pulled off was that the voice sounded raw and emotional. The reason the boys liked it was because the voice sounded so intimate. She was emptying her heart deep into your ear.
Alisha Zalkin smallLos Angeles, California based singer-songwriter Alisha Zalkin starts off her new E.P. ‘On This Road’ with ‘Way Over Yonder’ (track six from King’s ‘Tapestry’)
She sets her stall out early – she is looking to be this year’s elegant and spiritual lady. Who whispers into your ear.
Listening to the single ‘Fearless’ from the EP (produced by Steve Greenwell) brought me right back to 1971. That same grace and dignity is evident.
The voice of Zalkin is slightly more chocolatey than King’s – as rich and luxurious as a couverture.
The vocal tips and dips into sweet layers of condensed sounds – ascending spiritually – like a Dove of Peace – in the final stages of the song.
The subject matter – about a childhood friend who has been diagnosed with lymphoma – is never treated mawkishly. This is a celebration of life.
It is an invitation, to all of us, to find the courage that is hidden inside. - Raw Ramp
Discography
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Bio
Woven into Alisha Zalkin’s sweet yet powerful voice, catchy melodies and beautiful lyrics is a down-to-earth sense of spirituality, elegance and grace, reminiscent of iconic female artists before her like Carole King and Joni Mitchell. The San Diego native’s songwriting is carefully crafted, polished yet relaxed, and undeniably notable. Lyrics dance with raw vulnerability and inspiration.
In early 2014, Alisha Zalkin released her sophomore album, a five-song EP titled On This Road, produced by Steve Greenwell (Joss Stone, Diane Burch, Andy Grammar), which landed her two LA Music Critic Awards for Best CD and Best Music Video for her single Fearless. On This Road received rave reviews, including a wonderful review of her live performance from TheExaminer.com, which can be found here:http://www.examiner.com/article/alisha-zalkin-bares-her-soul-at-bar-lubitsch .
On This Road follows Alisha Zalkin’s 2012 debut EP, March to a Different Beat, which landed her on the homepage of GRAMMY.com as well as features in American Songwriter and M Music & Musicians Magazine. Since then she has partnered with jewelry and lifestyle brand Energy Muse and the Playing For Change Foundation, and is currently heavily involved with the David Lynch Foundation, the Playing For Change Foundation, and the International Conference On Violence, Abuse and Trauma.
With her side project, Los Angeles-based rock duo Sleep Machine, Alisha and partner Dan Kalisher recently had their song "Cover Me In Gold" placed on MTV's new hit show "Finding Carter." Presently, Alisha Zalkin is recording a full-length solo album and Sleep Machine's debut album, both to be released early next year followed by US tours.
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