Allison's Invention
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Allison's Invention

New York City, New York, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2011 | SELF

New York City, New York, United States | SELF
Established on Jan, 2011
Solo Pop Singer/Songwriter

Calendar

Music

Press


"Benefit for Japan Show"

Allison Tartalia (pictured) distinguishes herself for a slightly aggressive songwriting edge and for sophisticated arrangements that range from the orchestral to the electronic. - The Deli Magazine


"An unpredictable, free-wheeling acoustic performance"

Trying to pin down Emmy-nominee Allison Tartalia to one genre is like trying to capture a single atom in your hand. A self-trained guitar player and classically-trained pianist, she has composed for musicals and accompanied others as a singer and keyboardist. As a solo artist, she has been known to fuse jazz, rock, folk and more — sometimes all within the same song. She is brutally honest about her life; her songs, thematically similar to Aimee Mann's, are downtrodden yet still possess a sardonic wit. You may just get to know her a little better — she has been known to tell stories from her life between songs — while you watch her bare her soul onstage.

— Brett Ackerman - Beacon Pass


"An unpredictable, free-wheeling acoustic performance"

Trying to pin down Emmy-nominee Allison Tartalia to one genre is like trying to capture a single atom in your hand. A self-trained guitar player and classically-trained pianist, she has composed for musicals and accompanied others as a singer and keyboardist. As a solo artist, she has been known to fuse jazz, rock, folk and more — sometimes all within the same song. She is brutally honest about her life; her songs, thematically similar to Aimee Mann's, are downtrodden yet still possess a sardonic wit. You may just get to know her a little better — she has been known to tell stories from her life between songs — while you watch her bare her soul onstage.

— Brett Ackerman - Beacon Pass


"The Village Voice"

"Wonder of wonders, this native New Yorker's debut CD sounds legitimately more jazzy than folky--smack-dab in the Laura Nyro/Rickie Lee Jones/Sophie B. Hawkins lineage, complete with sax solos warm enough for Baker Street and titles that namecheck Ab Fab and Dorothy... Tell Auntie Em and Toto, too; Oz never did give nothin' to the tin man that he didn't already have." - Chuck Eddy


"Cincinnati CityBeat"

"Tartalia rolled through the alternating set with a number of gorgeous and delicately-executed piano ballads from her new CD, Ready." - Brian Baker (March 2006) - South X Midwest: Greater Cincinnati's South By Southwest 'Class of 2006' shines bright deep in the h


"New York Times"

"...a singer with a sultry voice..." - Marc Santora


"San Diego Update"

“The New Yorker’s ready blend of rock, jazz pop and folk…is wedded to a striking bright voice that sings out with edgy, quirky intensity. Her diverse influences may include lyrical inspiration from Emily Dickinson, Dorothy Gale from the Oz books, and William Shakespeare, but this music will definitely make you want to leave the reading chair behind.” - Jason Serinus, San Diego Update - San Diego Update


"CinWeekly - Hott Band of the Week"

HOTT BAND OF THE WEEK: ALLISON TARTALIA (ASTORIA, N.Y.)
The label "singer-songwriter" doesn't fully grasp Allison Tartalia's worldly sound. It's not just guitars and emotional lyrics here. You'll hear a full range of eclectic noise during Tartalia's set at Chicks Rockfest this weekend - jazzy piano, rich percussion and clever lyrics delivered in the singer's commanding voice.

WHY SHE'S HOTT: Singer-songwriters are always more interesting when they add something extra - and Tartalia's got plenty of extras in her diverse sound.

(April 2006) - Kari Wethington


"Reviews for 1918: A House Divided"

OffOff Online
"Tartalia's varied, memorable, and often soaring score...I left A House Divided humming "Shake the Tambourine" and haunted by the lyrics of "The Last to Die." I hope to see it revived soon." - RL Nesvet, April 2007

NY Theatre Wire
"Beautiful music...Both the larger and smaller stories in ''1918: A House Divided'' are told in a series of short scenes with music that ranges from martial to bluesy to lyrical. Particularly effective is ''The Last to Die,'' the haunting ballad Jamie (Robert Gonzales, Jr.) sings to the man he loves as that man goes off to war." - Paulanne Simmons, April 2007

"...a score that irving Berlin might have been jeaolous of." - HiDrama - book & lyrics by Barbara Kahn, music and arrangements by Allison Tartalia


"CityBeat - Cincinnati, OH"

“…a standout among female “confessional” singer/songwriters” - CityBeat


"KPFT, Houston"

"Allison Tartalia brings us her own blend of indy pop that veers into jazz, folk, rock and funk, delighting at every turn with her edgy lyrics that capture and intrigue, and make you smile. Who can resist an album that serves up a song inspired by the British TV show "Absolutely Fabulous" and another called "Dorothy's Reply," a sassy retort from Oz that makes you hit replay to relish it again. The CD is called 'Ready,' and I certainly am, for more" - JD Doyle


"Colleges and Universities"

"The performance was enjoyed by the crowd.. The interacting of the artist and students made it fun to watch."
- University of WI, Parkside

"One of the nicest performers I have worked with!" - Carnegie Mellon University
- campus concert review


"Cleveland Post - Garner, NC"

Renowned voice comes to Cleveland area

Life as a struggling New York city musician can be tough. For jazz and folk vocalist Allison Tartalia, New York City life meant hours travelling on the city’s public transportation system, a tough ride for the pedestrian with a digital piano in tow.

“Lugging a digital piano around on public transportation is impractical at best,” the now newly-licensed Tartalia said. For the next couple of weeks, Tartalia takes to the wheel and a host of southern highways as she embarks on her “Student Driver: Ready for the Road Tour.”

On August 28, she will perform at The Flip Side located at 105 South Lombard Street in Clayton. Proceeds from the show will benefit the American Cancer Society.

An award winning artist, Tartalia—who incidentally got her driver’s license in July—joins with Vicki Blankenship, Patti Witten and Danielle Miraglia of the “Music for Life” concert series, recently releasing a compilation CD Music for Life: Volume I.

Julia Abrams, media coordinator with Make Haste! Records, says that her guitar and piano performances scheduled in four southeastern states will be intimate acoustic performances that will showcase her unique musical blend.

The New York native has received ample acclaim from both national and New York local critics. Described in the New York Times as a “singer with a sultry voice,” Jason Serinus of the San Diego Update wrote that Tartalia possesses a “striking, bright voice that sings out with edgy, quirky intensity.”

Tickets for the Clayton show are $12 in advance and $15 at the door. The show begins at 8 p.m.

Tartalia has already played in Alabama before playing
- Jessica Bennett


Discography

Sweet and Vicious EP - Make Haste Records, 2011
Birds on Fire Original Cast Recording - Make Haste Records 2011
5,000 Miles From Home (film score), 2009
1918: A House Divided Original Cast Recording, 2008
Ready - Make Haste! Records, 2002

Compilations:
Chicks Rock Fest Compilation CD, 2005
Indie Music for Life, Vol. II (benefitting cancer reserach), 2005
Music for Life Volume I (benefitting cancer research), 2004
Indiegrrlapalooza, 2004

::Selected Broadcasts::
WXPN (PA) WXPH (PA) WVOF (CT)
WPKN (CT) WJFF (NY) WUSB (NY)
WKHS (MD) WRUW (OH) WVXC (OH)
WVXC (OH) WVXU (OH) WVXG (OH)
WRFL (KY) WVXR (IN) WVXH (MI)
WVXA (MI) WVXM (MI) KRCL (UT)
KZMU (UT) KOOP (TX) KPFT (TX)
KFCF (CA) KZSC (CA) KGPR (MT)
WUML (MA) WBRS (MA) WAIF (OH), Radio Milo 103.1 (Belgium)

Women on Air (Synd.)
Live from the Fallout Shelter, WUML
Bryant Park Project, NPR (with Petra Haden and the East Coast Sellouts)

Photos

Bio

CALENDAR: For Latest Live Performance Information, please visit http://www.allisonsinvention.com

HIGHLIGHTS: 

January 2013: "Ran" to air on Lifetime Networks' Dance Moms.
November 2011: Allison's Invention will perform at Mercury Lounge on December 21. Opening for Lelia Broussard.
October 2011: Allison's Invention and the Sweet and Vicious EP are on the 54th Grammy Awards ballot in 9 categories.
November 2010: Allison received a 2010 Emmy Nomination for Achievement Off-camera - Music Composition/Arrangement for the documentary "5,000 Miles from Home"

Allison's Invention is a music project by singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Allison Tartalia. Tartalia's quirky and eclectic songs, performed on piano, ukulele and kalimba, have made her a popular performer at New York venues like Mercury Lounge, The Living Room and Joe's Pub. The Emmy-nominated composer, who has shared a stage with the likes of Lelia Broussard, Petra Haden, Rachael Sage and Fred Armisen, has charmed and thrilled audiences throughout the country with her compelling and expressive performances. Allison spent this Summer touring the West Coast, Midwest and New England and more dates are planned for the year ahead.

Allison's Invention's new adult-alternative project, Sweet and Vicious, is a lush, melodramatic pop EP. The songs feature Allison on piano and a variety of vintage keyboards, with strings and horns creating a lavish soundscape. On Sweet and Vicious, Allison's Invention proves that she is ready to bring her music and her career to new heights.

On Sweet and Vicious, Allison's Invention digs deeply into her personal history and family struggles. On the EP's opening track, "Clean," Allison declares, "I am sick of this city/I am sick of being broke." It's an urgent plea for a fresh start that ultimately concludes with her decision to "strive to find a light instead." Though the songs on Sweet and Vicious were inspired by a particularly painful time in Allison's life (becoming her mother's caretaker after a terminal cancer diagnosis and the simultaneous unraveling of a serious romantic relationship) Allison's Invention writes from a space of clarity, growth and, ultimately, peace. "My mother's illness forced me to examine everything about my relationships and choices. Eventually I realized that the best way to honor her was to let go of the anger I'd been carrying around and start taking better care of the person she had brought into the world." There is a tangible honesty in her self-reflection that is rarely seen in other modern artists. Sweet and Vicious is a call to embrace the complexities of our decisions, take a look in the mirror, and find the beauty and balance within the pain of emotional growth.

On Sweet and Vicious, Allison's Invention fills a void in the music industry. A woman who knows that every line is well-earned war paint, Allison's Invention gives us the permission to fall, pick ourselves up and start all over again. Sweet and Vicious is a project that has the transcendent depth to put Allison's Invention on the map.

Allison (vocals, piano, keyboards, ukulele, kalimba) performs both solo as well as with a band (drums, upright bass, cello)

::HIGHLIGHTS/ACCCOMPLISHMENTS::
- Emmy Nomination for Achievement Off-camera - Music Composition/Arrangement for the documentary "5,000 Miles from Home"
- SolarFest Singer/Songwriter Showcase Finalist (2010)
- New Music Seminar "Artist on the Verge" Finalist (2010)
- CT Folk Festival Songwriting Finalist (2010)
- Songwriter's Beat Feel the Music Songwriting Contest Finalist (2010)
- Telly Award for score to "5,000 Miles from Home" (2010)
- Indiegrrl Songwriting Contest, 2nd Place (Spinning Song)
- Sam Ash Sponsored Band
- Performed with Petra Haden and the Sellouts on a co-bill with Fred Armisen (SNL)
- ASCAP Popular Award for six years in a row
- Billboard Song Contest, Honorable Mention
- John Lennon Song Contest, Honorable Mention

::COLLEGES PLAYED::
Ramapo College Ramapo, NJ
Scripps College Claremont, CA
Carnegie Mellon University - Pittsburgh, PA
University of Wisconsin Parkside Kenosha, WI

Band Members