elizabeth and the catapult

The members of Elizabeth and the Catapult bring a unique collection of skills to their project, with an interesting, unintuitively-cool result. The stand-up, jazz-style base line defines a great framework while the sweet female vocals melodically tell true lyrics. - "

"The self-assured Elizabeth and the Catapult prove what a sultry-voiced Greenwich Village habitue with a Norah Jones jones should do: Just let it flow" -The Boston Globe
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Another really cool artist is Elizabeth & the Catapult. Elizabeth sings lovely low-key pop songs similar to Norah Jones. She has great melodies and a great voice. - "

"The jazzy/funky voice of Elizabeth and the Catapult's Elizabeth Ziman caught my ear immediately, their "Waiting for the Kill" is one of the discs (Dorm Sessions) standouts." - "

"Beginning its formation in fall of 2004, when Peter Lalish was introduced to then soloist Elizabeth Ziman at a gig, and completing its lineup in Spring 2005, the Elizabeth Ziman Band (or Elizabeth Ziman and Bandmates) is Elizabeth Ziman (vocals and piano), Josh Guinta (drums), Jordan Scanella (bass), Pete Lalish (guitar), and Danny Molad (multi instrumentalist). In the short time the band has been together they have accomplished quite a bit including the completion of their debut album (which was completed in February) and developing sizable followings in both Boston and New York." - "

Review of “Diverging Lines” by Elizabeth Ziman.

The disc is an eclectic mix of jazz, R&B, and baroque-infused ballads, showcasing her vast musical background. Growing up in Manhattan, she studied piano from the age of 5, writing her first song at age 6. For ten years, Elizabeth sang in the New York City Young People's chorus, performing solos at the White House, Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall and St. Martin's in the Field in England. Meanwhile she maintained her piano studies at the Manhattan School of Music, continuing her songwriting which eventually led to her winning of ASCAP's prestigious Leiber & Stoller award for her song, "Like Water is to Sand". Her songwriting skills also landed her a scholarship to the Berklee College of Music, which is where I had the pleasure of meeting her this summer.

“Diverging Lines” is Elizabeth’s first CD. It includes songs that she wrote during the ages of 17-21 that cover an array of topics and issues. The album was titled after a tune on the CD, a song about “growing up and realizing that although you may try to grasp the changes that are occurring around you… you can only control your future to a certain extent- and that’s what you have to learn to live with”. Tunes such as “Holy Eyes” and “Restless” bring the listener to think of a moodiness close to that of Fiona Apple; but there is something very distinctly different about her; on tunes such as “Odeon” she lets her more classical roots show through, encouraging the comparison of her to Tori Amos. Comparing her to these other artists just doesn’t do her music justice though; the combination of rich chords, piercing melodies, with a pinch of R&B and jazz makes this CD quite a rare package.

“Diverging Lines” was recorded in 2003 with “very little fundage”, as she said in a recent email. The instrumental part of the CD, the bass, drums and piano, was actually recorded in the same studio that Lauryn Hill did her “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” album in. At that time, she could only afford a few hours of studio time, so she had to overdub the vocals and all of the other trimmings at a friend’s homemade studio, and by homemade, I mean homemade. She sang the vocals in this alleged friend’s tiny closet, amongst piles of clothes hangers. Singing in her friend’s home was good because she now had unlimited “studio” time, but in return had to deal with the pain from the occasional jabbing hanger.

Her songwriting process varies, although she says her songs turn out the best when she writes the lyrics first. She explained, “that way the music is a complete reflection of the message, and the melody also sounds more natural, like vernacular speech”.

She just finished recording a new EP, entitled “Catapult”, which should be out within the next month. “It is a lot more of a consistent body of work”, she said, “I'd like to think that the songs flow together more… All of the songs were written in the same period- so even though the moods vary greatly there is more of a cohesive ‘sound’ or ‘style’. The EP was also recorded in a home studio, but this time with better recording equipment, and fortunately no jabbing hangers- instead, this time there is a the sound of a toilet flushing in one of the recordings. She added, “I’ll leave you all to figure out which one it’s in”.

Elizabeth and her band will be going on tour in the beginning of 2006 to promote the new EP, with hopes of eventually getting signed.

[My favorite songs: “Clementine”, “Lately”, “Make Believe”]

For more information, or to buy CDs by the lovely Elizabeth Ziman, check out www.elizabethziman.com. or www.myspace.com/elizabethziman

- The Maverick(october 4th, 2005)