Lisa Firestone
Orlando, Florida, United States | SELF
Music
Press
"Lake June in Winter" ... an emotional journey! ... Bare, Raw, Vulnerable, Excitement, Hurt, Melancholy, Whimsical, Sexy, Feminine, Strong, Hopeful, Soulful, Smart and Human...are just a few adjectives that come to mind. Lisa Firestone provides something for whatever you are feeling....and you hear something different every time you listen. - Unity News 3-11
For all of you music buffs out there I have a little late breaking news that is sure to make your red heart green. For the past several years, one of Central Florida's best kept secrets has been a soulful and sensual artist that hales by the name of Lisa Firestone.
Lisa is a pianist and prolific song writer of the first calliber. If you have missed seeing or hearing her at any number of events locally, think Sara McLachlan or (for those of you between 40 and the grave) Joni Mitchell. . . . Song styles ranged from blues to pop, but the message was consistant throughout. We are all spirits of our maker and are here on a wonderful journey of discovery.
Many times that trek leads us through glee and delight and Lisa is able to conjure up line after line of gentle prose that allows us to recall our own nostalgic memories. Other times we are met with heart ache and dispare. Here too, this emerging songstress coaxes us to delve into her world and be illuminated into seeing our own tender spots. Never judgemental or preachy, Lisa is able to touch and evoke while at the same time entertain. What a delightful combination!
So unless you were there Saturday night I'm sorry to say you missed this one. That's the bad news. The good news is that Lisa along with her band mates (Gary Groves on bass guitar and Debbie McMillan on drums) have commited themselves to becoming even more of a presence on the greater Orlando music landscape. . . . if you would like to check out clips of her vast song library go to www.LisaFirestone.com and who knows. You just might end up ordering one of her three terrific CDs. What a welcome change to the same old sausage being cranked out on corperate radio! M. Obrien - Arts & Entertainment,The Beacon - DeLand Beacon/Arts & Entertainment 3-05
How would you describe your music?
A friend of mine coined it perfectly I think: inner-world music -- most deeply influenced by Sara McLachlan, Tori Amos, Joni Mitchell and Peter Gabriel. I'm a Los Angelina at heart, which only means I'm unpredictably eclectic.
You used to work in the film and music industry. Why did you decide to leave?
That's an easy one! While I firmly believe there are no mistakes in the universe, those years were about as uncreative and stagnant as I¹ve experienced. I¹ve never fully understood pop culture, so trying to fit in with the people who apply creativity based on profit and trend became a killjoy to my self-expression.
Where do you do most of your songwriting?
I've always been clear that the songs are not really "mine," but that they come through me; I'm just a conduit. Clearly "the little muse" does like to present herself at the most inopportune moments typically when I'm driving in traffic, the little ones are bickering in the back seat, and the trusty companion voice recorder has dead batteries.
If you could trade places with anyone for a day, who would it be?
For some reason, I find myself wondering what a day in the life of Madonna would look like. I think there's something especially appealing about a 24-hour housekeeper, cook and nanny, with a complete multi-million-dollar recording studio accessible at any time.
What has been your greatest achievement to date?
Well, that childbirth thing was quite a deal! Truly, though, the greatest compliment I ever receive is acknowledgment for being a good mother while honoring my passion to create music --- REBECCA SWAIN VADNIE
- Orlando Sentinel 07-02
Discography
"LAKE JUNE IN WINTER" released March 2011
Produced: David Brown, www.DavidBrownSound.com
Mastered: Arnie Acosta, www.SantaMonicaMastering.com
Photos
Bio
Awarded BEST SPIRITUAL WRITER and BEST SOLO PIANIST by Songwriter’s Showcase of America, Lisa has become a familiar name in Central Florida. No stranger to performance, she has received numerous credits for her songwriting, including first place for BILLBOARD’s annual Song Contest in 2009. Lisa is a 2010 EMPOWER MUSIC & ARTS finalist, and led the house band for the organization’s leading artists at their annual gala in 2010 and 2011.
Originally from Santa Monica, California, Lisa’s musical career began with classical training and all its recitals starting when she was five. During her years as an English and Music major at UCLA, she became a closet songwriter, laying aside the Shakespeare and Bach chorales for her own rich personal expressions at the keys. After a few years of working as a secretary and intern in the music business, Lisa left the corporate administrative world of music to return to school at Musician’s Institute of Hollywood, where she dove head first into exploring the full development of her talent. She graduated from Keyboard Institute with high honors, dynamic expressive songs and dreams of using her talent to make a difference.
After an unexpected move to Florida, Lisa dedicated herself to a full-time musical career, which included playing with the Lisa Firestone Band in central Florida, playing with her band and solo in a wide range of events and venues, including the House of Blues, The Hard Rock Velvet Sessions, The Peabody Hotel, Seasons 52, special events by United Arts, regional conferences and many more.
In 2010 Sound Engineer and Producer David Brown heard Lisa while recording a song for a compilation cd, and hearing a clear sense of what was possible in her writing, he produced a collection of her most heart-centered songs for her cd “Lake June in Winter” released April 2011.
Lisa songs bridge the riff between deeply spiritual and unapologetically sexual, with each song telling a story -- or better still, a secret. An emotive performance of deeper messages captivates from the downbeat, stretching the boundaries of how spiritual "substance" is served.
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