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Lissie, a young songwriter from Rock Island, IL, will release a new EP, Why You Runnin’, November 10th, 2009 on Fat Possum Records.
Why You Runnin’ is a five-song introduction to Lissie and pivots around her big, achingly raw and evocative voice. The songs range from the¬¬¬ hand-clapping, foot-stomping spirited opener “Little Lovin’” to the poignant country cover “Wedding Bells” to the haunting, soulful ‘60s pop-esque ballads “Everywhere I Go” and “Here Before”. These tracks were recorded at her current home in Ojai, CA, and at Echo Mountain Studio in Asheville, NC, with her friend Bill Reynolds (of Band of Horses, who also produced and plays bass on the songs alongside his bandmate Tyler Ramsey, who guests on guitar for some tracks). The hymn-like “Oh Mississippi” was recorded with Ed Harcourt last fall, when Lissie was far from home in London, England.
Full track listing for Why You Runnin’:
1. Little Lovin’
2. Wedding Bells
3. Oh Mississippi
4. Everywhere I Go
5. Here Before
Lissie, born and raised beside the Mississippi River in the heartland, is a truly Midwestern, nature- and solitude-loving girl whose musical path started in high school with a guitar and skills self-taught. Performances at coffee shops in her hometown and Chicago, IL, soon progressed to open mics and regular gigs in Fort Collins, CO, and in Paris, France. Eventually, Lissie landed in the Los Angeles area, where she first sold honey at farmers’ markets to support herself and also helped to create the ‘Beachwood Rockers’ Society’, a weekly music residency in Hollywood. She has toured with Badly Drawn Boy, among others, as well.
Lissie will open for Ray LaMontagne on select dates this November, with more touring news to be announced soon. Her current itinerary is below.
Lissie tour dates:
OCT. 8 LOS ANGELES, CA THE TROUBADOUR
NOV. 1 ATLANTA, GA FOX THEATER*
NOV. 7 PHILADELPHIA, PA TOWER THEATER*
NOV. 12 CHICAGO, IL THE AUDITORIUM THEATER*
NOV. 13 MINNEAPOLIS, MN STATE THEATRE*
NOV. 15 SAN FRANCISCO, CA NOB HILL MASONIC CENTER*
NOV. 17 DENVER, CO ELLIE CAULKIN OPERA HOUSE*
NOV. 18 DENVER, CO ELLIE CAULKIN OPERA HOUSE*
NOV. 20 LOS ANGELES, CA ORPHEUM THEATRE*
NOV. 21 LOS ANGELES, CA ORPHEUM THEATRE*
NOV. 22 LOS ANGELES, CA ORPHEUM THEATRE*
* with Ray LaMontagne
For more information on Lissie and Why You Runnin’, please contact Amanda Pitts at Cobra Camanda Publicity, tel: 718.569.0352, emailer: ap@cobracamanda.com.
http://www.myspace.com/lissiemusic
- Cobra Camanda Publicity
Discography
Why You Runnin’, out 11/10/09 on Fat Possum Records
Photos
Bio
Lissie is from along the banks of the Mississippi, Rock Island, Illinois.
Why You Runnin' - the Fat Possum released & Bill Reynolds (Band Of Horses) produced - EP released in the US late last year, earned the young singer high praise, with coverage in Bust, Filter, Marie Claire, Nylon, and Under The Radar to name but a few. In addition to the recent 'Best of What's Next' profile in Paste, the Boston Globe included her in their 'Names To Know' in 2010 feature, declaring she is "...not so much a soul singer as she is an incredibly soulful Americana artist who finds the sepia-toned sweet spot between Neko Case, Laura Marling, and the Shangri-Las." Comparisons such as these and with other luminaries like Stevie Nicks & Chrissie Hynde may already be coming thick and fast, but in 2010 you'll have a chance to discover who Lissie really is for yourselves; an artist as relevant to the present day as at peace with the artistry of the last four decades.
Recorded mostly in Nashville late last year with Jacquire King (Kings of Leon), as well as further sessions with Bill Reynolds and Ed Harcourt, Lissie's debut album which will follow this summer is packed full of surprises. For starters there is a voice that crackles with the influence of the blues as much as it does with say folk music, and a range and delivery that could put most rock singers to shame. Then more importantly there are the songs; where wonderfully brooding & emotionally charged stories mix with a magical warmth that feels as at home blasting out of a radio today as it does driving across the desert with the wind in your hair.
Lissie lives by herself, with her dog, in a farmhouse in Ojai, California, away from the beaten & obvious track of LA's music scene. There are many things from her life & history that make these songs and her spirit possible, some of it in deference to that spirit: having a grandfather who was an international barbershop quartet champion, having a great-grandfather who was a train-jumping hobo on this famous Rock Island Line (the Cash song of the same name Lissie has played in hometown gigs), a father who delivered her at her birth, getting kicked out of high school, selling honey for living money upon coming to LA and an inability to separate herself from this Midwestern city.
Lissie will plays a run of US dates as special guests to The Low Anthem en route to several appearances at this year's SXSW festival. These US shows come off the back of recent London shows & previous US tours as special guests to Ray Lamontagne & City and Colour that have seen Lissie pick up rave reviews across the board. Lissie will then return to tour the UK this spring, with a loads of festivals to follow over the summer. Watch this space for more details!
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