Returning to the stage April 19th in Long Beach WA!
As many of you know, I suffered a devastating fall in January and suffered a crushing tibial platform fracture. That’s the top of the tibia (shin bone) that bears all of your weight when you stand or walk. I had surgery, and spent many weeks in a hospital and rehabilitation center just to be able to function at home. Since then, my husband Allen as well as some close family friends have taken excellent care of me. Sadly I had to cancel almost all of my performances, as it has been far too painful to even sit with my foot down and play bass on my lap.
I am so grateful to my musical friends for supporting me financially and with personal assistance, cards, flowers and well wishes. Special thanks to Sonny Hess and everyone at the Blue Diamond for a successful fundraiser for helping to make up for my lost income, to all who performed, attended and donated, and to those who have donated their time and resources outside of that. I am absolutely in awe of everyone’s generosity.
I was able to crawl up on stage and sing a few songs at the Etta James tribute at the Alberta Rose (led by legendary sax player Chris Mercer) and the ovation I received nearly brought me to tears. That was a wonderful experience of musical camaraderie, with a huge, top-notch band, and women vocalists who truly have each others back.
And now I am happy to announce that I will be returning to the stage on April 19th at the Peninsula Arts Center in Long Beach, WA for a duo with my trust guitar companion, Jason JT Thomas! It’s an intimate setting, where I can sit down, put up a leg, and play my bass for a couple of hours while I share stories about the songs. It really is a wonderful place to have my first show, it’s a non-profit dedicated to showcasing and supporting original music.
Check out the link in the “shows” tab, or visit this link to find that show and many more. https://peninsulaartscenter.org/concerts/
Hope to see you there!
Lisa
MORE >>Highway 99 All-Stars return to Jazz Alley in Seattle, Jan 21/22
Back by popular demand! Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley welcome the Highway 99 All Stars, bringing deeply rooted rhythm and blues for two nights, Tues Jan 21st and Wed Jan 22nd. Band members are: Bob Corritore (Phoenix, Arizona – harp), BMA and Living Blues Award winner), Lisa Mann (Portland – bass and vocals and a 2x BMA winner), Ben Rice (Portland – guitar and vocals and a 2x BMA winner) Robin Moxey (Los Angeles/Gig Harbor – guitar and vocals – member of Playing for Change), Jeff Conlin (Washington DC/Seattle – keys) and Steve Sarkowsky (Seattle – drums).
Show time 7:30pm, doors open at 6:00pm each night.
This show is supported by the Washington Blues Society and KNKX.
You can find tickets HERE: https://www.jazzalley.com/www-home/artist.jsp?shownum=7628
“It’s the Monkeys or Me” First Place Blues Song in Unsigned Only song competition
Lisa Mann’s song “It’s the Monkeys or Me” took first place in the Blues Category in the 2021 Unsigned Only Music Competition!
“It’s the Monkeys or Me” is a true (and hilarious) story based on the love life of one Joanne Broh, a fellow musical artist from Oregon. Imagine yourself falling in love, only to find your new love has a house full of monkeys screaming and jumping around? Well, see how it all turned out by checking out the video for this track from the Billboard charting EP, “Old Girl” –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHKOFAVI9vs
You can find all the winners of the competition here:
https://unsignedonly.com/winners
Blues Blast Magazine reviews Lisa Mann’s Old Girl
Lisa Mann – Old Girl
Jay-Ray Records – 2020
There must be a house in Portland, Oregon, that is really rocking as Lisa Mann is married to another bass player, Allen Markel, who tours with Sugaray Rayford amongst others. Born in Virginia and based in the Pacific North West, Lisa has established a good reputation as vocalist, songwriter and bassist across a series of albums since 2010. She won the Blues Blast Sean Costello Award for Rising Star in 2014 and was nominated for a BMA as bassist in 2015 and 2016. Since her last album Hard Times, Bad Decisions in 2016 she has consolidated her reputation with several European tours as well as festivals across the states.
Lisa’s latest offering is just five tracks but they are all excellent and well worth readers’ attention. Lisa wrote four of the songs and tackles a Sister Rosetta Tharpe tune to complete the project on which she is backed by her touring outfit ‘The Really Good Band’: Lisa on bass/vocals, Jason Thomas on guitar and Michael Ballash or Dave Melyan on drums; Louis Pain adds organ to two cuts and Sonny Hess, Brian Foxworth, Larhonda Steele and Arietta Ward add backing vocals to one track.
The title track has a mournful country feel as Lisa bemoans that she is competing in a world where youth is often championed over more mature figures: “I ain’t 24 but I don’t need you to get the door. Most of my days I’m feeling strong and I think I believe I can get along as an old girl”. With some ringing chords from Jason and warm accompaniment from Louis “Old Girl” makes a good start to the EP. The strange title “It’s The Monkeys Or Me” is apparently based on a true story in which girl meets boy and all proceeds well until she gets inside his house in which there are actual monkeys, hence the title as she lays down how the future will be. The amusing lyrics are sung over an upbeat, rocking tune with strong guitar. Lisa takes a wry look at the difficult life of the musician in “Everybody’s Making Money”: “I believe this is the life for me but making music is not easy, you see, everybody’s making money but me”! The cover of Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s 1938 song “That’s All” is probably the track with the highest blues quotient and elicits a fine vocal from Lisa and plenty of solid blues guitar work from Jason.
Saving the best till last “Around Here” pays tribute (anonymously) to musicians who have passed on to the great gig in the sky, the gospel feel accentuated by Louis’ organ and the vocals. The chorus sums up the song’s intentions perfectly: “Around here we revere the ones that came before. We may not know them but they’re our legends for evermore. They may not be pictured in the Rolling Stone magazine but we will remember them always, round here.” Lisa sings beautifully in a soulful style, brilliantly supported by the backing vocalists. Prepare to be moved by this fine song which is more than worth the purchase price of the disc on its own.
A super mini-set which whets the appetite for another full album from Lisa.
~ John Mitchell, Blues Blast Magazine – July 30, 2021
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