It’s Monday night and after working a 10 ½ hour day on 2 ½ hours of sleep, I’m eating leftover pasta out of the pan, because it’s all I have the wherewithal to do. March came in like a lamb, I think. Yesterday I opened my balcony door to air out the winter and let in the spring and today I walked all over downtown running errands without a coat on for the first time since fall. But in other parts of the world, there are signs that the earth is trying to shake us off like parasites. But I digress because I’m exhausted and delirious and it seems that all I do lately is try to trace fault lines with my fingertips.  

I’m playing at Linneman’s Thursday night and I hope you will be there. I’ll be joined by two great songwriters, Jonathan Burks & Quinn Scharber. And thanks to the Onion’s AV CLUB for making this show their pick for Thursday night! Come out of your winter hiding places and remind me what you look like.

Love,  
Lisa

SHOWS  

Thursday, March 11^th 9:30 PM
Linneman’s Riverwest Inn
1001 E. Locust St.
Milwaukee, WI
w/ Jonathan Burks & Quinn Sharber
Cover: $3

Wednesday, March 17^th 7:30 PM
St. Patrick’s Day w/ John McGivern
Irish Cultural Center
2133 W. Wisconsin Ave.
Milwaukee, WI 53233
Tickets: $20 in advance; $22 at the door
www.ichc.net  

Friday March 26^th 9:00 PM
Women in Music
Conway’s
2127 W. Wells St.
Milwaukee, WI 53202
w/ Roxie Beane & Annie B
Cover: $5  

My Favorite...

...Song: TAKING ALCATRAZ (Conrad Plymouth)
...Album: LEAVE RUIN (Strand of Oaks)
...Book: I’ve been rediscovering RAISE HIGH THE ROOF BEAM CARPENTERS by Salinger. ...Food: Rosemary potatoes with garlic aioli dipping sauce
...Person: Richard & Jeff for buying me brunch on Sunday, and Heidi for lots of reasons.
...Ingredient to cook with: Balsamic Vinegar
...Robot: All robots.

My dearest folks and folkettes,

I’ve been putting off writing my newsletter because… I don’t know… It’s too cold?  The Days are still too short?  All I want to do is sleep and watch episodes of The West Wing?  Who knows, but I’m writing now because I have to tell you about a show tomorrow night. That’s right, tomorrow. As in 1 day from now. Friday, January 8^th. I’ll be playing Circle A’s Alive @ 8 Series (which, appropriately, starts at 8pm and goes until 10). I’m looking forward to sharing the bill with my good friend and fellow songwriter Ben Cervenka.

Here are the reasons you should come to the show tomorrow:

1)       Relatively speaking, it’s an early show. Come to Circle A from 8-10pm to see me and Ben (we’ll each play an hour, show starts PROMPTLY at 8pm) and you’ll still have time to do whatever you want afterwards.

2)       Ben is one of my favorite songwriters.  If you didn’t see him open for me a couple years ago at the Bremen (and even if you did), you should come out to this show.

3)       There are duets. Ben and I each wrote brand new pieces to be performed as duets at this show. These are two never-before-heard songs.

4)       Circle A is a very intimate venue. It’ll be a relaxed show with good friends, stiff drinks and snow flying around outside. Isn’t that the way you always imagined your grown-up life to be?

Hope to see you at the Circle A tomorrow. Details are below.  And happy New Year.  I, for one, am hoping 2010 and I can reach some sort of agreement.  We seem to want different things.

Love,

Lisa

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SHOWS!

Friday, January 8^th, 2010
CIRCLE A
w/ Ben Cervenka
932 E. Chambers St.
(1 block west of the Alterra on Humboldt & Chambers)
Milwaukee, WI
Cover  $3
(The show will begin PROMPTLY at 8pm. We’ll each play for an hour. Don’t be late!)
Check out Ben: www.myspace.com/marryup

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From WMSE: Attention World Music Experts!
 
WMSE is currently searching for a volunteer world music lover to host a daytime program on 91.7 FM. Our planet has many great cultural and indigenous types of music that our listeners are used to hearing and experiencing. If you think you are a qualified candidate to continue this tradition AND HAVE a genuine passion for and knowledge of the world music genre, consider applying for a volunteer program host position.
 
All interested candidates please contact WMSE Program Director at:
414-277-7247
wmse@msoe.edu

Before you throw your name in the hat, make sure to ask yourself if you can fully commit to programming a weekly 3-hour program. That's a lot of music, a lot of time. Thanks!

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My favorite:

… Song: “Clam, Crab, Cockle, Cowrie” (Joanna Newsom)
… Album: Life of the World to Come (The Mountain Goats)
… TV Show: The West Wing (I know, I’m a little late)
… Month: Not January

Watch the videos (filmed live in the WMSE studios!), download the songs, print out Dwellephant's original CD artwork and, voila, you've got yourself a pretty cool gift to give your friends, family and strangers!

Check out all the music and goodies here: http://thirdcoastdigest.com/2009/12/12-songs-holiday-project/

Watch my video directly on youtube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHfTouAGHks

And don't forget to thank ThirdCoast Digest and WMSE for putting together such a fun project!

Monday morning I was driving to work, there was a dusting of snow on the ground and for the first time this year I wore the coat I didn’t love because it was cold enough to justify it. I was listening to WMSE and Grant was on the air playing his regular mix of Monday morning alternative songs that propel you from your bed, to your shower, to your car, to your desk, to the rest of your week, whatever that may hold.

There are unexpected moments when everything in your life lines up for a brief moment. This was one of them. I had been out too late the night before sitting at the Tonic Tavern listening to Conrad Plymouth, one of my absolute favorite songwriters, play to a quiet room and then sit next to me at the bar to talk about the paths our lives may someday take. This Monday morning was hazy, sleepy and slow. Then Grant played a song I’d never heard before, "Genesis 30:3" by The Mountain Goats. Go to your iTunes, buy this song and you’ll know what I mean. It’s a hazy, sleepy, slow, gray slush, contemplative, beginning of winter, end of the decade, soft inside song. And for a brief moment I felt like this year was complete. That despite failed attempts at love and happiness and security, I had somehow wound up exactly where I was supposed to be. I had never felt so calm and so safe as I did at that stoplight on the corner where 1^st Street splits off and KK begins to head over the river.

It lasted only those three minutes and twenty-six seconds, but it was good. I hope as this decade comes to a close you all find moments like that, whether they come from a song or somewhere within. When this decade began, I was 17. I had no idea what I had yet to accomplish or what I had yet to lose. In the scheme of things, 10 years is nothing, but these have been quite something.

I can’t wait to say goodbye to them with you as we kick off the holiday festivities this weekend at the Cactus Club. See you there. Also stay tuned for an announcement about a special holiday project I’m a part of. More details coming soon.  

Happy holidays and happy new year. 
Love
Lisa 
 

Shows....  

Saturday, December 12^th @ 9:30 PM
The Cactus Club
2496 S. Wentworth Ave.
Milwaukee, WI 53207
(Opening for Union Pulse & Fire On Your Sleeve along with Tolay)
Cover $5  

http://www.cactusclubmilwaukee.com/

My Favorite....

Album: The Life of the World to Come (The Mountain Goats)
Runner up for favorite album: Strict Joy (Swell Season)
Song: Genesis 30:3 (The Mountain Goats)
Runner up for favorite song: I Have Loved You Wrong (Swell Season)
Christmas Tradition: Mistletoe
Christmas movie: "Elf"
Person: My brother, Tom, who will be home next week!
New Year’s Resolution: To accept the things I cannot change. And to stop drinking milk out of the carton. I’m a grown woman, for crying out loud.

I’ve been listening to Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and various Christmas carols in heavy rotation for weeks now. I’m preparing for a month of performances in which I will perform none of my own material (which is unfortunate because that’s the only material I don’t have to rehearse). If I really wanted to, I could cut a little time off my research by listening to Bob Dylan’s new Christmas album (two birds, one stone). Say what you want about it, but I heard a few selections from it on Bob Reitman’s show and I didn’t think it was terrible. I mean, it’s Bob Dylan feeling the magic of the holiday season. Ain’t nothin’ wrong with a little holiday spirit.

Besides, if Jethro Tull can have a Christmas Album, so can Dylan.

I’m going to keep this short because I have a lot of song-learnin’ to do. You know the drill, the show info is below. Stay tuned for info on my December projects including a show at the Cactus Club and a special holiday project with Third Coast Digest.

Xoxo,
Lisa

Thursday, November 19^th
City Christmas Tree Lighting*
Red Arrow Park
(On Water Street between State & Kilbourn)
*I’ll be singing one song between 4:30 and 5:15 when they flip the switch!

Wednesday, November 25^th 7:00 PM
NOD TO BOB @ Linneman’s
1001 E. Locust St.
Milwaukee, WI

The Milwaukee tradition returns! Spend the night before Thanksgiving at Linneman’s as musicians (including your’s truly) share their Dylan favorites to benefit Feed America (Formerly The Hunger Task Force)

Cover: $10 (of $5 with the donation of 5 non-perishable food items)

My Favorite...

... Song: "I Need a Miracle" (Buffalo Gospel)
... Album: "I and Love and You" (The Avett Brothers)
... Christmas Carol: "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"
... Book: "How to Run a Successful Capital Campaign"... oh wait, I hate that book.
... Thing about the holidays: Guilt-Free Vacation Days

My Least Favorite...

... Thing to find in the sink: An unidentifiable, scary looking, tiny lobster-bug
... Thing to do at night: Laundry.... my basement is scary.
... Thing about the holidays: Commercials about families make me cry
... Thing that happened at work last month: I accidentally drank mold.