Lisa Bigwood News and Personal Pictures

March 23, 2008

Well, I don’t mean to tease you all because I know you’ve been waiting a while for my new CD to come out, but lots of folks have asked about the status of the project. It is in the final stages of production and I am very excited and happy with it.

"dang poor sleddin"

We have another CD in production, with my band, which will be in the wings to follow this one, and one in the planning stages for after that. 

I tell everyone we’re like those folks who build a boat in their barn for, like, decades. It is fascinating to have such a long-term, ongoing project. I mean, it can kind of ( !! ) drive you buggy at times, but I see what a blessing it is. How it really is a manifestation of hope. This is like our quilt, our novel, our beautiful sailboat. Our hope chest.

When you take into account the lives of Bob Potter, who is producing and recording the project, and me, and all the players, it will be the culmination of so many years of deep love for songs, and lyrics, and music. And believe me, that is audible.
 
I will keep you informed, and when we can estimate a release date, I’ll let you know.

I have had a band since early 2007. It includes John “Mandoboy” Denniston on mandolin, Tom “T Bone” Farley on guitar, and Elaine “Practicegirl”  Verstraete on upright bass. (Yes, I have a groovy nickname, too. It is Lisa “Ijustwrite‘em” Bigwood.) Our sound is kind of a bluegrassy, but not entirely, a little old time-ish, maybe, but not exactly…

It sounds like…. well, us, having a fabulous time, getting to play music together, and getting gotten.

We are working on a name for the band. We had one at first, but it turned out to be already taken. And I was so proud of having come up with a clever name all by myself. Heh. I’ll let you know when the name is decided upon.

Nov, 2007

We're at work in the recording studio on CD number 3. The project has taken longer than I anticipated, not because it's not going well, but actually because it's going SO well...some wonderful musicians have offered to play on it, and some intriguing song selections have made themselves known through popular choice...this is going to be our CD, yours and mine, because listeners have really helped shape what goes on it, and on the next CD as well.

When I say "listeners," I do not say it casually, by the way. I cannot begin to tell you what it means to me as a songwriter to know that so many people really listen to and care deeply about what these songs say. 

I am very moved by the subject matter of the songs folks are requesting...some of them are just overwhelmingly asked for, in a wide variety of places. People are wanting to hear some true but sometimes hard things said out loud. As you may know, that is a pet cause of mine, but I didn't know so many others felt the same.

I see it as an honor that folks take the time to listen to my songs, and I am committed to treating that honor with respect.

"good sleddin"

I recently had the extreme honor and pleasure of opening for Robert Bradley and his Blackwater Surprise, and also for the amazing Sonny Landreth…wow!!

My music is getting airplay in California, Nevada, Wyoming and Idaho, in addition to the Chicago area, and I have been informed that some tunes are being covered and requested in steamy New Orleans, which warms my shivering heart up here in the glacial north !!

WFMT, Chicago's "The Midnight Special", one of the oldest and most respected folk radio shows in the country, broadcast a live one-hour special "Folkstage" featuring my songs. This show has gone into syndication and is being played across the country.

WFMT DJ Rich Warren, Host/producer of WFMT Radio's The Midnight Special and Folkstage, CD reviewer for Sing Out!, and contributor to Sound & Vision magazine: "I was driving along and heard this gorgeous voice. I thought, oh, yeah, it's about time, the rest of the world has finally discovered Lisa. Then I heard myself announcing the song and realized it was the Folkstage segment, in syndication!"

DJ Clytia Fuller of KZSC 88.1 FM, Santa Cruz, California, in a message to folk and bluegrass DJs across the country:

My daughter Sarah took this picture...I don't know what she was saying to me, but it was apparently funnier than "say cheese!" She may have been calling, "Makeup! We have a little shine here!"

"My favorite act at Falcon Ridge (folk festival) was someone not even on stage. I was listening to music broadcast over the loudspeakers Friday night, suddenly perked up and said, 'WHO is that'?

Her voice was awesome and haunting. The CD she gave me is GREAT. Sultry voice, sparely produced, finely-crafted songs. GOOD songwriting! I encourage you to check her out."

This, my own official web site, is big news! As you may have seen, there’s lots of mention of me on the web if you give me a google, but this is the first site of my own. Yay!! If you read my bio, you may find the style a bit different from the traditional musician bio. I wanted a real “biography”, however brief. See what you think.

I’m exploring various distribution methods for when this new CD is released, so that it will be widely available, to everyone. Some really exciting options are being presented to me, and I’ll keep you all posted when I decide how it will be done.

Meanwhile, I’m playing, writing, honing my chops, sharpening my claws, so that when I’m out there performing live, I’ll be worthy of your time listening.