ALBUM:
Sacred
TAYLOR USED:
812-C
SONG CLIPS:
Jersey Shoretown Bar
28k | 56K
Under the Same Moon
28k | 56K
CONTACT INFO:
Ruthie's Noise Productions
P.O. Box 623
Putney, VT 05346
E-mail:
lisa @lisa mccormick .com
Web:
www. lisa mccormick .com
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"She's not the next anybody. She's the first Lisa McCormick." So reads a promotional flier for Vermont singer-songwriter Lisa McCormick. Despite the
tendency to bundle emerging singers into a lumpy composite of better-known vocalists for stylistic reference (in this case, Joni Mitchell, Chrissie
Hynde, and Sarah McLachlan come to mind), McCormick has digested her influences and moved on to develop her own unique, multi-dimensional style —
ironically by absorbing the influences of everyone and everything she encounters.
"Subjects exist everywhere," says McCormick: "in the news, in memories, in overheard conversations. With language, melody, and rhythm, I assemble sketches
of our tiny inch of history — the dawn of the millennium, with its unique spin on love and sex, science and culture, heroes and hope." McCormick
regards "honesty, inquisitiveness, and a sense of humor" as her primary tools as a performing songwriter.
Sacred is a wonderful collection of vignettes and situational musings brought to life by McCormick's talent for nimble, nuanced vocal phrasing and
wry, insightful lyrics. In the same song — in the same line — she can encase heartache in humor and brilliantly evoke the fat tangle of emotions that
often complicate relationships. Like a good short story writer, she can readily shift into the varying perspectives of her song's characters,
depicting life's knots through their eyes. Her intoxicating voice is matched by savory musicianship and the organic production of Sacred's lead
guitarist, John Platania.
"When my producer, Jonathan Edwards [of her debut CD, Right Now], placed his Taylor 812-C in my hands as we were recording my first CD, I immediately
knew that there was no turning back," commented McCormick. "As soon as we finished the album, I ran out and got my own, and have used it every day
since for touring and recording. On…Sacred, I use my Taylor on every track."
A litany of critical acclaim trails McCormick. She took the Overall Grand Prize in the USA Songwriting contest in 1997; the Grand Prize in the MIXX
Magazine Indie Band Contest; was recognized in the Billboard Magazine Songwriters Contest; and was nominated by Vermont Senator James Jeffords to be
the one performing artist to represent her home state on the Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. Her debut CD, Right Now,
received preliminary nominations for Song of the Year, Pop Female Vocal Performance, and Pop Album of the Year for the 40th Annual Grammy Awards;
and Performing Songwriter magazine chose McCormick's single, "Gravitate", for its Best of the Year CD.
In addition to her own performances, McCormick has opened for Ani Difranco, Patty Larkin, Aimee Mann and Joan Armatrading.
"In a field crowded with would-be philosophers, poets, and storytellers, each toting a guitar, McCormick stands out as someone who's really worth hearing…the album…becomes more intriguing with each passing verse."
— Washington Post
"Dryly sardonic, witty, and with a key eye for absurdities…"
— The Boston Globe
"McCormick can cover the literate folkie territory like a hundred other sweet-voiced divas since Joni Mitchell, but she could also rock a roadhouse if she wanted to, throw her comedic weight around in a stand-up club, deal jazzy spoken-word poetry, and melt your heart."
— Seven Days, Burlington, VT
"This woman is an absolute genius. She is funny, sexy, smart, literate, sardonic, witty, ironic, and she sings with all the power of a rock diva."
— New England Performer Magazine
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