JANIS IAN- Who are the great songwriters in America today? Not the most popular. Not the richest. Simply the greats.
Ask any student of the form, and Janis Ian will be counted among them The writer of “Jesse”, a song recorded by so many others that few remember Ian wrote it; “Stars”, possibly the best song ever written about the life of a performer, recorded by artists as diverse as Mel Torme and Cher; and the seminal “At Seventeen”, a song that brought her five Grammy nominations (the most any solo female artist had ever garnered) in 1975, and which is now reaching its third generation of listeners.
THE SUBDUDES- In 1987, four musicians got together for what they envisioned would be a one-time performance at Tipitina’s in New Orleans. It was a night of mostly acoustic music – sparse instrumentation with a strong emphasis on songwriting and vocal harmonies. The show far exceeded expectations, and on that March night the subdudes were born.
Nearly 10 years later, after five well-received albums and several years of hard touring, the subdudes called it quits.
Spinoff projects ensued, as did the occasional reunion show. Finally, in February of 2002, three of the four original band members decided to get back together. They recruited additional longtime friends to fill out the sound and called themselves the Dudes, but the music was still unmistakably the subdudes.
Today, they are once again the subdudes. And there’s still nobody in the world that sounds like them.
VANCE GILBERT- Vance Gilbert burst onto the singer/songwriter scene in the early 90's when the buzz started spreading in the folk clubs of Boston about an ex-multicultural arts teacher and jazz singer who was knocking 'em dead at open mikes. The word spread of this Philadelphia-area born and raised performer to New York; Shawn Colvin invited Vance Gilbert to be a special guest on her Fat City tour. Gilbert took audiences across the country by storm ("With the voice of an angel, the wit of a devil, and the guitar playing of a god, it was enough to earn him that rarity: an encore for an opener" wrote the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in its review of a show from that tour.
GARLAND JEFFREYS- In the '70s and early '80s, this singer-songwriter-guitarist commanded a cult following, convinced that his thoughtful autobiographical songs, Latin- and reggae-tinged political statements and roaring rock anthems were hits waiting to happen. He received some FM radio airplay with songs such as "Wild in the Streets," "R.O.C.K." and a ferocious cover of the garage-rock classic, "96 Tears" But his 1980 commercial breakthrough took place in Europe, when his lilting "Matador" became ubiquitous. Though he has continued living in his hometown of New York, his record sales remain strong overseas, to this day. One of Lili's musical influences.
ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO- He has consistently earned a virtual music press thesaurus of acclamation and enjoys an ever-expanding audience as devoted as any in rock’n’roll, thanks to the stunning breadth of his musical vision, depth of his emotional expression, and the sheer quality and musicality of his work. Or in short, the artistry of Alejandro Escovedo is as good as contemporary music gets.
MIKE KURMAN a.k.a KURM- Mike is a multi-faceted musician playing bass, guitar and piano. In addition, he sings and writes songs. Currently Mike had been staying busy, playing bass in 3 outfits: Dan May, The Barley Boys and with Lili.
PATRICK'S HEAD- Patrick's Head, have developed into one of the most vibrant acts on the Philly music scene. Their sold-out shows at the celebrated World Café Live venue caught the attention of the music press and gained mainstream radio play.
JAMES ARMSTRONG- James is a specialist in Haitian, Cuban, and West African folkloric drumming, and has done extensive field research and performance of this music throughout the United States and abroad, including extensive fieldwork in Ghana, West Africa, where he studied and performed with several master musicians in the cultural context. James also performs with Lili.
LIZANNE KNOTT- A long standing member of the singer-songwriter scene in Philadelphia, Lizanne Knott has been captivating audiences throughout the Northeast and garnering attention from radio listeners across the globe. Well known locally for her floating vocals and lyrical juxtapositions, her apparent depth and transcending warmth make for an inviting mix of music which moves easily through dark poetic ballads - to soulful jazz - to folk driven rock.
JOHN CONAHAN- A piano-based singer songwriter. His powerful and vibrant vocal quality coupled with his festive persona is certain to captivate and entice every audience. From intimate solo performances to rollicking full band shows, John’s audience interaction is always a highlight – he’ll have you singing his songs and outright laughing in between them.
CHELSEA MITCHELL-
Independent singer/songwriter/guitarist with 35+ originals penned. Debut album available for purchase at most performances. Attends most Mondays at World Cafe Live's open-mic night in Philly and Wednesdays at Puck in Doylestown.
MARK SILVER- The Marc Silver Band is acoustic music on a palette of traditional bluegrass & country instrumentation. Lively tempos, gifted soloists, three-part vocal harmonies as well as the lyrical ballad characterize the bands sound. The three different vocalists create an engaging interplay of personality and singing styles while Marc's original songs display lyric writing that is sensitive, insightful, reflective, & honest without an ounce of pretentiousness.
JOSH KOMOROWSKI- Lyrically potent and shamelessly heartfelt, Joshua Komorowski's tender yet edged songwriting and performance have secured his position as an artist one truly believes every word and note. A native of Philadelphia, PA, Josh has been spreading his poetic and soulful vision across the country. Whether solo, full band or 12 piece ensemble, Josh's bluesy, funk and soul music leaves listeners breathless.
MORNING STAR STUDIOS- MorningStar is a world class recording studio that has been serving the greater Philadelphia music community for over 25 years. Owned and operated Grammy® Award-winning engineer and producer Glenn Barratt, it sits nestled in the northeast suburbs, just minutes away from Philadelphia.
MorningStar has worked with clients in nearly every genre: R&B, Gospel, Jazz, Rock, Celtic, Hip-hop, Singer-songwriter, Folk, Klezmer and everything in between. Their projects have been heard on major films, PBS documentaries and commercials as well as national radio. More than a few “debut” recordings have come out of MorningStar to be signed to major labels and their clients continue to stay in the forefront and win industry awards every year.
COOKE HARVEY-Cooke is an extraordinary bassist and has been composing and arranging music since high school. Through the years, some of his endeavers include The Harvey Boys, The Kate Gaffney Band, The Dream Again Band, One Alternative, The Big Package Band, and füsionhouse. In addition, Cooke had a major role in shaping the sound of Lili's "Dream Again" CD as co-producer ."
RON CHELSVIG- Ron has a keen eye for capturing a moment and is responsible for taking many of the images used on Lili’s website. In addition, Ron’s photos were used on the 2004 reissue of “Laughed Last” and again for the upcoming “Life Or Death” import CD. Not only is Ron a gifted photographer, but also a talented singer/songwriter. Visit Ron’s MySpace for samples of his music and check out the photos section for his beautiful photography.
JOHN DIGIOVANNI- When John DiGiovanni sits down at the drums and picks up the sticks, it’s obvious from the downbeat that he’s an extraordinary musician. Equally at home with jazz, rock, blues, country, and classical, DiGiovanni’s smooth and multi-dimensional style shows that he’s no mere technician. John contributed drums and percussion to Lili's "Dream Again" CD and performed with the Dream Again Band.
JOEY BERKLEY- As a freelance musician in the NYC club scene Joey has performed with a variety of bands from jazz to rock to funk in many of the prestigious venues past and present - The Village Gate, The Apollo, Radio City Music Hall and the Bottom Line. In the early days Joey also performed in Lili's band.
NORA WHITTAKER BAND- Soul, blues, pop & R&B blending an orginal style of blue-eyed soul led by Nora's brassy vocals and solid keyboards!
GILLIAN GRASSIE- is not another girl with a guitar. She's a girl with a harp and a voice and a mission. Her music blends jazz, folk, rock, pop, Latin and Celtic influences under a sweet but intense soprano. A charismatic and engaging performer, Gillian's songwriting often focuses on relational themes with thoughtfulness and wry humor.
WDIY- Is an NPR station located in Bethlehem, PA. The mission of WDIY as a public radio station is to engage the Lehigh Valley community through a wide-ranging exchange of music, arts, news and culturally diverse information.
PHILADELPHIA SONGWRITER'S PROJECT- The Philadelphia Songwriters Project is a non-profit 501c3 organization with the mission: to serve as a resource for local and regional songwriters. PSP supports the time-honored tradition of songwriting. PSP is dedicated to providing local and regional songwriters a place to showcase their music, improve their work and advance their career.
WXPN- The nationally recognized leader in Triple A radio and the premier guide for discovering new and significant artists in rock, blues, roots, and folk, is the non-commercial, member-supported radio service of the University of Pennsylvania. WXPN produces World Cafe®, public radio’s most popular program of popular music hosted by David Dye and syndicated by NPR, and the Peabody Award winning Kids Corner hosted by Kathy O’Connell. WXPN also produces the alternative rock service, Y-Rock On XPN as its secondary radio channel in HD. WXPN serves the greater Philadelphia area at 88.5 FM, the Lehigh Valley at 104.9, Worton/Baltimore at 90.5 FM, Lancaster/York at 88.7 FM, Harrisburg at 99.7 FM, and the world via online streaming at XPN.org and XPoNentialMusic.org.
WSTW- Mainstream radio station out of Wilmington, DE features a weekly broadcast for locals artists. Hometown Heroes is a weekly program spotlighting the best music from the Delaware Valley! Hosted by Mark Rogers, the program is broadcast every Sunday, 9-11pm. They play the music and provide information about where you can see these bands perform live, how to get their music, and how to contact them. They'll even bring some of them into the studio to perform live on the air.
IRENE YOUNG - Her clients, too numerous to mention, include Warner Brothers, Columbia, Motown, Windham Hill, Narada, Virgin, Rounder, Red House, and Blix Street Records; Harper Collins, Fawcett, Doubleday, and Henry Holt and Company Publishers; Hewlett Packard, Panasonic, Paula Dorf Cosmetics, Bodymasters, and The World Cup Catalogue. Her photographs have appeared in many national and international publications, including Us Magazine, Oprah Magazine, The New York Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Washington Post, People Magazine, and The Utne Reader.
Lili was very fortunate to have Irene photograph her for the "Hi-Octane Coffee" CD
LOOK SHARP WEB DESIGN- A one man operation responsible for creating Lili's website. Since Look Sharp is not a large company, there's not much overhead and the savings are passed on to you. Visit this website and see what Look Sharp can do for you.
TAKAMINE- Lili's favorite guitar!