Lisa Dewey
Encyclopedia
Lisa Dewey is an American
shoegaze, alternative rock
and dream pop
singer-songwriter
and musician
.
Dewey is best known for her unique musical style and her personal lyrics. She also is an author, runs a record label, has been involved with films, and been an active supporter of many causes.
from San Jose State University
in 1994. That year, she also began her recording career. Her first recording was a self-entitled album released in 1994. She began playing live shows in 1990.
in 1997. The album was distributed by K Records
in Olympia, Washington
. The album featured Stephanie Steele on drums, Chris Fifield on lead guitar, sounds, and lap steel, Michaela Guiterrez on cello and Rich Thomas on editing, mixing and production.
In 1999, Dewey opened for Love and Rockets
and Linda Perry
.
from Cocteau Twins
was a guest performer and worked on the mixing of the album. Other performers included Sheldon Ferguson and Terese Taylor on lead guitar, Christy Greenwood on drums, bass and percussion, and original bass tracks by Christine Harrington. Lisa also worked with David Mantle on mixing and production.
During this time, the Silicon Valley Metro named Dewey the area's sexiest artist.
to finish recording, mixing and production with Raymonde and Martin Lascelles . Busk includes guest performances by Jackie Perez-Gratz from Amber Asylum
on the cello
, Michael Steele
of The Bangles
playing bass
and Simon Raymonde performing bass and other instruments.
Lisa and her band toured up and down the West Coast in support of the album. She also did a solo acoustic tour on the East Coast at that time. Burns left the band in 2004 and John Testani of Shovelhead got behind the drum kit. Touring proceeded again up and down the West Coast. For some shows, Jess Dowd provided additional lead guitar.
On Halloween 2004, Dewey played drums with Mute Angst Envy at the Tokyo Dark Castle event in San Francisco.
In 2008 Lisa was one of two selected artists to exclusively perform at The L Word
Season 5 Premiere and Official Cast Party in Hollywood that benefited the HRC. She also toured with Wayne Hussey
, Miles Hunt
, and Erica Nockalls.
In 2009 Lisa worked in the studio with the legendary drummer Budgie
from Siouxsie and The Banshees and The Creatures
.
Lisa co-wrote "Stars are Crazy" with Lindsey Buckingham
of Fleetwood Mac
on his 2011 solo album Seeds We Sow
. The song is also featured on the DVD "Lindsey Buckingham: Songs from the Small Machine - Live in L.A." This song was inspired by Lisa's song "With You On My Mind" from her "Busk" album.
, an independent music label. She began the label in 1997. She has released albums by Bethany Curve
, Marc Moreland
, Mute Angst Envy, Kelsi Arnold, and others. The name was inspired by working in the kitchen at a health food store.
Dewey has also been booking bands into several Bay Area venues since the early 1990s and has been heavily involved with the annual Left Coast Live festival in San Jose, California
.
She also worked as a composer on Raised by Drag Queens (2002). Her songs have been in the movies 'How the Day Begins (1998), 3 Days... 3 Hours... 3 Minutes... 3 seconds (1999) and Intentions (2003).
, the Muscular Dystrophy Association
(MDA) and The Billy DeFrank Community Center
.
Dewey has been supportive of the LGBT
community and often performs at Pride festivals across California
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
shoegaze, alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
and dream pop
Dream pop
Dream pop is a subgenre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid-1980s, when bands like The Passions, Dif Juz, Lowlife and A.R. Kane began fusing post-punk and ethereal experiments with bittersweet pop melodies into dreamy, sensual soundscapes. The term was almost...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
and musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
.
Dewey is best known for her unique musical style and her personal lyrics. She also is an author, runs a record label, has been involved with films, and been an active supporter of many causes.
Recording artist
Through all of Dewey's incarnations, she has consistently been a recording and performing musician.Early career
Lisa graduated with a degree in MusicMusic
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
from San Jose State University
San José State University
San Jose State University is a public university located in San Jose, California, United States...
in 1994. That year, she also began her recording career. Her first recording was a self-entitled album released in 1994. She began playing live shows in 1990.
Lola Cuki
Dewey's second album was Lola CUKI. Lola CUKI means Lola's Sweet Shop in Hungarian. The cover photo was taken in HungaryHungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
in 1997. The album was distributed by K Records
K Records
K Records is an independent record label in Olympia, Washington, co-founded, owned, and operated by Calvin Johnson, formerly of the bands Cool Rays, Beat Happening, The Go Team, The Halo Benders and presently in the bands Dub Narcotic Sound System and The Hive Dwellers...
in Olympia, Washington
Olympia, Washington
Olympia is the capital city of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat of Thurston County. It was incorporated on January 28, 1859. The population was 46,478 at the 2010 census...
. The album featured Stephanie Steele on drums, Chris Fifield on lead guitar, sounds, and lap steel, Michaela Guiterrez on cello and Rich Thomas on editing, mixing and production.
In 1999, Dewey opened for Love and Rockets
Love and Rockets (band)
Love and Rockets were an English alternative rock band formed in 1985 by former Bauhaus members Daniel Ash , David J , and Kevin Haskins . Former Bauhaus vocalist Peter Murphy had embarked on a solo career after Bauhaus split in 1983...
and Linda Perry
Linda Perry
Linda Perry is an American rock musician, songwriter, and record producer. Once best known as the lead singer and primary songwriter of 4 Non Blondes, Perry has founded two record labels and has become a major songwriter and producer...
.
Weather-Changer Girl
Lisa followed up Lola Cuki with the album Weather Changer Girl. Simon RaymondeSimon Raymonde
Simon Philip Raymonde is an English musician and record producer. He is the son of the late arranger and composer, Ivor Raymonde.-Career:...
from Cocteau Twins
Cocteau Twins
Cocteau Twins were a Scottish alternative rock band active from 1979 to 1997, known for innovative instrumentation and atmospheric, non-lyrical vocals...
was a guest performer and worked on the mixing of the album. Other performers included Sheldon Ferguson and Terese Taylor on lead guitar, Christy Greenwood on drums, bass and percussion, and original bass tracks by Christine Harrington. Lisa also worked with David Mantle on mixing and production.
During this time, the Silicon Valley Metro named Dewey the area's sexiest artist.
Busk
Dewey went back to the studio in 2003 to record Busk with her band, the Lotus Life. The band included Keith St. Thomas on guitar and Paul Zimmerman on bass, both formerly of Mute Angst Envy and Jon Burns of Andalusia on drums. The majority of the recording was done in her Kitchen Whore studio in San Jose. Dewey then returned to LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to finish recording, mixing and production with Raymonde and Martin Lascelles . Busk includes guest performances by Jackie Perez-Gratz from Amber Asylum
Amber Asylum
Amber Asylum is a highly-variable San Francisco-based music group that serves as a platform for composer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist Kris Force...
on the cello
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
, Michael Steele
Michael Steele (musician)
Michael Steele is an American bassist, guitarist, songwriter, and singer. She performed with The Bangles and numerous other bands.-Career:Steele began her professional career as Micki Steele in the teen-girl band The Runaways, among the first all-female rock groups.Steele's stay in the Runaways was...
of The Bangles
The Bangles
The Bangles are an American all-female band that originated in the early 1980s, scoring several hit singles during the decade.-Formation and early years :...
playing bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
and Simon Raymonde performing bass and other instruments.
Lisa and her band toured up and down the West Coast in support of the album. She also did a solo acoustic tour on the East Coast at that time. Burns left the band in 2004 and John Testani of Shovelhead got behind the drum kit. Touring proceeded again up and down the West Coast. For some shows, Jess Dowd provided additional lead guitar.
On Halloween 2004, Dewey played drums with Mute Angst Envy at the Tokyo Dark Castle event in San Francisco.
In 2008 Lisa was one of two selected artists to exclusively perform at The L Word
The L Word
The L Word is an American co-production television drama series originally shown on Showtime portraying the lives of a group of lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people and their friends, family and lovers in the trendy Greater Los Angeles, California city of West Hollywood...
Season 5 Premiere and Official Cast Party in Hollywood that benefited the HRC. She also toured with Wayne Hussey
Wayne Hussey
Wayne Hussey is a British musician, best known as lead singer of The Mission and guitarist with The Sisters of Mercy....
, Miles Hunt
Miles Hunt
Miles Hunt is the singer / guitarist and songwriter for the Stourbridge, England-based Alternative Rock band The Wonder Stuff.- Early life :His father was a union official for the TGWU...
, and Erica Nockalls.
In 2009 Lisa worked in the studio with the legendary drummer Budgie
Budgie (drummer)
-External links:*...
from Siouxsie and The Banshees and The Creatures
The Creatures
The Creatures were a musical act formed in 1981 as a side-project for Siouxsie and the Banshees members Siouxsie Sioux and Budgie. The Times described their music as "adventurous art rock built around Siouxsie's extraordinary voice and drummer Budgie's battery of percussion".With the dissolution of...
.
Lisa co-wrote "Stars are Crazy" with Lindsey Buckingham
Lindsey Buckingham
Lindsey Adams Buckingham is an American guitarist, singer, composer and producer, most notable for being the guitarist and male lead singer of the musical group Fleetwood Mac. Aside from his tenure with Fleetwood Mac, Buckingham has also released six solo albums and a live album...
of Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac are a British–American rock band formed in 1967 in London.The only original member present in the band is its eponymous drummer, Mick Fleetwood...
on his 2011 solo album Seeds We Sow
Seeds We Sow
Seeds We Sow is a solo album by American musician and Fleetwood Mac vocalist/guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, released on September 6, 2011. It is Buckingham's sixth solo album, and his first to be self-released....
. The song is also featured on the DVD "Lindsey Buckingham: Songs from the Small Machine - Live in L.A." This song was inspired by Lisa's song "With You On My Mind" from her "Busk" album.
Producer and label owner
Dewey is the owner of Kitchen Whore RecordsKitchen Whore Records
Kitchen Whore Records is a San Jose, California-based independent record label that released recordings by artists such as Lisa Dewey, Bethany Curve, Marc Moreland and Mute Angst Envy. The label was started in 1997.-Artists:*Bethany Curve* Gina Chiala...
, an independent music label. She began the label in 1997. She has released albums by Bethany Curve
Bethany Curve
Bethany Curve is a shoegaze and alternative rock band from Santa Cruz, California.-Biography:Founding members Richard Millang, Ray Lake, Chris Preston and David Mac Wha formed the band in 1994. Ray Lake and Chris Preston saw a local street sign reading "Bethany Curve" and decided amongst themselves...
, Marc Moreland
Marc Moreland
Marc Moreland was an American rock musician. He was the former guitarist for new wave band Wall of Voodoo, punk band The Skulls, and rock bands Pretty and Twisted and Department of Crooks...
, Mute Angst Envy, Kelsi Arnold, and others. The name was inspired by working in the kitchen at a health food store.
Dewey has also been booking bands into several Bay Area venues since the early 1990s and has been heavily involved with the annual Left Coast Live festival in San Jose, California
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
.
Film career
Dewey has performed as an actress in two feature films:- Some Prefer Cake (1998)
- And Then Came Lola (2009)
She also worked as a composer on Raised by Drag Queens (2002). Her songs have been in the movies 'How the Day Begins (1998), 3 Days... 3 Hours... 3 Minutes... 3 seconds (1999) and Intentions (2003).
Author
Dewey authored the book Spank, published by Fifth Planet Press. The book is described as "a book of poetry, prose, one-liners and a recipe. Inspired by love and heartbreak."Activist
Dewey and her band have played several benefit shows over the years for Aris Project, MACLA, The Works Gallery, HRCHRC
HRC may refer to:* Human Rights Campaign* Human Rights Commission* Human Rights Committee* Hugo Rafael Chávez* Hillary Rodham Clinton is sometimes referred to by her initials, HRC.* Hawaii Regional Cuisine* Hawaii regional cuisine* Hard Rock Cafe...
, the Muscular Dystrophy Association
Muscular Dystrophy Association
The Muscular Dystrophy Association is an American organization which combats muscular dystrophy and diseases of the nervous system and muscular system in general by funding research, providing medical and community services, and educating health professionals and the general public...
(MDA) and The Billy DeFrank Community Center
Billy DeFrank Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center
The Billy DeFrank Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center is a non-profit organization that promotes services for and about the gay community of San Jose, California and Santa Clara County. It started on March 3, 1981...
.
Dewey has been supportive of the LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
community and often performs at Pride festivals across California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Discography
- Self-Titled Debut Album (Cassette, CD) (1994)
- Lola CUKI (1997)
- Weather Changer Girl (2000)
- Watching Her Fingers (CD single, includes non-album tracks) (2000)
- Busk (2004)
- Mellow Day (CD single, includes non-album tracks) (2004)
Contributions
- Andalusia, "Such a Heavenly Eyesore"(2001). Dewey co-wrote and sang on the songs "Swallow" and "Such a Heavenly Eyesore". The title track from "Such a Heavenly Eyesore" was featured in the season finale of Road RulesRoad RulesRoad Rules was an MTV reality show that debuted on July 19, 1995. The series, which was MTV's second reality show after The Real World followed six strangers between the ages of 18 and 24 after stripping them of their money and putting them on an RV traveling from location to location only guided...
in 2002. - Mute Angst EnvyMute Angst Envy (band)Mute Angst Envy is a rock band based in the United States of America. The band formed in San Jose, California, in 1987. The band's most consistent lineup includes Jack Holmes II, on guitar, bass, and vocals, Keith St...
, "South 11th Street" (2004). Dewey contributed backing vocals to track 2, "Love Like a Fight" and had engineering and production credit. - Kelsi Arnold, "Dulcinea" (2004). Dewey played lapsteel on track 3, "Pigs Don't Fly" and track 9, "Ask Me". Engineering and production credit.
Compilations
- "Sofa's Choice" (Sounds from Downtown) (1997). Dewey's song "Under the Lean To" from Lola CUKI is included.
- "Diversity" State of Sound Recording (2002). The song "30 Years in You" from Weather Changer Girl is included.