Lisa Brigantino grew up in the town of Katonah, just North of New York City and began her musical training at an early age, starting piano lessons at 5, violin at 7 and upright bass at 14. She is a trained vocalist and is self-taught on guitar, electric bass, mandolin, percussion, ukulele, banjo, accordion, harmonica and cello to name a few. Lisa comes from a musical family and her relatives include the late Felix Pappalardi, legendary producer of Cream and producer and bassist for Mountain and Michael Barbiero, producer, engineer and remixer extraordinaire who has worked acts ranging from The Alarm, Expose, Anthrax and Blues Traveler to Joe cocker, Whitney Houston, and Gov't Mule.
Lisa began composing as a child and continued through high school and college, attending The School of Music at State University of New York at Fredonia. She studied composition and theory with Dr. Donald Bohlen and voice with Christine Walters Komatsu. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in music theory and stayed on at Fredonia as a graduate assistant and received a Master of Music degree in composition and music theory.
Lisa performs her original, eclectic mix of folk/blues/rock/pop/country as a soloist and with husband and guitarist Tomi Millioto. Lisa also performs with "In The Rough" a vocal trio which also features her sister, Lori Brigantino and Susan Haefner. Lisa has built up an enthusiastic following performing around the country and at well-known venues in the New York City/Tri-State area.
Lisa’s CD release "A Brooklyn Night" continues to receive great reviews and radio airplay in the United States as well as internationally. Lisa’s next album is currently being recorded and is slated for release in early Fall 2009.
Lisa also performs with her sister Lori in "The Vickie and Nickie Show" - a wacky musical comedy act about the fun, multi-instrumental, singing suburban-housewife sister duo, Vickie and Nickie, straight from the hills of Northern Minnesota. Through original songs and tunes ranging from pop to rock to rap, Vickie and Nickie share their rise to “fame”, family stories and their own special take on the world today while accompanying themselves on acoustic and electric guitars, accordion, saxophone, violin, Casio keyboard and more. The self-contained Vickie and Nickie Show is infused with improvisation and audience participation. Visit www.vickieandnickie.com.
Lisa has composed music for a variety of projects including film, TV, dance, theatre and advertising. Most recently she scored music for the film "Game Night", the second film she's scored for writer director Jennifer Williams. Lisa and Tom Millioto also wrote and recorded the music for a national TV and radio commercial for Plato’s Closet that is currently airing.
Lisa is the recipient of a Citation of Merit Award from past Brooklyn Borough President Howard Golden for her work on "A Brooklyn Night”. She is a past finalist Fast Folk Magazine's NYC Singer/Songwriter Contest and has also received a "Cool Band Award" from GoGirlsMusic.com. She is also the recipient of honorable mentions in the past seven consecutive Annual Billboard World Song Contests. She is the recent recipient of a runner up award in the Song Of The Year contest for "The Light Of Your Face". Lisa has performed in a number of singer/songwriter showcases including showcases for The Songwriters Guild of America, BMI, Songwriters By The Sea, NJ Songwriters Circle and Women In Music, Inc.,
Lisa was a founding member of Lez Zeppelin, the world's first all girl, all Led Zeppelin tribute band, playing bass, keyboards and mandolin and doing backup vocals. While Lisa was with Lez Zeppelin, the band toured internationally and recorded their self-titled debut album with legendary engineer/producer Eddie Kramer which was released in 2007. The band appeared at major performance venues in the United States and abroad as well as premiere festivals such as Bonnaroo, Voodoo Fest, Rock am Ring, Rock Am Park (Germany) and Download (England). They appeared on national and international TV including CBS Sunday Morning in the US and Music Fair in Japan and received outstanding press in publications such as The New York Times, The London Times, Time Out New York, and Rolling Stone. Chuck Klosterman of Spin Magazine called Lez Zeppelin “the most powerful all female band in rock history.”
Lisa is a Kurzweil endorsed artist. She is a member of BMI, The Songwriters Guild of America, a voting member of NARAS and serves on the Advisory Board of Women In Music, Inc., She is also a past co-editor and contributing writer for Women In Music, Inc.’s quarterly magazine, WIM.
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