Lisa Otey is back - and busy

Lisa Otey is back - and busy
April 21, 2005 •• 189 words •• ID: MERLIN_2702178
$2.95 - Arizona Daily Star - NewsBank - Apr 21, 2005

Blues queen Lisa Otey has been all over the world - literally - in recent months, touring throughout Europe, the Netherlands and Dubai. You'd think she'd come home to Tucson, plop down on the couch and watch some really bad reality TV. Not a chance. Tucson's hardest-working musician is throwing her own welcome-home party with two concerts on Saturday. Early this year, Otey took a run through Germany with German-based label Ruf Records' ...

Lisa Otey celebrating CD release

Lisa Otey celebrating CD release
May 14, 2004 •• 218 words •• ID: MERLIN_2046252
$2.95 - Arizona Daily Star - NewsBank - May 14, 2004

Ten years ago, Tucson's true divas, Kathleen Williamson and Lisa Otey, decided to spread their creative wings and enter the wacky, wonderful and often frustrating world of recording arts and sciences. Thus was born Owl's Nest Productions, the pair's Tucson-based record label that boasts eight efforts, including a new Otey and the Desert Divas live disc, "Viva la Diva!" Otey will celebrate the CD's release and ...

Local Music Source

Listen to music from Lisa Otey's album "Hard Workin' Woman" Hard Workin' Woman (mp3) Hard Workin' Woman (RealAudio) Xena for Xmas (mp3) Xena for Xmas (RealAudio) I can see the new view (mp3) I can see the new view (RealAudio) Rockin' with Red (mp3) Rockin' with Red (RealAudio) Here's to Life (mp3) Here's to Life (RealAudio) For more information on Lisa Otey: Otey concocts blues, jazz, 'Green Eggs & Ham' CD Review: Lisa Otey's "Blue Angel," Owl's Nest Productions CD Review: Lisa Otey's "Blame It On My Youth," Owl's Nest Productions'

Hard work pays off for singer/songwriter A.J. FLICK The Tucson Citizen Dec. 13, 2001 What on Earth could Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony and Xena and Gabrielle have in common? They're all hardworking women, Lisa Otey and Candye Kane cheerfully sing on the title track of Otey's new CD, "Hard Workin' Woman." "I really liked the idea of putting Xena in there with Susan B. Anthony," says Otey, laughing, escaping a drizzly fall day and sipping an eggnog milkshake at Little Anthony's Diner last week. You might get the impression that Otey is somewhat of a Xena fanatic, having dropped the TV superhero's name in "Hard Workin' Woman" as well as "Xena for Xmas." And you'd be right. "When I'm in a particular situation, I think, 'What would Xena do?' " Otey says. "'How would Xena handle this?' It's the best TV show I've ever seen! It's the best in the history of television! It's got the best love story!" Otey got hooked on the "Xena: Warrior Princess" TV show when Gaslight Theatre, where she is musical director, launched a spoof of the adventure fantasy show. She scheduled her dinners around the show, only to find "Baywatch" in its place when the syndicated "Xena" was canceled. Otey was crushed and poured her emotions into her jazzy novelty tribute, "Xena for Xmas." "Santa, I want Xena for Christmas/I want to watch her go head over heels over Gabrielle every night./And Santa, would you talk to the network?/We need to know that the battle for good over evil will turn out all right." Even if "Xena" is never seen on television again, Otey will be all right, rest assured. She's riding a current wave of success with her music. This year, she performed at the Cognac Blues Passions Festival in France; the Roses Blues, Jazz & Gospel Festival in Spain; Rock Bend Folk Festival in Minnesota; and made her Canadian concert debut. In March, she will make her concert debut in Holland. In addition, she was named to the Arizona Blues Hall of Fame and appears on Kane's new CD, "The Toughest Girl Alive." Otey's music is played on more than 300 radio stations worldwide, as close as Phoenix and as far away as Australia. "I've got as much airplay as anyone on Alligator," she says, referring to the world's best-known blues record label. Yet should someone from Alligator or any other big label come calling, Otey wouldn't hesitate to switch from her own indie label, Owl's Nest Productions. "Absolutely!" she says, leaning forward. She sighs with the thought of having someone else handle all the business necessities that come with a busy career. "Every year gets more incredible than the one before," says Otey, who left the hand-to-mouth existence of a struggling musician behind eight years ago when Gaslight hired her for its year-round productions. "Just when I think it can't possibly get any better, it does." Otey's circle of contacts has widened each year, exposing her music to more and more people and getting her ever closer to the possibility that she may make the leap to a big music label. She met Kane about two years ago, when the buxom blues diva needed a local keyboardist for a concert at the Rialto Theatre. When they met, Otey knew that she had to write a duet. A subsequent tour in the Southwest playing with Kane solidified their relationship. Hence, "Hard Workin' Woman." Otey's new CD contains a who's who of local musicians. Of course, there's Otey's longtime friend/collaborator, fiddler Heather Hardy, on "Hard Workin' Woman," and the wistful "My Funny Valentine." Hurricane Carla Brownlee, Otey's co-musical director at Gaslight, lends her sax to "Tonight I'll Dream" and "Rockin' With Red." Otey's frequent partner in crime Kathleen Williamson co-wrote two songs, "Don't Make a Scene, Kathleen" and "I Can See the New View," a tribute to the victims of Sept. 11. Stefan George brought his dobro in on "Song for Eva," which Otey wrote about a homeless woman in Tucson. Sam Taylor plays guitar on "Don't Make a Scene" (in which the Invisible Theatre's Susan Claassen is the voice of St. Peter) and Ada Redd Austin lent her R&B vocals for "You Got a Friend Right Here." And, as usual, Otey called on her talented brother, David, to add his trombone to several cuts, including "Maybe We'll Be Lucky," "Rockin' With Red" and "Sittin' on the Back Porch." Otey usually pounds out a CD in short time, she says, but took longer putting this one together because of the chance to collaborate with Kane. Ten songs were in the bag when Otey realized she wanted two more, which became the Williamson collaborations. "I wanted to do something about Sept. 11," Otey says, "but I didn't want anything that sounded trite. So I said to Kathleen, 'You're from New York, you write something about it.' " Williamson came up with the hook from a report about a little girl who lives near Ground Zero in New York City, showing her dad the scene outside their window and saying, "I can see the new view." Otey admits to being a bit intimidated by the thought of putting her music to someone else's words. Otey gave Williamson the opportunity to offer suggestions on the resulting music, but Williamson was more than satisfied with the final song. Details: http://www.lisaotey.com/.

TUCSON CITIZEN CLASSICAL FOLK ROCK JAZZ TRADITIONAL

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Ladies Sing The Blues - Tucson Weekly

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PUBLISHED ON JANUARY 27, 2000: Ladies Sing The Blues Vocalists Mollie O'Brien And Lisa Otey Perform At The Berger Center. By ANGELA MCCORMICK-OWEN MOLLIE O'BRIEN IS originally from Wheeling, West Virginia, and it echoes in her voice, which is as clear and pure as mountain air. Various peregrinations, from New York to Denver, where she now resides, have also left their imprint. Her music reflects influences from each of these cities, resulting in a sophisticated blend of Americana and blues in a style that resonates with both power and ease. O'Brien appears Friday at the Berger Performing Arts Center for a show billed as "An Evening of Women and the Blues." She and her band will share the stage with local blues and jazz pianist/songstress Lisa Otey for an evening sure to delight fans of blues, jazz and American roots music alike. Touring in support of her latest release, Big Red Sun (Sugar Hill Records), O'Brien allows her voice full reign on gems like Memphis Minnie's "In My Girlish Days" and Lucinda Williams' "Big Red Sun Blues," and further unleashes it for a romp on Chuck Berry's "Brown-Eyed Handsome Man." Following her Tucson performance, O'Brien will head to Los Angeles for a couple of shows, but isn't in the habit of commiting to extended tours. Maintaining a balance between her music and motherhood, she says, "I usually go out for weekends rather than long tours. I have children, so I try to be home during the week." O'Brien's first introduction to music came with her childhood piano lessons, but the influences that would later inspire her own career didn't arrive until her teens. "I was in high school during the '60s folk boom," she says. "I heard a lot of Peter, Paul and Mary, Bob Dylan, the Beatles...I saw them all on shows like Ed Sullivan and listened to the records. From there I started playing coffee houses, folk masses, basically anyplace that I could." The formative music education O'Brien received with her early piano lessons is something she treasures. "I would be horrified if there was no music education in the schools today. I think that exposure to the arts is so important for kids." Five years have elapsed since O'Brien last graced a Tucson stage, and her enthusiastic local fans are sure to provide a warm welcome on her return. Among her devoted following are KXCI deejay Marty Cool, who's been sharing his love of her "Big Red Sun Blues"with his listeners in recent weeks; and there's no shortage of Tucson Blues Society members who adore her folk, jazz and blues stylings. "I'm looking forward to visiting Tucson," O'Brien relates. "I remember having a great breakfast there. I really liked the hall (Berger Performing Arts Center). You have beautiful weather, too. I look forward to that!" O'Brien is very comfortable with her mix of styles, and extends her musical diversity to her off-stage life as well. "Right now, I'm listening to Paul Simon at home," she relates. "I would pay big bucks to see Ibrahim Ferrer with the Buena Vista Social Club, and I'd love to go see Beck. I am really into Beck. I tried to take my kids to see Luscious Jackson, but we couldn't go because they are too young. But that would have been fun." Joining O'Brien are guitarist Nina Gerber and bass player Chris Engleman. An accomplished player, Gerber often accompanies Greg Brown, both on stage and in the studio, and was the guitarist for the late Kate Wolf. Gerber's lovely guitar work holds its own alongside O'Brien's voice. Opening the evening will be Tucson's own Lisa Otey, performing in support of her fourth CD, gimme some a yo' sugar!, released on her own Owl's Nest Productions label. Otey is currently receiving international airplay and accolades for her sultry, powerful voice, and her jazzy and occasionally raucous piano playing. A Tucsonan for 15 years, Otey landed in town as a teenager to study with UA prof and noted jazz pianist Jeff Haskell. She is currently the musical director for both the Gaslight Theatre and Project Pastime, a program for Catalina High School's special education department, in conjunction with the Invisible Theater. For the past six years, Otey has directed the music for Project Pastime's touring group, as well as the annual Me Inside of Me music show. After enduring an eight-week hiatus last year due to a polyp on her vocal cord, a fully recovered Otey is once again enjoying belting out the infamous jazz double-entendres her audience has come to expect. In her current crowd-pleaser, "Got My Modem Workin'," she gives a clever, technological nod to the Muddy Waters classic. "The loss of my voice last year was quite a spiritual experience for me," Otey says. "I chose not to undergo surgery and risk losing my voice for good, so I had to go for eight weeks without saying a word. Then I had six weeks of speech therapy. I am working with vocal coach Nancy Davis Booth to strengthen the middle part of my range, but all in all I am very lucky." Catch Mollie O'Brien and Lisa Otey at 8 p.m. Friday, January 28, at the Berger Performing Arts Center, 1200 W. Speedway Blvd. All seats are reserved. Tickets are $15, $13 for Tucson Blues Society and In Concert! members, and available at Hear's Music, Antigone Books and by phone at 327-4809.

Marvelous Malvina

Tucson Weekly Print Friendly: http://www.tucsonweekly.com/gbase/music/Content?oid=41501

PUBLISHED ON AUGUST 26, 1999: Marvelous Malvina A Bevy Of Local Performers Fondly Remember Folk Inspiration Malvina Reynolds. By NANCY HAND MALVINA REYNOLDS " MUST be celebrated," says local musical mainstay Lisa Otey. "She's one of the great songwriters of our times, and her songs are still very relevant today." Otey is one of an impressive line-up of local musicians who will throw a birthday bash this Sunday, August 29, for the revered folk singer. Reynolds, who would've been 99 this month, was best known for songs like "Little Boxes" and "Turn Around," tunes widely recorded by such folk music greats as Pete Seeger, Joan Baez and Judy Collins. Together with Otey, local artists Eb Eberlein, Linda Lou Reed and Bruce Phillips, among others, will step up to the mike to perform some of Reynolds' songs. The event is co-sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Church and the Tucson Labor Chorus, and will include a screening of Love It Like a Fool, a 30-minute documentary about Reynolds made in 1976. "Malvina has a great sense of humor and a great way of presenting her ideas in songs," says Otey. Many of Reynolds' songs, like "Little Boxes," reflect her concern about what she perceived as a breakdown of community; but they do so with humor, and without losing hope. "When I look at people," said Reynolds in a 1971 workshop, "I think, 'How can they wipe you out? You're beautiful, intelligent, viable creatures who still have your finger on the old strength, the tribal strength. You still have language...You have feeling, you have poetry, you have music.' " Reverend Stanley Stefancic of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Tucson knew Reynolds, who was also a Unitarian. "She used to come to the [church's] general assemblies," remembers Stefancic, "and she would sit down somewhere -- in the hotel lobby or the convention center -- and start playing, and we'd all sing. She was just a wonderful, spirited, extraordinary woman who wrote some great songs. The one that really moved me was one that came out in the '60s that talked about grass growing through concrete, because it expressed hope -- that in the midst of concrete, whether actual concrete or concrete opinions and ideas, there could be new life...there could be growth, there could be hope." That song, called "God Bless the Grass," will be among those performed by the Tucson Labor Chorus. A 100th anniversary compilation CD of Reynolds' work will be released next year, and a full length biography is being written by Ellen Stekert. Reynolds was also a folk philosopher of sorts, writing poems and essays in addition to the hundreds of songs she composed and performed from the 1940s through the '70s. She had a profound belief in the power of music and of language, and like any artist whose art raises social issues, she was sometimes criticized for her commitment. "If you have any faith in human intelligence, in human strength, in the human spirit," said Reynolds, "you have faith in the word. The word can be sung, or it can be said...But the word is part of your weaponry...to protect yourself, and make yourself and be yourself. And I'm going to sing the word, and I'm going to sing it the way I see it." Reynolds left some advice for those who would remember her after she was gone in her 1961 song "This World": "This old world is mean and cruel/But I still love it like a fool/Don't weep for me when I am gone/just keep this old world rolling on." The Malvina Reynolds tribute, featuring Lisa Otey, Eb Eberlein, Linda Lou Reed and Bruce Phillips, gathers on Sunday, August 29, at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 4831 E. 22nd St. The event begins with a vegetarian meal at 5:30 p.m., followed by the documentary Love it Like a Fool at 6:30 p.m., and the concert at 7 p.m. For meal reservations, call 623-1688.

Tucson's Top-10 Most Wanted: Lisa Otey (Best of Tucson '98)

Tucson's Top-10 Most Wanted: Lisa Otey (Best of Tucson '98)

LISA OTEY Pianist Lisa Otey is a perennial favorite in our Best of Tucson readers' poll. She was named Musician of the Year in the 1997 Tucson Area Music Awards (TAMMIES); and last month became the first solo-act to win the statewide Blues Showdown at the Rhythm Room in Phoenix. She'll represent Arizona in the International Blues Talent competition this October, in Memphis. She's been Music Director at the Gaslight Theatre for six years. TW: WHAT EVIDENCE DO YOU SEE OF ART MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN PEOPLE'S LIVES? I also work with the Invisible Theatre, primarily at Catalina High School, with a group of exceptional education students called the Pastime Players. All these kids have challenges with speaking, moving or remembering something. And not only do they have to remember everything we've taught them, but they have a whole week before we see them again. It's great to see how hard they work at memorizing their parts, singing harmonies, getting over their shyness and projecting. The purpose of the whole show is for them to show who they really are, so people don't just see what they look like on the outside. I think it makes a big difference when kids perform. It raises their self-esteem, gives them confidence. They see they can do things they never thought they could do. And then they get applauded for it--that can only help. That's why it upsets me to see the arts getting cut from the schools, because that's something I think can save a lot of our kids. There's another group in town that just started, called Coming To, directed by Trishe Dhezny. She started this program in San Francisco, then took it to Seattle, and this year she started it here. I think Dateline did a big story on the group she had in Seattle. She has about five kids in the Tucson program, and they're all recovering from different addictions. They took their stories and put it into a play, which they're performing for kids in different schools around town. The kick-off was September 16 at Tucson High. It's great, because a lot of times adults go into the schools and they talk about drug addiction and alcoholism, and it's such a turn-off. Kids aren't interested in what some adult has to say. But these kids are all coming from that place--they're the same age. They can at least show them the fear and the pain that they went through, as part of their recovery story. TW: WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE ANNUAL FESTIVAL? It's impossible to pick only one! First, I'd say the Tucson Blues Festival: It's free, they bring in national acts--the kind of top-notch acts you'd have to pay $30 a day to see elsewhere. About eight or nine bands played last year, and there were about 12,000 people in the park. The Tucson Blues Society offers this wonderful event for free, because they want everybody to be able to come. It's in October. Another festival that's really great--for kind of the opposite reason in that it's all local--is the Juneteenth Festival, in Kennedy Park. Families come out, and they have wonderful food, and great music that goes all day for three days. It's a great place to see people you don't necessarily get to see around town: everyone from well-knowns like Barbea Williams, Mary Baker and Bloolyte (an excellent jazz-rock group) to things like this martial arts group that incorporated dance and percussion...I can't remember their name. It was amazing, though. Bernie Starks, who was coordinating the music up until last year, did a great job of mixing (the program). More than an African-American celebration, he made it a celebration of community and diversity. It's probably one of our most underrated, or under-publicized, festivals. TW: WHICH LOCAL MUSICIANS DO YOU ENJOY WATCHING? One of my absolute favorite local musicians just passed on, and that was Richard Gomez. He played with Tony and the Torpedoes, with Anna Warr. His style was kind of subtle, but real hip. He would just kind of close his eyes and move around the keyboard. He reminded me of some kind of animal...he was just really cool. Even when he was sick, he was out there playing all the time. And Anna Warr is one of my favorite singers. She's in her mid-20s, and she's what somebody called "100-percent woman." She's like 6-foot-3 or something, and I think Lebanese and Cherokee is her ethnic mix. She has an incredible voice that just shakes the room. She's got a great growl when she sings the blues, and she sings right from the soles of her feet. We have so many good performers here. It's great to see everybody doing their thing, like Paul Elia doing his Frank Sinatra bit; and Carla Brownlee, who plays with me all the time on the saxophone. "Hurricane Carla" Brownlee is what they call her. She wrote the play Miss Small-Town Rock & Roll, which we recently did at the Gaslight. TW: WHERE'S THE BEST PLACE TO HEAR BLUES DONE RIGHT? The Boondocks is a great bar. They put out a lot of energy, bring in great local acts, and all these touring acts. Terry-O has been instrumental in that. I don't know how he got involved, but I'm glad he did. They're turning it into a really nice place. TW: ARE THERE ANY UNSUNG HEROES YOU'D LIKE TO PRAISE? Kathleen Williams works as a judge pro tem at City Court and Justice Court. She's been doing the pro-tem thing for the last five years, and I've gone down to watch her many times. She has a great presence about her...a great way of listening to all sides, and coming up with the best route. She cares a lot about domestic violence cases, and also used to work as a prosecutor down at juvenile court. She worked at the County Attorney downtown for a while, too, in the criminal department. She really is looking out for families and couples--looking for the best way for people to move beyond where they are, and the best way to keep people safe. ...And she's also a singer. She used to perform all the time in Northern Arizona. She doesn't perform enough down here, though we get her to do the Folk Festival once in a while. She gets like Louie Prima when she sings with me. She's really great. She's also working on her Ph.D. in anthropology, so she definitely has a full plate. But we're very lucky to have her as a magistrate, and I'd like to see her get some recognition. TW: WHAT'S THE BEST NEW WORK YOU HEARD ABOUT THIS YEAR? This summer, Lawrence Taylor and Maeze Hickey were working on a documentary book on tunnel kids in Nogales (to be published by UA Press). Maeze is the photographer; Larry is the author. They've volunteered down there, at this "casa" on the Arizona side, for the last two or three summers, spending a lot of time with these kids. This book is mostly about the kids and their stories, and there are great portraits of all of them. It's also a good reminder how much we're all responsible for our children, even if we don't have families ourselves. That we need to reach out and be involved in the kids in our community, and help keep them. Every one of those kids at some point in their lives had some dream, some talent that they thought they had, something they wanted to do. Somewhere along the way they've forgotten that, and I think it's our responsibility to help them remember it, and nurture it so that they can become that thing. Because that's the only way things are going to get better. Copyright © 1995-98 Tucson Weekly