(828) 526-0173 | [email protected] | Copyright 2024 – All Rights Reserved.
Melodies Stir Memories
Written By: Donna Rhodes | Issue: 2016/07 - July | Photograph By: Marjorie Christiansen Photography
Lisa Rankin, singer/songwriter/performer, is on a mission.
With 35 years of music entertainment under her belt and a passion for songs of the 60s, 70s, and 80s, she has launched her own Piano Bar Revival.
“The piano bar, popular decades ago, had a unique ambiance,” she says. “People responded to piano in ways that were different from any other live music. Today, Wine Bars are the rage and piano bar music is a perfect complement to that atmosphere which is more sophisticated and more personal than most contemporary venues.”
Part of what makes piano bars successful is that the songs are familiar, singable melodies that tap into listeners’ memories. And the piano bar creates its own community. People gather ‘round, make requests, and become part of the happening.
Rankin is a versatile musician playing everything from Carole King to Joni to Elton John, and she does it all her way. A gifted arranger, she weaves in Lisa magic with an unexpected chord or meter change, some gritty funk, or a twisting thread of The lonious Monk.
Rankin says of her arrangements, “Instead of daily performances becoming rote, I do some tweaking to breathe new life into the music. And that keeps it fresh and fun for me as well as my audience. I adapt to the room. Eva Cassidy, Carly Simon, Adele, Ella Fitzgerald, Diana Krall, Nat King Cole, and hundreds more performers and composers are all staples in my entertainment bag.”
Add to that her skills on piano, guitar, harmonica, percussion, wind instruments, and more and she is a musical powerhouse.
Catch her piano bar performances at On the Verandah, Sunday through Thursday, 6:00 to 9:00 P.M. and Old Edwards Inn Wine Garden, Saturday afternoons 4:00 to 7:00 P.M. She is available Friday afternoons/evenings for private parties and special events. Contact her at [email protected] or visit lisaandgalen.com, where you’ll enjoy her original composition, “Quicksand,” a free download.
