Lisa Wenger
Minneapolis
Lisa Wenger has performed as a beloved staple of the Minneapolis/St. Paul music scene, delighting audiences with her sweet-yet gritty vocals and captivating mix of North Dakota roots paired with and affinity for the soulful sound of the Deep South.
The honest and soulful Wenger has also brought her funked-up, stripped-down, wall shakin' blend of blues-based American roots music to audiences across the nation. Her appeal is broad enough to entertain a variety of crowds, and Wenger wins them all over, be it at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, the Famous Surf Ballroom, the Le Poisson in NYC, The Hard Rock in Vegas, or at BB Kings in Orlando on the blues circuit.
Born to musical parents, (the locals deemed her Father "Old Golden Throat" and her Mother sings in the church choir to this day) her early training came in the form of the Grease Soundtrack. But all things changed once Wenger studied classical, rock, jazz, and blues music.
Lisa and the Lisa Wenger Band have sealed their reputation as a crowd pleasing outfit. The set list can range from rocking blues classics including Koko Taylor, Bonnie Raitt and Lucinda Williams, to reworked rockabilly rave-ups, contemporary soul and New Orleans R & B.
Wenger has shared the stage with celebrities like Jim Belushi, Robert Cray, Leon Russel, and Pinetop Perkins, as well has recorded back-up vocals for many artists, including singer/ songwriter Bruce McCabe (Jonny Lang).
She enjoys performing for community events and festivals all over the world. She leads the way for other female singers with a variety of "Woman who Rock" as well as Chick Singer Night concerts.
Wenger's self released albums include Can't Stop the Girl (2008) and Publicly Raw (2010). Wenger is in the studio recording her upcoming album Lady Like to be released in the up coming year.
"She not only brought sunshine to the stage, she brought it to the skies as well. Lisa is the kind of singer that you could just sit back on a lazy afternoon and listen to her, sipping tea until the sun went down. She has a smooth sound yet with a tweak of a growl that tells you she can get down and dirty if she wants to."
- Brenda Shepherd, Blue Monday, October 2007
For more about Lisa, see her website: http://lisawenger.com