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Musically, New Jersey’s delivered. Of course, there’s the boss. But do you know about John Lisi?
Jersey born, Lisi’s been writing songs since he was in short pants. A replay of “Woodstock,” the documentary recounting the three-day Aquarian Exposition on Max Yagur’s farm in 1969, confirmed his career path.
Jimi Hendrix, Pete Townsend and Ten Years After’s Alvin Lee rocked and Lisi, not even a teenager, was hooked. The proficient trumpeter added the guitar to his repertoire.
By age 15, he was playing gigs in Tampa, Fla., with much older band mates. Lisi’s next stop was Los Angeles. The musical styles varied: blues, funk, rockabilly, swing and reggae – even metal. In between, he did studio guitar work for TV shows – L.A. Law and Quantum Leap among them.
After touring the U.S., Europe, Canada and Mexico, Lisi discovered the rhythm of New Orleans. His sultry voice teamed with his awe-inspiring licks on the dobro, mandolin, steel guitar Stratocaster earned him the Slim Harpo Award for Blues Pioneer in 2009.
Best of the Bayou isn’t Lisi’s first Houma trip. He’s been a regular at Tab Benoit’s VOW Festival.
This month, though, he’s being joined by Delta Funk – Pleshette “Queen” Hollmon, vocals; Van Odom, drums; Jack Joshua, bass; Eric Berngardt, saxophone; and Eric Morel-Ensminger, trumpet.
Wailing Lisi’s original sometimes serious/sometimes humorous but always-soulful tunes, the band is raising the blues bar. Lisi and Delta Funk “snorts and stomps like an unholy cross between the Chili Peppers’ ‘BloodSugarSexMagic’ and Led Zepplin’s more wonderfully obnoxious moments on ‘Physical Graffiti’ … the future of New Orleans music,” says OffBeat Magazine.
Rhythm City in Baton Rouge equated a gig to “going to church with a good beer buzz.”
Lisi’s website credits the band with turning the pitfalls of everyday life into funky, bluesy, booty shakin’ music that just makes a person feel better.
Expect to hear music from the band’s latest release, “Take It to the Bridge,” which is out now.
