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LIZ TORMES
http://www.liztormes.com/
[BIOGRAPHY]
[PHOTOS]
[PRESS]
[TOUR DATES]
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BIOGRAPHY
One of the most promising singer-songwriters performing in NYC's East Village right now, Liz Tormes began her music career playing rhythm guitar in the infamous Alphabet City Opry where she was recruited for her sense of time. Since then, she has written an impressive body of work and has performed at Mercury Lounge, The Knitting Factory, Joe's Pub, and The Living Room. Liz is a guest vocalist on the song "Two Steps", which she co-wrote, on the Columbia Records debut release from Ollabelle and her song "Happy" can be heard in Amos Kollecks's feature film 'Bridget'.
Growing up in Nashville, Liz spent her time listening to The Smiths and Echo & The Bunnymen while riding to the Grand Ole Opry with Bill Monroe and spending summer days at the house of Johnny Cash. The combination of those early influences and a musical diet of nothing but murder ballads & old time music while teaching herself to play guitar, appears to have had a lasting impact on Liz Tormes' music and lyrics. While the moody songs on her upcoming CD, Limelight, may retain echoes of the stark, honest realism of early roots music, the arrangements and instrumentation move boldly beyond that genre to incorporate quirky keyboard melodies amid washes of sparkly guitar which run beneath her sweetly haunting voice. The result is a dark, acoustic pop record filled with eerily familiar melancholy songs that seem to wander in the window as if from a distant radio and have been drawing comparisons to Sam Phillips, Neko Case and Nina Nastasia.
Teddy Thompson & Ollabelle's Amy Helm appear as guest vocalists. Liz has recently finished recording her first full length album, Limelight, which will be released later this year. Early interest from Ken Coomer (of Wilco & Uncle Tupelo fame) resulted in an EP of demos recorded in his Nashville living room, but the upcoming album will be Liz's first national release.
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PHOTOS
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TOUR DATES
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PRESS
Whisperinandhollerin.com
Liz Tormes - Limelight
The debut album by Liz Tormes - pronounced Tor-Mez - is a cracker.
Although she spent most of her childhood up in Nashville the ten bitter sweet songs of heartbreak and lost love are a long way from air-brushed blandness of that town's country music scene.
She is now based in New York City's East Village and has clearly been more influenced by the urban chic and harder edges of the Big Apple.
Ensuring that these songs saw the light of day turned out to be a fraught process. Tormes naively envisaged she could self produce the album in three days but its birth eventually took 9 months. Its labour pains were complicated by the near fatal illness of guitarist Jason Crigler whose powerful contribution was sadly halted when he suffered a brain hemorrhage in August 2004. (it's good to report that he is also that he on the road to recovery).
Ironically, Crigler's enforced abscence led directly to one of the album's standout tracks. Teddy Thompson, who Tormes met through Crigler, offered to sing harmony on a new song 'Maybe, You Won't' where the key line "happiness is fleeting" is one which pretty well sums up the philosophy behind the song and the tone of the album as a whole.
Fine though this track is, it is the slow burn of Black Luck which is the album's centrepiece. Here the shimmering slide guitar creates a wonderful brooding setting for the raw intensity of Tormes' words. The aching lines are perfectly pitched between rage and regret encapsulated in the closing stanza:
"I wouldn't quite call you a thief;
And I wouldn't quite call you a saint;
There's things that I am and there's things that I ain't;
And my heart won't let me forget"
Although the closing pair of tracks - 'Sorry' and 'Fade Away' - don't quite match these high standards, this is still a majestic collection.
Tormes has a quietly insistent vocal style highly reminiscent of Aimee Mann and her words have an genuine honesty and depth.
- Martin Raybould
Harp Magazine
Liz Tormes - Limelight
The world seems to be filled with talented female singer-songwriters, but
ones that sure-handedly also self-produce themselves are rare. Manhattan
denizen Liz Tormes does just that on her debut album. It's obvious that
she's from Nashville, but this Brooklyn cowgirl has a sound that may draw
vocal comparisons to Maura Kennedy, Patti Griffin and maybe even Chrissie
Hynde. Tormes sings in a straightforward, totally unaffected manner, cutting
through the darkness with an unusual dose of honesty and simplicity and
making this a timeless recording. Her no-frills duet with Teddy Thompson on
"Maybe You Won't" is chilling. Thompson also appears on two other tracks and
Amy Helm (Levon's daughter) from Ollabelle checks in on "Better Days." It's
the sound of this disc that will really captivate the listener: its
idiosyncratic, spooky atmospherics would make Daniel Lanois, T Bone Burnett
or Joe Henry smile with pride. - Steve Matteo
No Depression Magazine
Liz Tormes - Limelight
Strains of Britpop, garage rock and country slyly slink through Tormes’ sparse, gothic-leaning debut. The NYC-by-way-of-Nashville singer-songwriter possesses a gorgeous, soulful voice that at times recalls Margo Timmins, with a little more sugar and less smoke. “Darkness has been a friend to me,” Tormes sings on the disc-ending “Fade Away”, and by that point, you know she ain’t joking. The use of Wurlitzer through-out adds to the appeal of the album on such songs as “Without Truth” and the title track. The three songs featuring Teddy Thompson on guest vocals are highlights, especially the stripped-down and emotionally potent “Maybe You Won’t”. Amy Helm of Ollabelle adds sweet harmonizing on the dreamy “Better Days”. - Andy Turner
Sound & Vision
Liz Tormes - Limelight
Music: 3 1/2 stars; Sound: 3 1/2 stars
Cue up this New York-based singer/songwriter's debut, and you might be reminded of Aimee Mann - when she was still writing memorable melodies. The hooks here are sometimes upfront ("Read My Mind," "Sorry"), other times more subtle, as in the softly accented chord progression of "Without Truth." If Tormes's forlorn words aren't always as enticing as her tunes or her voice, they can often say much in a simple turn of phrase: "I'm as straight as an arrow, but you want a pretty maze." Or this: "I can't get past the feeling I left you behind." The acoustic/electric backing - with admirably delicate production by Tormes herself - is evocative, especially from guitarist Jason Crigler. He has a fine light touch, but on "Black Luck" he can also simmer and smoke. This is an album for a sad, leaf-strewn autumn afternoon, from an artist to watch. - Ken Richardson
Long Island Press - Long Island, NY
Liz Tormes - Limelight
Even though the talents of this East Village-by-way-of-Nashville singer-songwriter merited her roping Teddy Thompson and Ollabelle's Amy Helm into appearing on her debut, Tormes has enough musical skills to carry her own project. Coupled with material with hints of the Velvet Underground's gauzier moments and a less murderous Nick Cave, Tormes has the kind of airy vocal style that falls somewhere between Jenny Lewis and Neko Case. And while this title cut has a Mazzy Star-ish vibe, it doesn't quite float into the ether; instead shimmering Wurlitzer runs are accented by a lightly strummed guitar and a vocal style considerably warmer than anything Hope Sandoval has done. - Dave Gil de Rubio
Performing Songwriter Magazine
Liz Tormes - Limelight
Liz Tormes is an artist who makes it all sound so simple - her
seemingly effortless vocals glide across graceful melodies,
drawing you into her darkly beautiful songs. If Aimee Mann and
Neko Case had a little sister who was politely clamoring for
the spotlight, Tormes is what you'd hear. Don't miss her first
effort, Limelight. - Abby White
USAToday.com
Liz Tormes - Limelight
New York-based singer/songwriter whose first album is consistently solid and at times truly striking.
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