Lisa Cerbone

Lisa Cerbone's early attempts at playing a musical instrument were furtive efforts. As a teenager, she would wait until the members of her little brother's band left their practice area, then creep in to have a go at the instruments they had left behind. Stymied when she tried to play songs written by others, she proceeded to write her own. She grew into a respected, creative, and abundantly productive singer/songwriter, putting out her eponymous first recording in 1993. Ichiban Records, a label out of Atlanta, scooped her up and subsequently issued two more of Cerbone's recordings, Mercy and Close Your Eyes. She earned two consecutive Washington Area Music Association awards (Wammies) as alternative music's Best Female Vocalist. Her songs have been featured in movies and on television programs, among them Homicide: Life on the Streets. With a University of Maryland degree under he belt, Cerbone became a teacher in the public school system for five years. By 1992 she was dissatisfied and ready to give up her full time career as a teacher. She kept a hand in teaching as a writing tutor, but she steered her life back to music, this time much less furtively than the manner in which she had begun years before. She decided to give herself two solid years of strong effort to make her mark in the music world. Financing for her independent first album came from her teacher's salary, and in less than 24 months, Ichiban Records' offer of a contract was on the table. Close Your Eyes in 1995 was a re-release of her debut from several years earlier, although it features several small changes from the original. Her next album, Mercy, was recorded live and issued in 1997. In 2003 Cerbone released the lovely Ordinary Days, which was produced by Mark Kozelek (Red House Painters, Sun Kill Moon), followed by the sparse and graceful We Were All Together in 2008. She has performed across North America, including gigs with Lori Carson, Ben Harper, the Cowboy Junkies, and Lloyd Cole. Born in New Jersey, she lives with her family in Baltimore, MD. Her spouse, Eric Jensen, is a guitarist.