Liz Malys: Press

". . .Liz Malys, a great new talent from Anchorage, Alaska. . .adds jazz and blues to her vocal offerings. Her sultry Janis Joplin mets Tori Amos style is intoxicating. Her recent CD, Desert, showcases her thoughtful piano work and her sensuous vocals but they are enhanced by violin, cello, and acoustic bass and a sprinkle of horn color and percussion. The songs are poetic and full of living. These aren’t the fluff of an inexperienced songwriter, but show the depth of a soul who not only observes life but has experienced it. Liz Malys—remember that name. . ."

“It’s inevitable that Anchorage singer-songwriter Liz Malys would draw
comparisons to Tori Amos. Her instrument of choice is piano. There’s a
passing resemblance between the way the two women use that instrument...
[Yet] Amos’ piano playing is stark, almost cold—a foil or background for
her complex lyrics and striking voice. For Malys, by contrast, the piano—
along with the other instruments in the background—takes on a more
important role.... There’s a certain confusion of richness in her sound, for
which the only handy metaphor is the murkiness of a silted glacial stream—
all the components swirling together until they combine into a delightful
opacity, each individual element no longer identifiable.”

 "Since the inception of pop music in America, female musicians have been downplayed and underrepresented. Last March 19, this excuse fell flat on its face. Snow Goose hosted a Singer Songwriter Night, where Marian Call, Emily Kurn, Amy Lou Hettinger and Liz Malys played to a sold out show of 250 captivated attendees... “It was really great to play to an audience that was there to listen, to hear the music – and not have to play over coffeehouse chatter,” proclaimed Malys. When the four women took the stage, it was a spectrum of sound. . Malys graced the audience with virtuosic piano playing and delightfully breathy vocals. ...Liz has created an album rich with textures. Drawing largely from her experience of livingin the desert, she creates an onomatopoeia with breathy relaxed vocals distributed evenly over piano and an array of instruments...With her seemingly free form piano playing it is easy to hear why she is often compared to Tori Amos, but seeing her perform live the comparison only works in that she deftly uses piano to emphasize the emotion of her intent. I am more apt to compare her, however, to the genius of Patricia Barber, the way her hands perform pirouettes in the air as they descend on notes and chords. Although “Desert” is sure to invoke a somber introspective mood, it is hardly background music; Liz’s piano playing is active and alert. As “Desert” is Liz’ debut album, it will be exciting to see what she has in store for listeners on the next."

"Expressive and evocative with uncommon depth. . . luxurious and dreamy. . ."

". . .Several of the Alaska acts on the schedule appear to gravitate more toward the loungier side of things. . .a bit more boogie-woogie occasionally creeps into Liz Malys's work. The rest of the time she's moving into darker territory, closer to Tori Amos or Fiona Apple, but Malys gives her songs more space to breathe. . ."

"There is a certain power she holds over the audience that few performers can ever hope to possess. . .it's not a learned talent, it goes deeper than that."

"She's got her own sound. . .early Joni Mitchell with a little Tori Amos. . .I love [the] floaty piano themes and improvisations with ethereal vocals on top."

"The opportunity to hear local alternative folk musicians such as Marian Call, Emily Kurn, Amy Lou and Liz Malys is well worth the trip out the door -- but all four at once promises to be an evening of discovering new favorites.

The group is performing together for the first time tonight at the Snow Goose Theatre.

"One good thing about the night is that you are bound to hear something you like," Marian Call said over coffee at Side Street Espresso. "All four of us have different styles so there is going to be something for everyone."

Call organized the event, contacting the musicians about collaborating for an evening celebrating local music and springtime.

"We will be playing upbeat, fun songs to celebrate spring and welcome back the light," Malys said before a cello recital at UAA. "I will be playing some gospel as well as some dark humor songs such as 'Boat Captain Killer.' "

The night's music will be performed in the round, an intimate approach with the musicians sitting in a circle and taking turns playing from their repertoire of originals and covers. The four will also jump into each other's songs to add instrumentals and harmony.

"The night will feature some of the most active performers in Anchorage," Kurn said. "Having all four of us sharing the stage is really something of an unprecedented event."

Kurn plays guitar, Lou performs with guitar and piano, Malys brings her classical trained ear to the mix with piano and cello and Call proudly plays kazoo, rain stick and typewriter.

Each performer is balancing a busy schedule and they have had only a handful of opportunities to rehearse together.

"We've sent each other our songs in e-mails," Malys said. "The notion is that we will each be responsible enough to practice the songs."

Out of the four, Call is the only one currently performing music full time. She plans on spending her summer touring the U.S. Lou works as an art instructor at Winterberry Elementary School and Malys instructs and teaches cello, violin and piano and also plays as an accompanist for the Alaska Dance Theater. Kurn is busy being a new mother and composing prose and short stories.

All have already released albums, except for Lou, whose first CD, "Of Roots and Of Wings," will come out in April.

"Compared to the others, I'm the newbie," Lou said in a phone interview from Hawaii. "I have not been playing as long or as a full time as the others."

To fund her latest CD, Call asked fans to make donations to help support her efforts to be a full-time musician. She and the other performers also attempt to be local arts boosters and community builders in Anchorage.

"I have a one-concert or reading a week rule." Call explained. "If you want people to go to your concerts, you better be going out to theirs; it's the golden rule. Besides the local music and arts disappear if the events are not attended."

All four are transplants to Anchorage, coming here to pursue various adventures and then falling in love with Alaska and staying -- despite the challenges of isolation from the touring circuit.

"There seems to be this thought that if you are any good, you need to get out of Alaska," Kurn said. "I love it here. I choose to be here and it seems the level of talent continues to go up."

Call said that if Mellissa Mitchell, another local musician, wasn't out of town the performance may have been a quintet of singer/songwriters. There aren't any plans to hold another night with all of these performers on stage, so celebrate the long winter's retreat and take advantage of this four-pack of local talent."