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Interview of the Week______________________________

LIZABETH FLOOD: THE STYLISH, WARM AND GENTLE “SOLITAIRE QUEEN OF CABARET OF WASHINGTON, DC”!!

By Erica Soderholm. June 7, 2003

BERLIN, GERMANY- A silky, deep, warm, sensual voice echoing inner feelings emanating from the intimate and the forbidden, the desired and the untouchable, from the earthy whispers of lovers and adventurers to the palpitation of a dreaming soul Is what you feel, see, sense, taste and hear upon listening to Lizabeth Flood. Half celestial Diva and half Femme Fatale.

Lizabeth explored and conquered the multiple layers and dimensions of the world of music, songwriting and singing. A poet, an existentialist thinker, a composer, a songwriter, a singer and an artist you love to listen to, to talk with, to invite to your home, to flirt with and to tease. For, she is a Diva and a Femme fatale of a mesmerizing presence, unsurpassed talent, a captivating artistic creativity and sincere humility.

I want to see Lizabeth Flood performing at the world’s best establishments, instead of sometime singing for an empty room in a ritzy five star hotel in Washington, DC.

I want to see Lizabeth Flood embracing Paris, Milano, Berlin, Vienna and London with her voice…and wait and see how the lights of Paris will shine brighter, the windows of Milano get glitzier, the cabarets of Berlin get crazier and dizzier, the monuments of Vienna get alive and the foggy bridges and streets of London get more mysterious. For Lizabeth’s voice is a magical rosary whith beads and sequences that represent each of those cities with their names engraved on. Her voice is a rosary of lights, a cascade of emotions, a collage of shadows of the great musical era of Hollywood and the bright flashes of energetic, troubled and avant-garde contemporary and ever evolving world of music. She is both: The nostalgic and romantic beauty of music of the immortal yesteryears and the guilty, beautiful and rebellious musical notes and moments of the present.

Lizabeth Flood is an American national gem. Lizabeth Flood is bigger than Washington, DC. Her mesmerizing voice and magnetic music transcend the mightiest monuments of Washington, roll over its bridges, river, arrogant political persona…and in the metamorphosis of creating a better world through the beauty of music, the real music of Flood, this delightful artist creates an enchanting universe of pure poetry, warm feelings, superb melodies and an immortal music of unsurpassed beauty and depth. The audience and her fans are constantly taken by her music and enchanted by her presence. I am fortunate for having listened to and talked with Lizabeth Flood.

A CANDID INTERVIEW WITH LIZABETH FLOOD, WASHINGTON’S SWEETEST AND MOST CAPTIVATING CABARET SINGER

Q- Lizabeth, tell us about your favorite lyrics. The ones you wrote yourself for your own song (s).

A: Here some of my favorites:

From ‘Life is a Whisper'
Life is a whisper, a soft burning touch,
you don't know when it's over, or when you've had too much
the good die young, the bad just go to hell
I'd rather not know when for only time will tell

From ‘Two Dozen Roses'
At a bar, where nobody cares,
go ahead you can put on airs
if you want,
I see through all that stuff,
give me a kiss and I'll set you up

From ‘Raven in the Tabernacle'
Endless masks of men and women
have two drinks with her songs
and there are others that will try and sing along
but the raven never will believe
the masks could drop off,
things are never as they seem

Q- Tell me about the most exciting two events in your life, personal, social or artistic.

A: I have so many. (Smiling) I would have to say singing with the Choral Arts Society last year, July 2002 first night of the proms at Royal Albert Hal, in London. Being on stage, the recipients of Thousands of people clapping, cheering their bravos. Now that was thrilling. Also being the passenger on the back of a motorcycle of a Parisian friend of mine, touring around the avenues of Paris for a couple of hours after midnight. All of Paris was lit up like the stars in the sky. It was breathtaking! (Wrote a song about it).

Q- Any hardship you encountered in the music business?
A: I have actually been very fortunate so far. I have been able to be a full time musician in this sleepy southern town (Washington D.C.) For 25 years. The most frustrating thing though is playing to empty rooms. I still sing my heart out, but it is not the same.

Q- Who taught you how to play the piano?
A: I started playing when I was four. I was trained classically by a woman named Genevieve Hubbard in Washington D.C. Her teacher was LaSalle Spier. I stayed with her for over 15 years. I also took a couple of years of jazz piano with Ron Elliston.

Q- Why did you chose the lounge/cabaret style genre?
A: When I was in college, I wanted to start working, and found that there were jobs for
pianist/singers in town. I put myself through school doing this, and even though I
received a BA in English Literature, I continued to perform up to today. My father and grandfather both loved the songs of Tin Pan Alley, and I was taught them at an early
age. Harry Warren, Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Rogers and Hart... they were really
my passion long time before I started performing professionally.

Q- What people first notice about you: You looks? Your musical style? Your presence? Your charisma?
A: Of course I would like to say my beauty, so I will...but I think more than anything is the way I sing, very sensually, people like to hear my voice.

Q- How do you interpret life in your lyrics and music?
A: Of course, love and loss are the greatest inspirations, but I love to travel, and every trip I take, I come back with an anthology of songs. Getting to know the people and the places, I try to incorporate these magical moments in my music and lyrics.

Q- Why Max de Lafayette thinks that you are the best of the best in Business?

A: Because I am (smiling) although it is kept a great secret. I don't know if it is such a good thing to be loved by the masses, but I am willing to give it a try. I haven't been able to take my music on the road, up until now. I have been a single parent for the last 16 years, and now that my son is graduating from high school and attending a University, I will be able to focus on my career.

Q- Tell me about your musical experience at Le Marquis de Rochambeau?
A: Max's place was a charming cabaret/bar experience that was like no other place. It was full of people, that were just your normal everyday Joe, but when stepping into this establishment, they turned into mystical beings. There was such a variety of music and styling, really, no other place was like it.

Q- Why were you compared to Julie London?
A: Perhaps Max heard something in my voice, the timbre, the tonality the torch songs that she sang, I sing also. Although I think that I sound more like the younger Peggy Lee.

Q- What's next Lizabeth?
A: I am hoping to get a manager in the near future, so that I can start touring. I love Europe, and that will be one of my destinations. Just took my son to Paris in April. He loved it as much as I do. I am also in the final stages of producing my third CD, which will be titled, "Lizabeth Live" at the Marquee Lounge, where I perform three nights a week. It is a compilation of my favorite music from my favorite composers of the 20^th century, plus a few of my compositions from this new century.
This is part of my brochure: Lizabeth Flood's repertoire includes over 2000 songs from the 20th and
21st century. Specialties include jazz standards, songs of Tin Pan Alley and original arrangements.

I enjoyed writing about this formidable artist. A great performer for all seasons. If you are visiting Washington, DC, USA, go see The Library of Congress, the Arts Museum and Lizabeth Flood.

Lizabeth has been a member of the Washington Choral Arts Society since the 2000 season. Performance venues include the Kennedy Center,The Myerhoff Hall Symphony Hall, International Music festival in Spoletto, Italy Tour in July, 2001, England Tour of 2002, including performance at Royal Albert Hall, first night of Proms. Lizabeth owns Jasmine Terrace Publishing Company and is an affiliate member of BMI. She has two CD's out. “Flood of Emotion 1999”, Larry Willis, Producer/Arranger and “Swimming in the Rain 2002”, Jim Robeson, Procucer/Arranger. Both CD's are comprised of all original music. She is currently working on her third:
Lizabeth Live at the Marquee Lounge