Biography
If the streets of Los Angeles could talk, they would surely tell stories of this hard working harpist and her band of gypsy musicians. For the past five years, Lisa Lynne Franco has been performing for crowds numbering well into the millions.
Her daily performances on the boardwalk of historic Venice Beach in Los Angeles so endeared her to the community that they dubbed her and fellow musicians "The Angels of Venice".
Through years of performing, traveling, and releasing her own records with boundless perseverance, she has ascended the ladder of success from humble begininngs on the street corners to a major signing at the prestigious Windham Hill / BMG record label.
Since early Childhood, Lisa was skilled in music, playing instruments available and organizing neighborhood concerts. Her interest in folk music on guitar and mandolin grew into a love of rock music, and as a teenager she played bass in various rock bands. Her love of Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, and Heart inspired her to incorporate acoustic instruments into the bands as well.
After attending junior college to study music theory, she enrolled in the bass program in 1989, at the Musician's Institute of Technology in Hollywood, California while also working professionally as a bassist and session musician. She performed in hard rock clubs such as Gazzari's, The Whiskey, and the Troubadour.
In 1985, playing mandolin in a gypsy dance troupe at the Renaissance Pleasure Faire, she discovered the Celtic harp. She formed this newfound instrument to lead a progressive rock band called "Bigger Than Blue". When fellow bandmates student visa problems forced her to record a demo of her songs alone, she played all the instruments and landed a five-record deal with Germany's premiere label IC Digit.
"I was completly in love with the Celtic Harp, I lived and breathed it. Every technique I had from any instrument came together on the harp, it was like I'd played this instrument forever..." As Lisa became a high profile rock musician on the club circuit, she amazed her listeners by pulling out the harp between sets of original rock music and classic covers.
After much soul searching (and too much Top 40) she switched her focus away from rock music to harp music and the gypsy lifestyle, and founding Celestial Winds.
Celestial Winds performed two years on Venice Beach in 1992/93, and two years at Universal CityWalk 93/94 and from there all over North America and Canada, at festivals and various high profile street perfoming locations. Celestial Winds became a media darling, selling over 150.000 copies of their independent self produced recordings. Lisa has since recorded three more successful independent albums with the fine wind playing of Susan Craig Winsberg and George Tortorelli.
Lisa's first record for Windham Hill, "Daughters of the Celtic Moon", features Lisa on Celtic Harp, mandolin, and Appalacian Dulcimer, with an ensemble of top notch players. Produced by David Arkenstone, the record captures the magical Celtic World in a way only she can accomplish. The album features ten original compositions by Lisa, plus a beautiful rendition of "Fields of Gold" by Sting, and a moving ballad called "A Gentle Place" by Clannad.
Lisa Lynne Franco is currently promoting the newest record on Windham Hill. She is on the road full time playing in a duo with George Tortorelli on bamboo flutes and recorders. Perfoming music from their past recordings as well as their Windham Hill repitroire. She also leads an up and coming Renaissance Rock Group in Los Angels called "Damsel". (more on that soon).
Stay tuned... much more to come...
