Lisa LaRue grew up in Topeka, Kansas, but now resides in her native Oklahoma. She is a tribal member of the federally-recognized United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma, where she also serves as Tribal Historic Preservation Officer. A composer and keyboardist, LaRue became the first female artist signed to the Sound of American Records label (SOAR0 Natural Visions sublabel. Her debut release was titled “Beloved Tribal Women,” produced by Will Alexander (keyboard tech to Keith Emerson, Herbie Hancock, and many other great keyboard players). The CD also received accolades for being a first in combining art with music.

We interviewed Lisa last week for our Artist Spotlight feature.

TPF: Hello Lisa, thanks for answering our questions! How did you start playing keyboards? Was this your first instrument of choice?

LISA: I started playing by ear when I was very young, about 3. I remember being told I was quite fond of "These Boots Are Made For Walking" by Nancy Sinatra. From there, I would just play about anything I heard or liked. We had an organ in the house, so it was the 'only' instrument of choice! Later, however, I toyed around with acoustic guitar, but always stuck to keyboards.

TPF: Growing up, who were your biggest influences?

LISA: I was initially very inspired by the records I heard at home as a young child, and in retrospect, I can tell that they influenced me greatly. Things such as the soundtrack to "Camelot" and Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass (!). Later, when I had a broken ankle, my parents bought me a stereo, and I was allowed to choose 2 brand new LP's along with it. They were "Close to the Edge" by Yes and "Song For America" by Kansas. Other influences were Keith Emerson, Elton John, Deep Purple, King Crimson, Baker Gurvitz Army, to name a few.

TPF: Can you tell us a little bit about your current project 2K9?

LISA: It's a wonderful group of musicians who are joining me in producing our version of 'world music,' a mixture of each one of our influences, talents and loves. No holes barred, nobody is edited or told exactly what to do, and it's turning our wonderfully. We work mostly over the internet, as we are all located miles and oceans apart.

We have a 'core group,' and then several guest musicians. We'll start with the core group: On lead vocals, we have Jo De Boeck of the Belgian band, "Beyond the Labyrinth" and John Payne of "Asia featuring John Payne" and "GPS". On guitar is Steve Adams of "Arz", on bass is Chris Brown of "Ghost Circus" and "Roswell Six" and on drums we have Svetlan Raket of the Swedish prog band, the Par Lindh Project. Svetlan also plays with Timecode Alpha, who just released a new CD in June, and Zello. And then there is, of course - "me".

The guest musicians include Geert Fieuw on guitar, also from Beyond the Labyrinth, Merrill Hale on drums, also of "Arz", David Mark Pearce on guitar of "The Oliver Wakeman Band" and on bass, Gerry Verstreken, also of "Beyond the Labyrinth". The BTL guys played a big role in the first single release, "For Eternity", which was actually a track off of their last album, "Castles in the Sand".

TPF: You worked with very talented musicians including John Payne and Nikki Squire. How did they get involved in your projects?

LISA: I first met John Payne many years ago, and to my pleasure and surprise we caught up with each other again through a friend, and he was keen on the idea of singing one of my songs. That ended up being "Save Me" from Transformation 2012. It only seemed natural that he would be part of Lisa LaRue Project 2K9.

Nikki and I had become wonderful friends and I did some keyboards for Esquire. The resulting track is titled "Stay Low" and can be found at the Esquire Myspace page. Perhaps there will be some Nikki Squire/Lisa LaRue collaborations in the future, it's always possible! I've done other collaborative work in the past, including Gilli Smyth of "Gong" who did a beautiful narration on my original demo, prior to my first CD.

TPF: Will there be a CD release for the Project 2K9 or will it only be a digital release?

LISA: Currently, the tracks are being made available on http://www.lisalaruemusic.com as they are completed, but yes, there will be a limited release CD, with a scheduled release date of November 1, 2009. There will be an extra track on the CD which will feature almost everyone involved in the project, and then some......

TPF: You are a Cherokee Indian and there are a lot of influences from your heritage in your music. You blend this very well with your own sound. Can you tell us a little bit how your heritage shaped your approach to music?

LISA: Good question, and the only answer I can come up with is, it just seems 'natural." In the past, I worked with a Native flute player named John Timothy, and one of our songs was actually nominated for a Hollywood Music Award. So when I did "Save Me"; I thought it would be fun to add Native flute into the intro and the outro, as well as in the middle break. That flute was played by Kerri Lake. As far as rhythms, and more importantly, concepts, that is just part of my make-up. I have been very involved in our ceremonies for many years, and it is just part of my everyday belief system, so naturally, it comes across in the music in some form or another. And yes, I am a Keetoowah Cherokee Indian, a tribal member of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma.

TPF: Your previous project was called Transformation 2012. The title comes from the Mayan calender that ends in 2012. Can you tell us a little bit about this CD?

LISA: It illustrates my concept of the theories surrounding 2012. There are beginning to be all sorts of books, documentaries, and soon even several movies, portraying what is feared to be the 'end of the world.' However, the Mayan elders taught that it will not be the 'physical end' but rather, a transformation into a world we do not now know because things can't continue the way they presently are,. And with everything going on in the world right now, I certainly hope that happens! The story line of the titles and music follows that 'story,' with the song "Save Me" as the actual 'transformation'. The song is about taking a look at yourself alone in the mirror, but behind you all you can see are the events and destruction going on around you. You realize that if you have a companion of sorts, whether it be a best friend, a significant other, a pet, whatever - that you can get through with their support, and everything will be 'allright' at the end of the day, or in this case, the 'transformation'. The cover illustrates the 'transformation' with the symbology of a Mayan calendar setting as a sunset, and a hint of the famed painting "Creation" in the sky, meaning the creation of the 'new' world.

TPF: What are your biggest hobbies?

LISA: I love photography and graphic design, reading, interior design, cooking, and just 'creating' in general!

TPF: Who are you listening to currently?

LISA: "Currently" as I complete this interview, I am listening to tracks off of David Mark Pearce's EP "Shelter Me From the Rain". And currently as in recently, I have listened quite a bit to ARZ, Osada Vida and Kate Bush. Mostly, however, I listen to the new tracks for Lisa LaRue Project 2K9.