Lisa Biales Band to headline Blues & BBQ

Based in Oxford, Ohio, The Lisa Biales Band will return to the stage. Biales grew up in Fairfield and she graduated from Fairfield High School. We spent time with Biales to talk about the concert and to get a preview of her upcoming independent-label album, which is scheduled to release in February.

Q: Lisa, you’ve played this concert series before. Can you tell us about it?

A: “Yes. It’s a lot of fun. This is a newer concert series that the City of Fairfield started. They bring in some food, and guests come in and set up their chairs. It features a night of blues music, and it’s a great evening in the park.”

Q: What’s on your set list, and how would you describe your style?

A: “I will do some original music, along with songs that I’ve recorded that aren’t original, so it’s a big variety. It’s funny, people usually say, I didn’t know that I liked the blues so much.’ Listeners that are new to the blues, or don’t think they like the blues, love what I do. I’m a blues singer that doesn’t scream and shout at people all night long. It’s sophisticated blues, and people get it. They enjoy the music, and my band is amazing.”

Q: How do you connect with your fans in a setting like Huffman Park?

A: “I like it, because we are up close and personal with the audience. I grew up in Fairfield, so I have a connection with Fairfield, and I love that. When I see people smiling and happy, you also connect with them that way. I do travel all over the country playing music, but it’s really nice to play back in Fairfield, my hometown.”

Q: What have you been working on, musically?

A: “I just finished recording a new album that’s yet to be titled. I went to Los Angeles and recorded 12 new songs. It will be released in February of 2017. The most exciting thing about this album is that I found a record of my mother singing on a 78 RPM, and the record was dated 2-20-1947. My mom was a singer, and my dad played music, so that’s how I got to be a singer. I came by it honestly. My mom passed away in 1998, and I just found this record. I touched me so much, I took the record with me. I ended up singing her song, ‘Crying Over You.’ We put her voice on the first verse, and then I come in. It’s like hearing my mom sing with my dad’s band all over again. It’s amazing.”

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