Elizabeth & The Catapult

Elizabeth & The Catapult - Elizabeth & The Catapult - 2006 - Elizabeth and the Catapult

"Elizabeth & the Catapult have managed to hurl themselves pretty far through word-of-mouth buzz. The unsigned local trio, led by vocalist Elizabeth Ziman and her Aimee Mann–like drawl, has built a loyal local fanbase via jazzy,buoyant pop songs; they're now making frequent appearances on NPR's Studio 360. Check out jaunty earworm "Momma's Boy," off their self-titled EP—these three won't be flying under the radar for long." - The Village Voice

"The self-assured Elizabeth and the Catapult prove what a sultry-voiced Greenwich Village habitue with a Norah Jones jones should do: Just let it flow" - The Boston Globe

"The jazzy/funky voice of Elizabeth and the Catapult's Elizabeth Ziman caught my ear immediately, their "Waiting for the Kill" is one of the discs standouts." - Pop Matters

"The secret to their booming success lies not in a bevy of publicists and yes men, but in their original and refreshing sound. Bringing together Ziman’s classical vocal and piano training, Molad’s love of visionary pop like Beck and Jon Brion, and guitarist Pete Lalish’s edge and roughness, they have come up with a style that is at once technically challenging, harmonically interesting and bursting with pop hooks. But Ziman hates being lumped in haphazardly with piano goddesses like Tori Amos, Regina Spektor and Norah Jones. “This band is more about arranging and is more a band as a whole.” That said, her strong and velvety vocals oscillate from a playful Ella Fitzgerald staccato to a wave of ethereal harmonies reminiscent of Sarah McLaughlin". © Lee Ann Westover, www.thevillager.com

Brooklyn based The Catapult's sophisticated songs, with their combined elements of jazz, pop and funk are a breath of fresh air on the "pop" scene. The Catapult's songs have been compared to those of Rufus Wainright, David Byrne and Leslie Feist. This 2006 s/t six track ep is very creative, intelligent, and most enjoyable. Try and hear the band's great "Taller Children" album, and expect bigger things from this band in the future. Check the band on My Space @ E&TC/MYSP Listen to a good WFUV FM podcast about the band @ E&TC/PODC

TRACKS

1 Waiting For The Kill
2 Right Next to You
3 Momma's Boy
4 My Goodbye
5 Devil's Calling
6 Golden Ink

All songs composed by Elizabeth Abby, and/or Lynn Ziman

BAND

Elizabeth Ziman (vocals, keys)
Danny Molad (drums)
Peter Lalish (guitar)

BIO

Elizabeth & the Catapult highlights the jazzy, neo-baroque songwriting talents of vocalist Elizabeth Ziman while making room for flourishes of pop and lounge music. An active musician since childhood, Ziman trained as a classical pianist until the age of 16, at which point she shifted focus toward the shaping of her voice. The budding entertainer then joined Patti Austin on tour in 2002, singing background vocals for the soul legend for the next 18 months. Upon her return in 2004, she began piecing together a trio with drummer Danny Molad and guitarist Peter Lalish. Elizabeth & the Catapult released a self-titled EP two years later, having recorded and produced the effort themselves. After establishing a strong D.I.Y. ethic and attracting attention from (but never signing with) several major labels, the band inked a contract with Verve Records in 2008. Elizabeth & the Catapult then traveled to Nebraska, where they set up shop inside Mike Mogis' Omaha studio. Taking inspiration from the serene surroundings, the band pounded out an album's worth of material at a quick pace and returned to New York shortly thereafter. The resulting record, Taller Children, marked their major-label debut in June 2009. © Andrew Leahey, allmusic.com

MORE ABOUT BAND / EP

Take a clear and powerful voice, add a memorable melody and set it to unique, sophisticated harmonies, and what emerges is Elizabeth and the Catapult’s singular sound. At a time when so much music is saturated with familiarity, the band’s style, which Northeast Performer describes as “a mixture of organic jazz, rock and pop,”is a welcome departure from a well-beaten bath. Comprised of Elizabeth Ziman (vocals, keys), Danny Molad (drums), and Peter Lalish (guitar), Elizabeth and the Catapult came into existence in 2004. In the less than two years since their move to New York, Elizabeth and the Catapult has already racked up an impressive list of accomplishments. In May and August of 2006 they were featured on WNYC’s “Soundcheck” as well as PRI’s “Fair Game with Faith Salie”. At the end of the year they were dubbed by NPR as “One of the Best Discoveries of 2006”. The Catapult have had residencies at clubs such as the Living Room and Rockwood Music Hall, and after opening for national headliners like Jessie Harris, Kirk Kirkwood (of The Meat Puppets fame), The Wood Brothers (of Medeski, Martin, and Wood), and Amanda Palmer (of The Dresden Dolls) there was enough buzz about them to support a tour and label interest on the West Coast. All of this success also earned them a place as the Billboard Underground Artist for last October. Bound by a common love of eclectic influences, Elizabeth & the Catapult draws inspiration from artists such as Tom Waits, David Byrne, Joni Mitchell, and Jon Brion- as well as classical influences such as Debussy, Ravel and Chopin. One explanation for the bands musical diversity is Elizabeth Ziman’s musical background. She was trained as a classical pianist until the age of sixteen. “As a kid, I used to practice all the time…” Elizabeth explains. “But one day I realized that I couldn’t lock myself in a room for eight hours a day…that’s when I started writing and singing.” After that, it quickly became apparent that her vocal abilities rivaled her piano kills. In 2002, Elizabeth successfully auditioned to be a background vocalist for soul-queen Patti Austin and ended up joining her on tour for the next year and a half. Elizabeth’s experience along with Pete and Danny’s folk/rock sensibility piece together to make up the band’s harmonically distinctive pop sound, a sound well reflected in their stylistically diverse new EP. After a listen to the Elizabeth and the Catapult EP, it is immediately clear that a great deal of thought went into each of the songs’ arrangements. Strings, Horns, Marimba and Synthesizers are all blended together, creating an organic, off-beat style that fans have often referred to as “baroque pop”. The sound of the EP is also shaped by the guerilla-style fashion in which it was recorded. Drummer Danny Molad recorded most of the EP in basements and bathrooms, producing the album, along with Elizabeth, in an incredibly modest home studio. With these limited resources, Elizabeth and the Catapult managed to produce an expertly mixed album. Every note of the EP sounds deliberately placed while there still manages to be an air of effortlessness that penetrates throughout all the songs. In their recordings as well as live performances, Elizabeth and her band members bring together all their backgrounds and experiences to make music that they themselves enjoy. They acknowledge their amorphous style and readily admit that it probably scares record labels. Even so, Elizabeth asserts that she is “not interested in assigning herself a specific style.” Elizabeth and the Catapult are proud of their ever-changing sound and are committed to keeping their music fresh and creative. © 2007, The Agency Group, LTD, All Rights Reserved