Arts Talk With The Johnson Brothers

Lisa King has completed her debut album The Language of Birds. She calls her group The Hot Place. “A patrolman apprehended the boxer Jack Johnson for speeding through his little town. He fined him $100 on the spot. Jack said, “Here's a $100 for now and another $100 for later, because when I come back through, I'll be driving just as fast.” The cop said, “Boy, if you keep acting like that, you're gonna' go straight to the Hot Place.” I thought, now that is rock and roll, and that's what I'm going to name my band.” – Lisa King Lisa wrote all of the songs on The Language of Birds. Although inseparable from her Mosrite bass guitar, she also played a roster of instruments, some raised from a steamer trunk of vintage guitars and analog synthesizers; others sprang from her wild antique menagerie like the 1920s Marxophone and the calliope-sounding Portatiev.Lisa may have begun The Language of Birds by herself, but she hopes it feels more like a band called The Hot Place. She co-produced the album with The Swimming Pool Q's' Jeff Calder, who also played guitar and contributed his multi-instrumental diversity within the album. The Q's Robert Schmid played drums. Southern Tracks' Steven Morrison mixed most of the songs and performed on piano, 12-string and vibes. Mike Lynn, formerly of Betty's Not A Vitamin, was a contributing guitarist, as well. Lisa King has a degree in Fine Arts from Georgia State University, specializing in cutting-edge printmaking disciplines like non-toxic etching and lithography. She's been a member of the Atlanta bands Unminded and Threshold, and she's played keyboards with The Swimming Pool Q's and Glenn Phillips of the Hampton Grease Band.

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