Liz Rognes is a singer/songwriter and multi-genre artist based in Spokane, Washington, or Saint Paul, Minnesota depending on how you measure her time. She grew up in rural Iowa, surrounded by cornfields, prairie, and her father’s eccentric love for miniature animals. Santa brought her a piano at the age of two, and she has been playing ever since. Just like that. She crawled onto the bench and realized that music was gonna be something integral in her world. A handful of years later, her little sister did her teething on the piano ivories, and Liz learned that one can recognize notes on the piano by the beautiful glue markings that reside beneath the tops of the keys when they are yanked off by a kid’s teeth. As a piano teacher, Liz strictly forbids such shortcuts. Later on, Liz decided to try being a diva. She is classically trained as a soprano and has studied music theory and composition, but don’t hold that against her. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing. Because, what the heck, if you can’t make money as a diva, and you can’t make money as a folk-rockstar, maybe you can make money being a writer. On the stage, Liz is often joined by Dan Zamzow on the cello and Rachel Price on the saxophone. Other folks who jump in from time to time are bassist Jake Staron and drummer Dave Tiede. All of these fine musicians can be heard on Liz’s album Red Flags, recorded and produced by Dan Zamzow in Minneapolis 2009 and re-released with brand new artwork by Bethany DeLine in 2010 in Spokane. Liz loves the Midwest with her whole heart in a very subdued kind of way, just like the good folks of the Midwest expect. She also loves the Pacific Northwest, in a more regionally exuberant, caffeinated, and mountaineering kind of way. Two cities have her heart. Story of her life. In the future, Liz is going to record a follow up to Red Flags with Mr. Zamzow. She’s also going to continue cultivating her loves for vermiposting, vegan cooking, and teaching.
For booking inquires, contact: lizrognes@yahoo.com
