LA-based big band, Lizzy & the Triggermen, make vintage music for modern times. As NPR raves, they are "one part Eartha Kitt, one part Ella Fitzgerald, one part Amy Winehouse." Underneath the retro glamour is a captivatingly modern band who is just as at home selling out legendary venues like the Troubadour as topping the jazz charts (#3 iTunes) alongside heavyweights like Miles Davis and Kamasi Washington.
Their shows are a joyously subversive mixture of vintage gems, showtunes, and swinging originals about everything from fast fashion to fascism. Like the songs of Prohibition Era which so inspire them, their music boldly tackles our troubles and turns them into killer dance songs that fill the audience with joy the way only a wailing horn section can.
At the helm is Lizzy Shaps: a charismatic siren with a searing wit and soaring voice. Her "powerhouse vocals" (Broadway World), forged singing opera, recall the great old divas while still sounding completely unique and new. Her songwriting, which Janis Ian likened to Leonard Cohen, is filled with the same biting humor she used to create TV comedies for HBO, Amazon, Legendary, CBS, and the History Channel, garnering multiple Emmy nominations.
But the star power doesn't stop with Lizzy. It emanates through her entire incredible band, a multi-generational dream team of crushers who have played with everyone from Harry Connick Jr. to Benny Goodman. In fact, their arranger played lead trombone as well as did some arranging for Goodman's last orchestra.
There is no doubt that what Lizzy & the Triggermen are doing is audaciously against the grain, but it is clearly resonating across a broad range of audiences. It is a testament to how versatile and visceral their music is that they have not only toured with iconic rock band, Squeeze, to standing ovations and calls for encores, but also have been selected for top festivals (Tucson Jazz Festival, SXSW), co-headlined Modernism Week alongside Samara Joy and Nancy Sinatra, and have garnered millions of views on social media.
www.lizzyandthetriggermen.com