Ariel Publicity

Wendy and Lisa

By Lisa Cholodenko
Los Angeles, CA

I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I must confess: I didn’t see Prince’s rock and roll epic Purple Rain until 2002, almost 20 years after its original release. Looking back now its mind boggling to imagine how that happened. How could I have been so under the radar to have missed the seismic moment when Prince and The Revolution were taking the world by storm, turning pop music on its head with a mad blend of funk, rock, punk and soul? For my money this was the era when Prince’s freakiest, most musically inspired self shined brightest. The records he made with the Revolution were timeless gems due in no small part to his collaborations with Wendy and Lisa. First recruiting Lisa to the band for Dirty Mind, Controversy and 1999 and three years later bringing Wendy into the mix for Purple Rain, Parade, Around the World in a Day and Sign of the Times, the combined talents of these three were a kind of critical mass that penetrated wide and deep.

As for me, my obliviousness to this musical (and cultural) earthquake was most likely the unfortunate side-effect of late adolescent gloom. Sadly, the affliction required me to reject--out of hand--anything appearing too POPular or frivolous. So while Wendy and Lisa and Prince were blanketing the world in their funk-punk-soul experiments, moving masses of people in every which way, I was huddled in my cold San Francisco apartment spinning Joni Mitchell’s Blue with a sense of superior seriousness. Funny how I thought Joni Mitchell and Prince were so completely opposed in their sensibilities; that nothing in their output could have any conceivable overlap. Years later Wendy would tell me about the night Prince--an avid Joni Mitchell fan--sat down at Joni Mitchell’s grand piano and played for Joni, Lisa and herself a searing rendition of “A Case of You.” The story made me realize how naïve my defiant adolescent self was. For all The Revolution’s POPularity and whimsy, there was an undeniable intensity and seriousness to their musicianship. If there is convergence between Joni Michell and Prince, it might just be the place where Wendy and Lisa began.

When the Revolution disbanded in 1986, Wendy and Lisa left Paisley Park and Minneapolis behind and quickly anchored themselves back in their hometown, Los Angeles. They established themselves in the L.A. music scene, got a record contract and forged their own path with eclectic gems like the self-titled Wendy and Lisa, the funk-based Fruit at the Bottom, an experimental feast, Eroica and later, Girl Brothers--a soul-searching ode to Wendy’s brother, Jonathan and his untimely death. They toured extensively with a band of diversely gifted musicians including vocal backup from Lisa’s sister, Cole and Wendy’s sister, Susannah. In between writing, recording and touring, Wendy and Lisa collaborated and performed with other artists including Eryka Badu, Neil Finn, Sheryl Crow, Los Lobos, Van Hunt, Nikka Costa, Lisa Germano, BB King, Eric Clapton, Me’shell Ndegeocello, The Like, Peter Gabriel, K.D. Lang, Bonnie Raitt, Gwen Stafani, Madonna, Seal, Tricky and even appeared on Joni Mitchell’s Chalkmark In A Rainstorm.

By the mid-90’s Wendy and Lisa had become a creative institution and expanded their talents with a move into film and television composing. Their scoring credits include the films Soul Food, Dangerous Minds, Something New and Showtime’s, Cavedweller, among many others. Their work in television includes the title score for HBO’s Carnivale, six seasons of NBC’s Crossing Jordan as well the hit series Heroes. Wendy and Lisa have received the prestigious ASCAP award for Composer’s of the Year for their work on Dangerous Minds, the theme to HBO’s Carnivale, Crossing Jordan and Heroes. In addition to Heroes, they are currently scoring the upcoming new series’ Virtuality for FOX, and Nurse Jackie for Showtime.

Ten years have passed since Wendy and Lisa have taken to the studio. But now, as they emerge with White Flags Of Winter Chimneys, it is clear how much those ten years has challenged them, fueled them and transformed their musical imaginations. As fate would have it, Lisa’s brother, David—a talented musician, linguist and poet—would pass away in 2004 at the age of 41; Wendy and Lisa would dissolve their domestic partnership, build lives with new partners, and strive to preserve their musical and professional union. In 2006 and 2007 Wendy and Lisa respectively, became mothers. The release of Wendy and Lisa fifth studio album has been well worth the ten year wait. White Flags Of Winter Chimneys is a gorgeous kaleidoscope of song-compositions with influences ranging from trance to electronica to 70’s funk and straight up rock and roll. Throughout the album you can detect the influence of early Bowie and Sly Stone and also the dreamscapes of The Cocteau Twins, Kate Bush and Joseph Arthur. But although the album draws beautifully from a host of inspirations with a highly original result, it is ultimately inspired most by the world of deep feeling. White Flags of Winter Chimneys is truly a testament to Wendy and Lisa’s singular ability to delve bravely into their own sorrows and joys and to find for those feelings a sonic expression that is sumptuously their own.

--Lisa Cholodenko