MOLLY VANDENBERG
Staff Writer
Would Fredonia really be Fredonia without its evolving music scene? There’s usually something for everyone to enjoy, from psychedelic rock shows at BJ’s to open mic night at EBC to alternative house shows. You can find local musicians playing music almost every night of the week.
Fredonia typically has a way of bringing alumni back to reminisce on the time that they’ve spent here and the things that they’ve learned. This is especially true for award-winning singer-songwriter/composer/multi-instrumentalist and Fredonia alumna Lisa Brigantino, who will be doing an in-store performance at Rik Napoli’s Cool Little Music Shop on Nov. 3 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Admission will be free.
“The show will be a two hour performance of my original songs. Genre-wise, my tunes run the gaunt of everything from folk, rock and blues to old-time, americana, pop, country and more,” said Brigantino.
She was originally planning on returning to Fredonia that weekend to attend the Fredonia State Chamber Singers reunion, and to sing in an alumni concert in Rosch Recital Hall at the School of Music on Nov. 6 at 1 p.m. Both events are also open and free to the public.
Brigantino is a trained composer with a master’s in music composition and music theory from Fredonia.
She really enjoys playing live shows.
“I enjoy it specifically to share original songs with a live audience. It’s very different from recording. You’re able to get feedback from a live audience, which is something I really enjoy. However, I like both for different reasons,” said Brigantino.
She describes her music as a variety of genres.
“Rock to an old-times song sounding like it’s from the 1930s, to a country song that sounded like it was written in Nashville,” said Brigantino.
Her latest CD, “Wonder Wheel,” is a collection of 13 songs ranging from folk and blues to rock, old-time, Americana, pop and more. It has received national airplay and favorable reviews, including a five-star rating and “Pick of the Week” from Indie Music Critic and Muzikreviews.com.
She also does some musical work with her husband Thomas Millioto. He will be joining her on a few songs with the electric guitar at the show on Nov. 3.
“Fredonia provided many performance opportunities to me, not only on-campus but off-campus,” said Brigantino regarding her studies at Fredonia.
This fact clearly still remains years later. Musicians have many forms of supportive platforms to grow off of here in our community and these result in great success stories, such as that of Brigantino.