Liz Mandeville CD Release Party & Art Exhibit to be held in Evanston, Dec. 13th

What: Red Top CD Release Party and Art Exhibit

Who:  Liz Mandeville and The Blue Points

When:  December 13, 2008, Saturday

Time:  Art exhibit of Liz Mandeville’s paintings begins at 6 p.m.

Liz performs starting at 9 p.m.

Where:  Tencat Productions at 1316 Sherman Ave., Evanston. (Please enter the alley from Dempster Street and walk north 50 feet and to your right you will see the Tencat logo on the corner of the building).

There will be food and drinks available.

Suggested Donation:  $10 per person

Plenty of street parking

NOTE:  A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the art will be donated to The Children's Place, a Chicago charity dedicated to ensuring a future for children of families afflicted with AIDS/HIV. For more info on them visit www.childrens-place.org

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Liz Mandeville's new CD, Red Top, has been burning up the blues and roots radio charts. This is a special opportunity to join Chicago Blues Guide columnist Liz in celebrating this critically acclaimed release.  A true Renaissance woman, Liz is a sultry singer, award-winning songwriter, guitarist, journalist, painter, educator and all around bon vivant. She has performed all over the world and has three prior CDs on the Earwig Music label to her credit

Earwig Music Company – a Chicago record label and artist management company - is celebrating its 30th anniversary with this CD Release Party and Art Exhibit by Liz Mandeville, as the first in a line of Earwig's yearlong series of events. Teamed up with Blues on the North Shore and Tencat Productions, they will present an exciting evening of extreme visuals and music created by Liz Mandeville, a.k.a. Red Top (for her red hair).

• “Red Top is an excellent album to accompany a drink, and though Mandeville isn’t afraid to experiment, the meat of the disc is all blues. Better make that a whiskey.” – Genevieve Williams, Blues Revue

• “No slouch on guitar, she shows a deft, expressive touch taking the lead on three numbers, with her subtle dynamics on the double-entendre gem "Scratch the Kitty" being most impressive. But Red Top is really a showcase for her ever more mature vocalizing, which is nothing short of captivating throughout.” – David McGee, The Bluegrass Special.com
• “Chicago blues diva Liz Mandeville is sassy and sultry.  Many have called her the "Bette Midler of the Blues."  Her new album displays her tenderness, her toughness and her ability to rock. Backed by a top-notch Chicago band, including Eddie Shaw on sax, Liz blasts through original material with a humorous zest for life.  Her songs "Spanky Butt" and "Guilty of Rockin' All Night" will have you dancing in your living room.”  -- DJ Hambone , WDCB-FM

Chris Spector, from Midwest Record describes Red Top as "a party on a platter".  This CD showcases all of Liz's talents – songwriter, storyteller, guitarist, washboard player and-- most of all-- singer. Liz wrote all 15 of the songs and plays guitar on several cuts. The CD features Rodney Brown & the Supernatural horn section, guitarist Mark Wydra (who will be performing at the event), plus members of Liz's touring bands from the last decade. Howlin’ Wolf saxman Eddie Shaw performs on two tracks.

This gala event will showcase yet another of Liz's talents. A treasure of her paintings will dress the space with vibrant colors, energy and contrast that fly off the canvas. There will be an opening reception for the artist starting at 6 p.m. 

Liz's talent as a painter is less famous than her musical side.  She hails from a family of artists and has amassed an impressive collection of acrylic-on-canvas paintings from over 25 years of work. The paintings will be available for viewing and purchase by the public. A portion of the proceeds from sale of the art will be donated to The Children’s Place charity.

Liz is always ready to push her creative envelope.  Her ability to express herself creatively, in whatever medium she chooses, reveals her to be a true Renaissance woman.

Tencat Productions is located off the alley between Sherman and Elmwood in Evanston. The Tencat studio is the creative work space of Anne Elisabeth Hough, Dusty Ballard and John Bolles – a team that creates environments for industrial trade shows, restaurants and other businesses, using all manner of artistic mediums. But every once in awhile when something really special – like Liz's CD release party – comes along, they open up the space and let the public in to enjoy it.

This party will be an intimate gathering allowing visitors to enjoy the music and art of Liz Mandeville.  In addition, patrons will have the opportunity to talk to her and her band, and with Michael Frank, President of Earwig Music Company, Liz's record label.  

To see Chicago Blues Guide’s review of Liz’s Red Top CD by Eric Steiner, click HERE