Italian Project

The Italian Project is the product of a beautiful dream come true; one that embodies love, hope, and the overriding positive message that we can truly achieve anything we set our minds to. In 2009, Lisa Marie Simmons and I, who both attended high school at the same time in Boulder, CO, reconnected by Facebook for the first time in more than 25 years. This synchronistic virtual meeting resulted in a four-year international music adventure that included performances in Italy and Colorado, and culminated with co-writing (along with Bob Story) the 11 songs on this CD. The songs were written largely via Skype over a two-year period, and recorded tracks both in Italy and Colorado. While the writing and recording process has been lengthy and challenging at times, the journey has been priceless. The Italian Project is a big departure for Lisa Bell and her band, with heavy Americana, roots rock, country, bluegrass, pop and blues influences. Throughout the writing process, we used a theme of positive messages and beautiful stories of change, manifestation and empowerment. Some of the songs are uplifting. Others share important stories such as the challenges of homelessness, racism and our societal fears. All are designed to make the listener take heart and take action. The music is fun, fresh, upbeat and thought provoking.