BIO

Lizzie & Baba are progressive performance artists and social activists. Their 2008 release, The Tumbleweed Cabaret is an interactive peace revival that is transforming audiences and bringing hope to people across America.

Lizzie West and Baba Buffalo met on the upper east side of Manhattan in front of the Java girl coffee shop on June 2nd of 2005. Shortly thereafter, they signed to Appleseed Records, an independent, social justice label and in 2006, they released I Pledge Allegiance To Myself. They called themselves "Lizzie West and the White Buffalo" to represent their commitment to helping human beings evolve through music and myth.

During their tour to support the 2006 album, they conceived of Holy Road Tours Union, a new way for artists to tour and help create peace on earth. The couple moved to Columbia, Missouri, committed themselves to healing their country from the heart, and began to establish the first Holy Road Tours Union Boarding House. They invited a handful of their greatest "fans", (now close friends), to formally create Holy Road Tours Union. In 2007, they officially co-founded Holy Road Tours Union, a non- profit touring and lifestyle co-op, with their friends and "fans." In October of 2007, Lizzie and Baba also made their personal union official. They married in an abandoned church on the Missouri River and are living happily ever after on the holy road.

Lizzie West was named Artist of the Year by AOL and Entertainment Weekly in 2003 and her work has been used extensively in film, (Secretary starring James Spader and Maggie Gyllenhall) T.V. (2007-2008: Democracy Now!, The L Word, 2003: Dawson’s Creek, Alias, Third Watch, etc) and was featured singing her song “Holy Road” in a national ad campaign directed by Spike Lee. Lizzie West has performed the National Anthem in Madison Square Garden and toured as an opener for artists such as Chris Isaak as well as headlined several of her own national tours.

“West writes disarming melodies, wraps her songs in beautiful, spare arrangements, and sings them with a beguiling voice.”

-Paul E. Comeau NO DEPRESSION

Lizzie West was born in NYC, July 21st, 1973. While she was in the womb, her mother Louise, lunched regularly with Joseph Campbell and in early childhood, Louise read her William Blake and TS Elliot. Lizzie watched her mother produce Broadway shows and as a child, she entertained her parent's friends at their NYC parties, including such legends as Charlie Strauss and Gregory Hines. Between 1996-1999, Lizzie found her adult voice and began recording her own songs.

In 2000, Lizzie signed to Warner Bros. Records. While she was with Warner Bros, Lizzie was censored four times. When the label would not release her song "19 Miles To Baghdad," she pushed to release the song and was "let go" by the label. Lizzie and a few of her "fans" then released "19 Miles To Baghdad" as a free download. Since then, Democracy Now! has made the song a peace anthem. From 2003-2006 Lizzie released her international debut, lost both of her parents to cancer, left the major label and met her Baba. In 2006, with the help of Baba, the duo released I Pledge Allegiance To Myself on a social justice label called Appleseed Records. The album was dedicated to her mother.

Lizzie is currently writing a serial novel called Re*membering Now on which her and Baba's interactive folk opera, The Tumbleweed Cabaret is based. She has driven across America 11 times, written over 45 art books of research on "creating reality" and is currently studying flight.

Lizzie blogs at: http://travelingtheholyroad.blogspot.com

Baba Buffalo was born in a frigid Midwest blizzard. Growing up, he listened to the sounds of jazz, blues, trees, the news and first began singing Mozart's "The Magic Flute" at age two. Baba grew through many shoes that led him 'cross the great lake of Michigan to the 'between two lakes', of Interlochen. In his late teens, his performance and compositions we're recognized in Downbeat Magazine. The road turned south of the equator at the turn of the 21st century where Baba spent a couple of summers touring Peru with his jazz trio.

The South American shores roared him north to Boston Harbor to the New England Conservatory of Music. After a trip to Europe, Baba heard the road call again, bringing the conservatory walls to a fall sooner than the four year call. The young Buffalo left Boston and moved to New York City, from where he toured the U.S. and the Maritimes of Canada. He has performed and recorded with many different musical groups in a variety of styles; opera, Sufi, hip-hop, jazz, classical, reggae, ragtime, folk, free and fusion to name a few. He has accompanied professional dance companies such as Alvin Alley and Martha Graham and has been a musical director with NDI New York since 2004, performing, teaching and musically directing dance residencies in New York City, Connecticut, Colorado & Mexico.

On an early June morning on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, outside the Java Girl, in front of the tennis ball lemon tree, Baba met his wife and life partner, Lizzie West and has been traveling on the road with their seeing Eye God, The Dharma Dog ever since. The next year the duo released, I Pledge Allegiance to Myself on a social justice label called Appleseed Records. The album received international recognition and had songs featured on Showtime's, The L Word and Democracy Now! Currently, he and his wife are working on producing an interactive folk opera cabaret and album called The Tumbleweed Cabaret, due for release in the fall of 2008. Baba is co-founder of Holy Road Tours Union (www.holyroadtours.org), a progressive arts and lifestyle co-op.

Baba blogs at: http://bababuffalo.blogspot.com

Text Box: The Dharma Dog has traveled the country with his mama seven times. With one eye turned inward, one outward and a bullet in his neck, he’s a constant reminder of the Now. An international recording artist, the Dharma Dog can be heard on both Lizzie & Baba's, "I Pledge Allegiance to Myself" and "The Tumbleweed Cabaret." He enjoys long walks on the beach or in nature (off the leash), follows his mama everywhere and is a constant reminder of being here now.

PRESS

No Depression August 2006

“West writes disarming melodies, wraps her songs in beautiful, spare arrangements, and sings them with a beguiling voice…”

http://www.lizziewestlife.com/media/press/no-depression-0806.pdf

Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange May 2006

“Lizzie West’s voice is both secure, relaxed and full of strength and conviction, and rattling and unsettling; just as her songs are both comfortable and at the same time so startling in either content or delivery that you have no choice but to sit up and take notice.”

http://www.acousticmusic.com/fame/p03701.htm

Slant Magazine June 2006

“What makes Lizzie West such a refreshing artist is that, regardless of the style in which she casts any given song, she’s a “folk” singer in the best possible sense…a cohesive, clear-eyed artistic vision…”

http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/music_review.asp?ID=798

Register Herald September, 07 2006

“West kept time with the banging of her well-worn leather boots for the first few songs. Removing them to dance around…”

http://www.lizziewestlife.com/media/reg-herald-review.pdf

Inside Columbia June 2006

“…sings in a classic and richly timbered voice reminiscent of Janis Ian and Marianne Faithful.”

http://www.lizziewestlife.com/media/press/InsideColumbia.pdf

Santa Barbara Independent July 2005

“…a little bit beat-jazz-folk and a little bit reggae, and utterly enthralling. It’s only cooler when she’s live.”

Ctrl. Alt. Country, Belgium May 2006

“Folk, roots, hip-hop, reggae, gospel, Americana, West has no problem with any of them. And she does it with vigour. Her passionate, scratchy, sometime Marianne Faithfullesque voice seems to be able to tackle anything.”

Quotes

New York Times

“Her music is rooted and comfortable, but her songs have a restless promise.”

American Songwriter

“…An indie masterpiece” –American Songwriter

Entertainment Weekly

“A visionary troubadour following her own yellow brick road”

Appleseed Records

Lizzie West does things her own way. The nomadic singer-songwriter walked away from her major label deal after the release of her well-received debut CD, Holy Road: Freedom Songs, due to differences over creative control of her songs and image. Entertainment Weekly and AOL’s “Breakout Artist of 2003” took her repertoire of personal, philosophical and political experiences set to folk, roots, hip-hop, reggae, gospel and contemporary American instrumentation to artist-friendly Appleseed. With the collaboration of co-writer, musician, and heart partner Anthony Kieraldo, Lizzie is spreading her free-spirited, Beat-influenced songcraft and activist outlook through I Pledge Allegiance to Myself and a grassroots touring schedule that includes local performance residencies and personal involvement with communities around the country. Includes “19 Miles to Baghdad.”