Larissa Ness

July 19th-Temporal Insomnia Art Show Event playing Larissa's tunes...Check out some great ART from Earph Exhibitions (pronounced "Urf"):Having been deemed as Austin's version of "Norah Jones on Fire," Larissa Ness connects with a broad spectrum of music lovers with her melodies and lyrics. Her beauty and charm just add to the talented singer-songwriter’s persona that has people of all ages engaged. At the age of 24, Larissa has made a name for herself in the Austin music scene. As a trained classical pianist, her musical style transcends from pop and rock to easy listening and jazz. Names often mentioned to describe Larissa's solo musical performance include Jewel, Sarah McLachlan, and Tori Amos.Larissa grew up in a small town on the Texas coast just south of Houston. Her mother, a trained classical pianist, taught Larissa how to play from the age of three. At an early age, Larissa had collected a room full of trophies won from numerous classical piano competitions. Even though little Larissa composed many instrumental piano pieces on their big Grand piano in their tiny little beach house, it wasn’t until high school that she began matching her own original lyrics up to her dynamic piano accompaniments. For her high school graduation, she performed her original song, “Keep Your Memories in Your Pocket,” revealing to her classmates, for the first time, her closet songwriting talent.In college, Larissa released Texture Vision (2005), her first fully-produced album, under the name Larissa. Each song features Larissa playing piano, singing and on one track, “I Wonder Why”, playing the flute. Austin artists Billy Harvey and Chris Maresh along with one of the most innovative guitarists on the planet according to Guitar Player Magazine, Larry Chaney, contributed to the album. Dony Wynn helped produce it. Shortly after the release of Texture Vision, Larissa started a band that she managed and booked at venues like the Continental Club, Momo’s, Flamingo Cantina, and more. While still in college, Larissa toured in several European countries and the Caribbean singing in an elite “a capella” vocal jazz group, called Voca Libre.In 2006, Larissa released a completely acoustic five-song “piano and voice” only E.P. Now going by full name, Larissa Ness, this self-titled E.P. provides five of her original songs in the stripped down acoustic nature of just soothing piano and voice. Seeing as the new EP only gives a minute glimpse into the true magic of Larissa's live solo performance, it’s best to catch one of Larissa’s grand piano experiences at venues like the Four Season’s hotel, Reed’s Jazz and Supper Club, Sullivan’s Ringside and III Forks.The same year Larissa teamed up with Burn, an Austin rock band, as the lead singer, keyboardist, and songwriter. They performed around Austin at places like the Troubadour Saloon, on South Congress for “First Thursdays”, private parties and at an Austin favorite, The Lucky Lounge. In the past year, Larissa's song "Je T'aime", a result of numerous French classes, aired on commercials for B & H Music Stores. These commercials are appearing on MTV, VH1, SPK, NICK, FXNC, SFI, & ENT in the Houston, Texas area. Larissa’s music has received radio play all over the US, England, France and Germany. Austin’s biggest rock station, 101X, recently added tracks from her first album to their Sunday morning “Chillville” segments. Also, look for Larissa’s song, “Je T’aime” in the upcoming film, “Until I See You Again”: from the two-time Emmy-award winning producer of the hit TV shows Felicity and Alias.Typically performing 5 nights a week in Austin, Larissa is actively looking for opportunities to get her songs in more and more films and commercials for exposure. She’s also chomping at the bit to put out several more albums, each with a different genre and theme.In October of 2007, a live concert album, “Live at the Bugle Boy,” was released showcasing Larissa’s true raw talent. In conjunction with PRS records, “Live at the Bugle Boy” was recorded at the 2007 Bugle Boy concert in La Grange, TX where Ness performed solo on an enormous Steinway grand piano in what the Texas Music Magazine has coined as “the best little listening room in Texas.” This album attempts to capture the emotional sparkle in the air that night of July 20th, where several of the ladies in the audience were overcome with tears.Currently Larissa is in the studio working on several projects. One project is a “Latin flavored” album with producer Allan Wing, bringing in some Salsa, Bossa, and Samba beats creating a “Norah Jones goes Latin” sound. Larissa is also collaborating with rapper and beat master Ernst Bernard (aka. “Young Mischiff”) blending Hip-Hop beats with sexy, ethereal vocals to mold a refreshing new Trip-Hop cross-over sound.Larissa loves writing in all styles of music, but when she strips it down performing solo, in the true acoustic “Singer/Songwriter” fashion behind her piano, an emotional vein of dynamic continuity shines through every song, tugging at every listener’s soul.