ON ITS SELF-TITLED DEBUT,
LULU’S ASCENT STAYS TRUE TO ITS NAME

Some things are meant to be. Some stars are simply meant to align. And so it was with the members of Lulu’s Ascent. Coming from different directions but anxious to communicate the same eclectic musical ideas, the members of Lulu’s Ascent crossed paths rather by chance and took full advantage of the serendipity. Bassist LuAnn Arena and drummer Steve Olenski met while performing together at the Woodstock Guitar Festival back in 2004. Olenski was taken by her voice, and invited her to jam with him and his friend, guitarist Tom Desisto. It was the beginning of a magical musical relationship. Their eponymous debut, Lulu’s Ascent, is the result.

Before assembling, LuAnn Arena, Tom Desisto, and Steve Olenski were all accomplished artists on their own. LuAnn, a bass player and singer, has gigged extensively across the country, opening for artists like Martin Sexton and Melissa Ferrick. She’s also received numerous awards, including placing as a “finalist” in the well-known Eddie’s Attic Songwriter Shootout in Atlanta and received an ASCAP Popular Award nod given to independent songwriters.

Guitarist Tom Desisto has also notched tons of accomplishments. The multifaceted musician has played on and composed a vast variety of material, some of which has received nationwide exposure. Film director Jonathan Demme included one of his songs on the film The Truth About Charlie. He co-wrote with Ben E. King, and was twice Emmy-nominated for his scoring work on the soap opera As The World Turns. (You can visit www.desistomusic.com for a full resume.)

Drummer percussionist Steve Olenski, one of upstate New York’s busiest and most popular drummers, has performed with a variety of acts, has been in the pit for several local performances of Broadway Shows, and is a highly sought after drum tech also known as “The Drum Doctor.”

Put these proven talents together and you’ve got Lulu’s Ascent, an intoxicating amalgam of vision, feel, skill, and great instincts. It’s also powerfully original, mining the wide open spaces between the pop sophistication of Steely Dan and the elegance of a jazz vocal trio, with a dash of Latin sultriness thrown in courtesy of Arena’s sweet and sexy singing. If that weren’t enough, there’s a little rock, a touch of punk attitude, and a bunch of other cool slivers keen ears will undoubtedly detect. The band’s worked in so many idioms, the whole thing comes off like a dazzling mosaic, with each tile a different, vibrant color, and all of them together forming one stunning piece of work.
Because they’ve only been together a short time, Lulu’s Ascent also captures the band in its early discovery phase. Each a monster talent, they all get to demonstrate their gifts both separately and together. When they find their flow, as they do throughout the album, it feels like you’re hearing the first inklings of a wonderful idea. And then there’s the excitement of knowing that there’s more, much more to come. Perhaps that’s where the word “ascent” comes from.