Lizann Warner’s amazing vocal ability can be seen in numerous LA based bands, including the Heart tribute Dog ‘n’ Butterfly. That gig has in turn landed her a spot singing on the number one selling game in history- Guitar Hero III. All Access got to sit down with Liz and talk about her vocal prowess and what it’s like to be a female rock vocalist in the 21st century.
AAM (Sean Michael Clegg): You are featured in the new Activision game phenomenon Guitar Hero III, how did you land that gig?
LIZ: I got the gig through my friend Brody. My Heart Tribute Band [Dog 'N' Butterfly], played with Brody's Classic Rock Tribute band "YBR" [Yellow Brick Road Band- Ed.] in Vegas awhile back. Brody impersonates a lot of famous male rock vocalists in his act, and was hired to record some of the male vocal tracks for the game. When the producer needed someone who could sing Barracuda, Brody [luckily] recommended me.
AAM: You sang on two tracks, both Heart's "Barracuda" and Pat Benatar's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot", can you tell us about your approach to each song?
LIZ: Well actually, I wasn't really prepared for the Pat Benatar track. When I got to the studio, they asked me if I could sing like Pat Benatar... I guess they had a track that was done by another vocalist, but they weren't satisfied with it. It was a last minute thing, so I wasn't really prepared. I took a stab at it, and luckily they liked it and used it. With the Heart track it was a bit easier, I've been impersonating Ann Wilson for awhile now.
AAM: Have you done any other tracks for any other upcoming Guitar Hero games?
LIZ: Well as it turns out, the producer who worked on the Guitar Hero III recordings liked my work so much that he called me back to do 3 more tracks. I thought that I was recording more tracks for Guitar Hero, but later I learned that the 3 additional songs I recorded were actually for another game called "Rock Revolution". It's kind of similar to Guitar hero, but made by Kanomi, one of their competitors. You see, the game companies don't want any information about their games to leak out to their competitors. So when the producer hires us to sing on the tracks, he can't tell us very much, it's top secret stuff evidently!!! It was the same when I recorded the tracks for Guitar Hero III. I didn't know what game [in particular] my tracks were for. When it came out, I was shocked at how popular the game was. Honestly, I had never heard of Guitar Hero before that! As for Guitar Hero's next game "World Tour", only master recordings are being used, so it appears my services won't be needed.
AAM: You're famous locally for your impeccable impersonation of Ann Wilson in the tribute band "Dog 'N' Butterfly." How did you come to form that group? Tell us about its members.
LIZ: Well thank you for the complement! The group started about 4 years ago, when my husband Dave [Who is also my drummer] came up with the idea. Pretty much everyone always said I sounded like Ann Wilson. It was almost to my detriment. I actually lost a recording deal for an original project once, because they said I sounded too much like her. So Dave came up with the idea of doing a tribute to Heart. I thought it was a great idea...it was like; "if ya got lemons, make lemonade!" We formed the band from players we were already working with in another project called "Sugarbox" - a classic rock cover band. We have Sean Michael Clegg on Guitar, Scott Snyder on Bass, and of course my hubby Dave Pimentel on drums. We later found Whitney Bridges who played the part of "Nancy Wilson" after holding auditions. Recently her "sub" Sissy Martin, who played in another Heart tribute but filled in when Whit wasn't available, became our full-time Nancy when Whitney decided to move back home to South Carolina.
AAM: We understand you play in multiple bands with Sean Michael Clegg and Scott Snyder (ACCOMPLICE, GREAT WHITE), how did you come to work with them, and what's it like working with musicians of such a high caliber?
LIZ: I've known both Sean & Scott for years & years. We had separate bands originally, but rehearsed at the same lock-out studio. Their room was 3 doors down... sounds like a band name, doesn't it! Yes, they’re both great guys, and very talented. I guess I'm used to working with top notch players. I have always gravitated toward good players because I don't like to be embarrassed on stage! I like the comfort of knowing that the band behind me won't let me down! I started working with both Scott & Sean at different times on original stuff. I worked with Scott first, back when I shared a house with him, his wife and some other friends. We mostly just threw some ideas around. Scott told Sean about my stuff, and suggested putting something together, but I don't think Sean was open to it. This was when Accomplice was starting out and he was focused on male -fronted projects at that time. Some years later, I asked Sean to perform the guitar parts to some original tunes of mine at a showcase. While preparing for that show we collaborated on some of the tunes. I guess he enjoyed the experience because he wanted to work with me after that.
AAM: We understand you cut your teeth in local bands Daddy's Girl, and West. Can you give us a brief history of you musical journey?
LIZ: Wow, that goes pretty far back. Well Daddy's Girl was formed shortly after my Dad passed away [hence the name]... I was really vulnerable then. I was working with a guitarist from North Carolina back then who also wasn't looking for a girl singer... so we tried to help each other find members for each other's band. After no luck finding any suitable male vocalists he decided to try me. We ended up doing pretty well, with lots of great gigs opening for nationals like Bad Company, Pat Benatar, Fleetwood Mac, to name a few. We changed the name to West, played some great stages, it was a lot of fun. But I made the fatal mistake of dating the drummer. When we broke up it got pretty messy, and the band fell apart. Can't say I'd recommend that one - don't date your band members... I guess unless you plan to marry them!
After West I was pretty damaged, and didn't want to be in a "Band" again. I was solo for awhile after that. When I met Dave, I had a lot of stuff that I had penned but never recorded. He was really fundamental in getting me back into working with other musicians again, and recording. He believed in me at a time when I was really disillusioned. He purchased some recording equipment and we started making demos of the stuff.
AAM: What has it been like to be a female, in the male dominated, testosterone driven world of rock 'N' roll? Any stories to share?
LIZ: When I was just starting out I guess it was a bit rough. There weren't a lot of chicks fronting hard rock bands when I first started. The local scene was almost all male. At most of the shows I played, I was the only girl. I remember once at the Coach House when I was opening for Vince Neal... I had arrived a bit behind the guys [no surprise there]... and they were all talking about how cool Vince was. They had evidently been hanging with him back-stage before I got there. But when I said "hi" to him [as I passed him on the way to my dressing room] he blew me off, and I know he heard me. He never addressed me that whole day. It was weird, perhaps if I had been a groupie, he would have been nicer, not sure. But then again, there were times when being a girl worked to my advantage too. 
Once after I did a show opening for Warrant, I went out into the crowd to watch them play. Suddenly from on stage, Jani Lane reached across the sea of screaming girls and yanked me up onto the stage. He handed me the mic and said "sing!"... and he proceeded to walk back-stage. I thought; "shit, I don't know the words to any of their songs!" But just before he left, I heard him tell the band to play Rock 'N' Roll"... and I thought "damn, what guy would have gotten this stroke of luck!" It was like a dream, I never forgot what a thrill it was to sing with them, and luckily, it was a song I knew!
But I guess the age thing is the worst part of being a female in this field. It chaps my hide that for a female in rock to be accepted, she's got to be a teenager. But there's a million old geezers out there rocking their asses off and no one cares how old they get! Once I had a meeting with a producer who [at the time] was working with Stevie Wonder. He really liked my tunes... but basically said that since I was over 25 there wasn't anything he could do with me. Then he added salt to the wound by asking; "where were you 10 years ago?" I could have choked him. It would have been better if he'd said he hated my music! Very frustrating.
AAM: Have you had any issues with sexist behavior and/or attitudes in the business? Give us some examples if so.
LIZ: I guess I already have! Of course I can add some of my experiences with producers who promised to get me signed, but bailed when I wouldn't date them. But honestly, that stuff is everywhere not just in music. To tell you the truth, I saw less male chauvinism in music than I did in the regular job market. When it came to the playing field of music, it was a lot more level for me. I brought my game, and they couldn't easily dismiss me.
AAM: True power house female rock vocalists are few and far between, any comment on why? Who are some of your favorites?
LIZ: I hate to sound cliché, but I think that STILL too much focus is on looks and not skill when it comes to female vocalists. Note that I said skill, and not "talent". A lot of female vocalists have talent, your born with talent, that's not such a big deal...it's what you do with it that counts. Unfortunately a lot of female vocalists don't really try to hone or refine their skills. They get by on the raw talent, and rely the rest of the way on their looks. Looks fade...you better have the chops to really make a career out of it. I think the real greats in the field are those whose passion was in perfecting their craft. One of the first female vocalists I fell in love with was Judy Garland. She wasn't in "Rock", but her voice was so damn powerful, it impressed me even as a kid. As a teen, I was all about Ann Wilson. She is still the reining queen in my book. Of course Pat Benatar was a force to be reckoned with too. I guess these days I'm pretty impressed with vocalists like Carrie Underwood, and Leann Rimes...who aren't "Rock" either, but their pipes kick butt. [And Country music seems to be the new "Rock" these days!] I also really like a young 15 year old vocalist named Charice Pempengco. Words can't describe that girls pipes, she’s a freak of nature! Google her, you'll see what I mean!
AAM: Have you done any original music? Is it available to the public?
LIZ: I've done a lot writing over the years but seems like only a small portion of my original material actually made it to CD. It's probably the most disappointing aspect of my career. A lot of my original material never got finished because of various reasons, like moving, or when one of my finest collaborators Joe Laub moved away, and also because of those producers who I wouldn't date... so I have a lot of songs that never saw the light of day. I have a couple of my tunes that I recorded with Joe on Myspace [www.myspace.com/lizannwarner]... but these tunes are almost 10 years old now. Vocally their a bit tame, I was going through a softer more "alternative" period then, but I still enjoy them. Joe was great at interpreting my ideas. After Joe left I put my writing on the back burner in exchange for working in cover and tribute bands, and doing studio gigs... which I can at least say pay better.
AAM: In the band SUGARBOX you are known to be a chameleon and sing in many vocal styles from Alanis Morrisette to Gwen Stefani. How do you achieve the nuances of each singer so well?
LIZ: I'm not really sure, I hear it in my head and somehow try to duplicate what I hear. I guess I usually focus in on a particular trait...maybe the way they pronounce certain vowels, or a nasally tone etc., then I exaggerate that trait a bit to capture their style in a way that others will quickly recognize.
AAM: What are your goals for the immediate future? Any new CD releases to look forward to?
LIZ: Actually, I have unpacked my recording gear [again]... and I am now in the process of going through some of my previously unrecorded material as well as writing some new stuff. But It's been a slow process. I haven't felt inspired to write in a long while. Hopefully I will be able to get some of this stuff recorded and on CD before I move again, or something. As far as goals for the immediate future, I'm not really sure. When I was focused on being an original artist, my goal was to get signed. Eventually that changed to the goal of being able to support myself through singing, which luckily I have been able to do. These days I guess I just want to be able to keep singing and growing as a performer. I love the game stuff, it's kind of a cool new area to go into... and I would like to do more work in voice-overs and commercials etc. I really enjoy studio work. I love the challenge of going one on one in the vocal booth with my biggest critic,
...myself!
AAM: Hear Lizann at www.myspace.com/dognbutterfly
