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Lyzie Burt

Like so many musicians before her, Lyzie Burt regrets quitting piano lessons. The 19-year-old singer/songwriter — born and raised in Selkirk — gave up the instrument in favour of guitar before she could achieve her Grade 6 certificate.
   
Still, Burt’s soon-to-be-released second album Cigarettes and You is all about the ivories.
   
"After I went through my phase of guitar and was just like ‘I can’t even play this thing’, I started listening to more music like Emily Haines and Cat Power," Burt says. "It was like, ‘They play piano. I play piano. I can do that. What the heck?’, so I just re-taught myself, hardly. It’s really simple piano. It’s nothing out of the box, it’s so easy, and that’s what I love about it — I don’t have to work too hard."
   
Burt’s piano playing style may be simple, but her lyrics, voice and vocal phrasings are definitely distinctive. For instance, Find You in Their Sleep has lines such as, "I’d put you in the ground, but my shovel’s in the shop today."
   
"I’ve been told it’s ‘melancholy with a twist’," Burt says. "I wanted one of my friends from Selkirk, Matty Hallick from Hope Atlantic, to give me his input and that’s what he told me. It makes sense because I don’t know to ‘genre-ize’ my music. Some say folk but it’s not really folk music. Some say pop, but weird. I think melancholy with a twist is a nice name for it."
   
Burt, who also sings in Selkirk shoegaze band The Blisters (signed to Montreal’s Woven Records), is the newest addition to local label I’m Trying Records, which previously distributed her 2009 debut Out of Your Hair through its web store. Along with CKUW and UMFM, I’m Trying presents the Cigarettes and You release party on Jan. 20 at The Lo Pub. Opening for Burt will be Claire Morrison of Fire & Smoke and indie rock duo Mise en Scene.
   
"The only problem I have with Mise en Scene is that they’re so good and they’re playing before me," Burt says with a laugh. "I’m scared everyone’s going to go ‘Well that was great, see you later.’ But that’s the way we’re doing it and whatever happens, we’ll learn from it."
   
Surely Burt will be able to hold her own. She’s honed her chops through weekly gigs at Mona Lisa Ristorante Italiano (earning a fan in 92 CITI FM DJ Howard Mandshein) and other shows about town. Still, the solo performer says she’ll be taking some pressure off herself on her next album, which she says will feature guest musicians and be more of a full-band recording. 
   
"I’m in the process of recording another album," Burt says. "I’ll be playing piano as well as some guitar. Tim Iskierski, who does sound at The Cheer, will be recording it. He has some links to other musicians who will be coming in to do trumpet, bass, etc. There will be a lot more going on in the next one."
   
Check out Burt at www.facebook.com/LyzieBurtMusiqu and http://lyzieburt.bandcamp.com.
   
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