Lissa Schneckenburger to Release New Album 'Thunder in My Arms'

After a decades-long career performing worldwide as a traditional fiddler and ballad singer, Lissa Schneckenburger's personal experience as a foster and adoptive parent ignited a passion to create a musical tableau of family, love, trust, and resiliency. The result, a powerful album titled Thunder in My Arms, will be released on May 17, 2019.

While Thunder in My Arms was conceived as a recording for foster and adoptive parents about the hardships and joys of caring for children with developmental trauma, it grew into a sincere, magnificent statement for all those whose humanity embraces the art of music as well as the art of being genuinely alive.

Thunder in My Arms takes the shape of a song cycle about attachment, parenting, and trauma. Sung from a myriad of viewpoints, the album can be at times brazen and innocent, resilient and triumphant, softly confessional and sweetly comforting.

Lissa Schneckenburger's fans will be the first to tell you that the soundscape of Thunder in My Arms stands in sharp contrast to her previous recordings. Displaying a sonic tapestry whose organic foundation is of rhythmic pulse and bass line, the songs swell with electric guitar, piano, and strings, and at times explode with brass and saxophone. Riding above this rich and alluring mix are Schneckenburger's expressive vocals, giving life to lyrics both tender and potent.

Thunder in My Arms establishes its tone with "Look Away," a song that draws the listener in with a raw emotion that is at once forbidding and magnetic. Over its relentless beat, Lissa Schneckenburger delivers lyrics with a rapid-fire intensity that would be the envy of any rap artist but pirouetting with the melodic elasticity of Bach, then bursting through the sky with wide-open expression. Other highlights include "Since the Day We Met," with a nod to classic rock; "They Sent Me a Picture," inspired by modern acoustic guitar players like Aoife O'Donovan and Schneckenburger's co-writer Mark Erelli; and "The 11th Labor of Hercules," a heartfelt love song set as a minor key waltz that uses Greek myth as a metaphor, co-written with the young poet Genna Rose Nethercott.

Lissa Schneckenburger's international performance highlights include Mémoire et Racines (Quebec, Canada), Celtic Connections (Glasgow, Scotland), Shetland Folk Festival (Shetland, Scotland), and the Project Harmony Folk Arts Tour (Tomsk, Russia). In the US, Schneckenburger has lit up the stage at the Festival of American Fiddle Tunes (Port Townsend, WA), Celtic Classics Festival (Bethlehem, PA), and Newport Irish Festival (Newport, RI), in addition to many other festivals, folk clubs and concert venues nationwide. She has been honored to open for artists like Judy Collins, Alasdair Frazer, and Kate Campbell.

In addition to her work as a soloist, Lissa Schneckenburger currently performs with the bands Low Lily and Childsplay. Her previous solo albums include Covers (2013), Dance (2010), Song (2008), and Lissa Schneckenburger (2005). She is also heard on recordings by the bands Low Lily, Spin, Halali, and Phantom Power.

Thunder in My Arms will be available at www.lissafiddle.com, CDBaby, Bandcamp, iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, and other digital retailers, as well as at Lissa Schneckenburger's live shows.