Elizabeth McChesney, better known by the stage name Lissy Trullie, is an American singer-songwriter and former model. She released her debut EP, ''
Self-Taught Learner'', in February 2009, and as of 2009, performed with a band named Lissy Trullie. She released her full-length debut album on April 10, 2012. She was previously the lead singer for the rock band
Zipper Club
Zipper Club was an American musical group from Los Angeles, California. The group was formed by members Mason James of Cerebral Ballzy and solo artist Lissy Trullie.
History
Zipper Club was initially formed from the writing of Mason James of Cer ...
.
Early life
Trullie was born in Washington, D.C., and moved to New York City at the age of 16 with her mother. She attended
Walnut Hill School
Walnut Hill School for the Arts is an independent boarding school and day school for the arts located in Natick, Massachusetts, United States. It is intended for student artists in grade 9-12.
History and programs
Boarding school
Walnut Hill w ...
, a boarding school in
Natick, Massachusetts, with a focus on performing arts.
She studied
graphic design at
Parsons
Parsons may refer to:
Places
In the United States:
* Parsons, Kansas, a city
* Parsons, Missouri, an unincorporated community
* Parsons, Tennessee, a city
* Parsons, West Virginia, a town
* Camp Parsons, a Boy Scout camp in the state of Washingt ...
in
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...
and then studied
art history
Art history is the study of aesthetic objects and visual expression in historical and stylistic context. Traditionally, the discipline of art history emphasized painting, drawing, sculpture, architecture, ceramics and decorative arts; yet today ...
at
The New School
The New School is a private research university in New York City. It was founded in 1919 as The New School for Social Research with an original mission dedicated to academic freedom and intellectual inquiry and a home for progressive thinkers. ...
.
[Campion, Freddie (April 10, 2012).]
Artist of the Week: Lissy Trullie
". ''Vogue''. Retrieved on April 10, 2012. Trullie performed music at art openings, but soon gravitated towards the downtown rock scene. She spent time working as a model, a dishwasher, a janitor, and a disc jockey at the Beatrice Inn.
[Goodman, Lizzy (April 5, 2009).]
Lissy Trullie Carries on Tradition of Downtown Cool With Debut EP 'Self-Taught Learner'
. '' New York''. Retrieved on May 6, 2009.
Career
Solo artist
Trullie released her debut EP, ''
Self-Taught Learner'', through American Myth Recordings on February 17, 2009. She performed at New York City's
Mercury Lounge
The Mercury Lounge is a live music venue in the Lower East Side of New York City. Like its brother venue The Bowery Ballroom, The Mercury Lounge is celebrated as an iconic indie venue due to its acoustics, its fostering and even launching of up ...
on February 11, 2009, in anticipation of the CD release.
[Shteamer, Hank (February 5, 2009).]
Buzz kill
. ''Time Out New York
''Time Out'' is a global magazine published by Time Out Group. ''Time Out'' started as a London-only publication in 1968 and has expanded its editorial recommendations to 328 cities in 58 countries worldwide.
In 2012, the London edition becam ...
''. Retrieved on August 25, 2009. The cover of the EP featured a woman's posterior clad in
hot pants
Hotpants or hot pants are extremely short shorts. The term was first used by ''Women's Wear Daily'' in 1970 to describe shorts made in luxury fabrics such as velvet and satin for fashionable wear, rather than their more practical equivalents th ...
, taken from a 1970s
pornographic magazine
Pornographic magazines or erotic magazines, sometimes known as adult, sex or top-shelf magazines, are magazines that contain content of an explicitly sexual nature. Publications of this kind may contain images of attractive naked subjects, as is ...
.
Trullie then signed with
Wichita Recordings
Wichita Recordings is an independent record label located in London, founded in 2000 by Mark Bowen and Dick Green. Its most notable signees include Bloc Party, The Cribs, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Bright Eyes, My Morning Jacket, Yeah Yeah Ye ...
, who released her EP in Europe. Photographer
Cass Bird
Cass Bird (born 1974) is an artist, photographer, and director who lives and works in New York City.
Exhibitions
Bird has exhibited widely within the United States and abroad, in exhibitions including ''Global Feminisms'' at The Brooklyn Museum ...
directed the video for her single, "Boy Boy", which was partially filmed in the basement of
Lit Lounge
Lit Lounge was a nightclub in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. The two-floor complex housed a concert venue, lounge, dance floor, and Fuse Gallery, an art exhibition space. Lit Lounge was noted as a major venue for N ...
on
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
's
Lower East Side. Actress
Chloë Sevigny had a
cameo as a merchandise sales girl. In 2009, ''
The Observer
''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the ...
'' grouped Trullie with other singers gaining notice with their distinct fashion, 1980s references, and
androgyny
Androgyny is the possession of both masculine and feminine characteristics. Androgyny may be expressed with regard to biological sex, gender identity, or gender expression.
When ''androgyny'' refers to mixed biological sex characteristics in ...
, including
Lady Gaga
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...
,
Little Boots
Victoria Christina Hesketh (born 4 May 1984), better known by her stage name Little Boots, is an English electropop singer-songwriter and DJ. She was previously a member of the band Dead Disco. Since performing as a solo artist she has releas ...
,
Ladyhawke, and
Elly Jackson's synth duo
La Roux
La Roux ( ) is an English synthpop act formed in 2008 by singer Elly Jackson and record producer Ben Langmaid. The act's debut album '' La Roux'' (2009) was a critical and commercial success, winning a Grammy Award and producing hit singles su ...
.
Trullie signed with
Downtown Records
Downtown Records is an American record label based in New York City with offices in Los Angeles. Owned and operated by Josh Deutsch and Terence Lam, the label is distributed by Geffen Records (formerly Interscope Records and The Orchard) in the ...
and re-released her debut EP in October 2009 with four additional songs. Her cover version of
Hot Chip's "
Ready for the Floor
"Ready for the Floor" is a Grammy Award-nominated song by British electronic group Hot Chip, and the second single from their 2008 album '' Made in the Dark''. It was released on 28 January 2008 and peaked at number six on the UK Singles Chart i ...
" appeared on the soundtrack of the horror film ''
Jennifer's Body
''Jennifer's Body'' is a 2009 American horror-comedy film written by Diablo Cody and directed by Karyn Kusama. The film stars Megan Fox, Amanda Seyfried, Johnny Simmons, and Adam Brody. Fox portrays a demonically possessed high school girl ...
''. Trullie made a video for the title single from her EP, "Self-Taught Learner", in October 2009.
Trullie began work on a full-length album in late-2009 with producer
Bernard Butler
Bernard Joseph Butler (born 1 May 1970) is an English musician, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the first guitarist with Suede, until his departure in 1994. He has been hailed by some critics as the greatest guitarist of hi ...
, formerly of the band
Suede
Suede (pronounced ) is a type of leather with a fuzzy, napped finish, commonly used for jackets, shoes, fabrics, purses, furniture, and other items. The term comes from the French , which literally means "gloves from Sweden". The term was firs ...
.
Producers
John Hill and
Dave Sitek
David Andrew Sitek (born September 6, 1972) is an American musician and record producer, known for his work with his band TV on the Radio. He has also worked with bands such as Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Liars, Foals, Celebration, Little Dragon, Beady E ...
of
TV On The Radio
TV on the Radio (TVOTR) is an American rock band from Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2001. The band consists of Tunde Adebimpe (vocals, loops), David Andrew Sitek (guitars, keyboards, loops), Kyp Malone (vocals, guitars, bass, loops), and ...
ended up recording her debut album, ''
Lissy Trullie'', in Los Angeles. The album was released in the U.S. on April 10, 2012, by Downtown Records. The debut single, "Madeleine", was made available as a download through
RCRD LBL in November 2011, and a video for "It's Only You, Isn't It?" was released in March 2012.
Lissy Trullie band
As of 2009, Trullie
fronted a four piece rock band, also named Lissy Trullie, which included Trullie on vocals and guitar, Josh Elrod on drums, Eben D’Amico (of
Saves the Day
Saves the Day is an American rock band from Princeton, New Jersey, formed in 1997. The band currently consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Chris Conley, guitarist Arun Bali, and bassist Rodrigo Palma.
After forming under the name Sefler i ...
) on lead guitar, and Ian Fenger on bass. The group often performed the songs "
Just a Friend
"Just a Friend" is a song written, produced and performed by American hip hop artist Biz Markie. It was released in September 1989 as the lead single from his album, '' The Biz Never Sleeps''. It is Markie's most successful single, reaching n ...
" by
Biz Markie
Marcel Theo Hall (April 8, 1964 – July 16, 2021), known professionally as Biz Markie, was an American rapper, singer, songwriter, DJ, and record producer. Markie was best known for his 1989 single "Just a Friend", which became a Top 40 hit in ...
, "
Ready for the Floor
"Ready for the Floor" is a Grammy Award-nominated song by British electronic group Hot Chip, and the second single from their 2008 album '' Made in the Dark''. It was released on 28 January 2008 and peaked at number six on the UK Singles Chart i ...
" by
Hot Chip, and
Amy Winehouse
Amy Jade Winehouse (14 September 1983 – 23 July 2011) was an English singer and songwriter. She was known for her deep, expressive contralto vocals and her eclectic mix of musical genres, including soul, rhythm and blues and jazz.
A membe ...
’s "
Rehab" live.
The band toured the U.S. and Europe with
The Virgins
The Virgins were an American indie rock band formed in 2006 in New York City. The band split up in November 2013.
History 2006–2007: Formation
Frontman Donald Cumming began writing music by himself in his New York apartment. He then recruited ...
and
Anya Marina
Anya Marina (born September 23, 1976) is an American singer-songwriter, based in New York City. Her music has been featured on several television shows, including ''Grey's Anatomy,'' '' How I Met Your Mother'', '' The Real World'', '' Castle'', ...
in May–June 2009. The tour was cut short when bassist Fenger was hospitalized with
swine influenza
Swine influenza is an infection caused by any of several types of swine influenza viruses. Swine influenza virus (SIV) or swine-origin influenza virus (S-OIV) refers to any strain of the influenza family of viruses that is endemic in pigs. As ...
. The band and crew were quarantined in their hotel in Germany.
[Swine flu to blame for Lissy Trullie gig cancellations]
. July 8, 2009. ''NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
''. Retrieved on July 11, 2009. The group made their U.S. television debut on ''
Last Call with Carson Daly
''Last Call with Carson Daly'' is an American late-night television series that was broadcast by NBC from 2002 to 2019. Hosted by former MTV personality Carson Daly, the series was initially formatted as a late-night talk show in line with ''T ...
'' performing "Boy Boy" at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles, California on June 3, 2009. They then toured the UK in September–October 2009 with
The Cribs
The Cribs are a British indie rock band originally from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, that formed in 2001. The band consists of twins Gary and Ryan Jarman and their younger brother Ross Jarman. They were subsequently joined by ex-The Smiths guit ...
and
Adam Green.
Modeling
Trullie has appeared in the fashion magazines ''
Elle
''Elle'' (stylized ''ELLE'') is a worldwide women's magazine of French origin that offers a mix of fashion and beauty content, together with culture, society and lifestyle. The title means "she" or "her" in French. ''Elle'' is considered the w ...
'', ''SOMA'', and ''Jalouse''. She was the face of actress
Chloë Sevigny’s clothing line, and posed in an early portrait by photographer
Ryan McGinley
Ryan McGinley (born October 17, 1977) is an American photographer living in New York City. McGinley began making photographs in 1998. In 2003, at the age of 25, he was one of the youngest artists to have a solo show at the Whitney Museum of Ameri ...
in 2002. She was also the inspiration and model for Moses de la Renta's debut line. Trullie stated to ''
Time Out New York
''Time Out'' is a global magazine published by Time Out Group. ''Time Out'' started as a London-only publication in 1968 and has expanded its editorial recommendations to 328 cities in 58 countries worldwide.
In 2012, the London edition becam ...
'' that modeling was "just a way for me to make money during college".
Trullie was chosen to represent fashion designer
Max Azria
Max Azria (January 1, 1949 – May 6, 2019) was a Tunisian-Jewish-born American fashion designer who founded the contemporary women's clothing brand BCBG MAX AZRIA. Azria was also the designer, chairman and CEO of the BCBG Max Azria Group,Musta ...
for the
Hervé Léger
Hervé is a French masculine given name of Breton origin, from the name of the 6th-century Breton Saint Hervé. The common latinization of the name is Herveus (also ''Haerveus''), an early (8th-century) latinization was ''Charivius''. Angliciz ...
Fall 2009 collection. Underground filmmaker
Richard Kern
Richard Kern (born 1954) is an American underground filmmaker, writer and photographer. He first came to prominence as part of the cultural explosion in the East Village of New York City in the 1980s, with erotic and experimental films like ...
photographed the advertisements and directed a video for Trullie's "Ready for the Floor", with the singer wearing clothes from the collection.
Zipper Club
Trullie and Mason James of
Cerebral Ballzy
Cerebral Ballzy is an American punk rock band from Brooklyn, New York, United States. The band was formed in 2008 and released their debut, self-titled, album on 26 July 2011. The album was released in full as an online preview on the ''Revolv ...
formed Zipper Club, a band produced by
James Iha
(born March 26, 1968) is an American rock musician. He is best known as a guitarist and co-founder of the alternative rock band the Smashing Pumpkins. He was a member until the initial breakup in 2000. Among his musical projects of recent years ...
of the
Smashing Pumpkins
Smash may refer to:
People
* Smash (wrestler) (born 1959), professional wrestler
* Moondog Rex, another professional wrestler who briefly wrestled as the original Smash, before being replaced by the above.
* DJ Smash, DJ and music producer
Ar ...
.
Discography
Albums
*''
Lissy Trullie'' (2012),
Downtown/
Wichita – released April 10, 2012
EPs
*''
Self-Taught Learner'' (2009), American Myth/Wichita/Downtown – debut
EP
Singles
*"Boy Boy" (2009), Makemine – limited edition
7"
*"Self Taught Learner" (2009)
*"Madeleine" (2011)
*"Here" (2018)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Trullie, Lissy
Living people
American rock musicians
Musicians from Washington, D.C.
Musicians from New York City
Female models from Washington, D.C.
Wichita Recordings artists
Downtown Records artists
21st-century American women
1984 births