Biography

Lisa Burns has been playing and singing for as long as she can remember. She took up the guitar at age 12 but when she started studying upright bass in 1994 she found her true calling. Lisa performs regularly with Sidesaddle & Co. She has been seen on stages throughout the West, including Wintergrass (Tacoma, WA), the Strawberry Music Festival (Yosemite, CA), Summergrass (San Diego, CA), the California Bluegrass Association's Father's Day Festival (Grass Valley, CA), the Kate Wolf Festival (Laytonville, CA) and the Rawhide Bluegrass Festival (Scottsdale, AZ). Her recordings include projects with Sherry Austin (Santa Cruz), Last Transit (San Diego), Mary McCaslin (Santa Cruz), Sharon Allen (Santa Cruz), Adam Miller (Drain, OR) and of course, Sidesaddle & Co. (San Jose, CA).

Lisa was named Bass Player of the Year for 2008 and again for 2009 by the Northern California Bluegrass Society. Her main band, Sidesaddle & Co., was named NCBS Band of the Year for 2008. Lisa was nominated for Bass Player of the year again in 2010 and 2011. Lisa was named Bass Player of the Year again in 2012.

Lisa taught at the California Bluegrass Associations Music Camp in 2008, 2009 and Winter 2011. She is a teaching assistant at the CBA Winter Camp this Feb. 17 through 20th, 2012. She taught at the American River Music Camp in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011. She will return to teach at the newly renamed RiverTunes Camp this year July 29 through August 2, 2012. She has conducted bass workshops at many California festivals and in private homes.