Lisa Lowell plays her ecletic brand of music at Salt Gastro Pub

BYRAM — Lisa Lowell is breaking away from the shadows and stepping into her own spotlight. After spending years as backing vocalist to an endless list of musicians, Lisa Lowell is going on the road with her own newly formed band of musicians to debut her album, titled 'Beautiful Behavior.' The first stop on her gig list was Salt Gastropub in Byram. It is artisan venues like Salt, with a living-room-type atmosphere “where people go to listen to the music, not to get drunk or get laid" that Lowell appreciates. Along with her, are band members Michael Mancini (Springsteen, Bon Jovi) on keyboards, Mark Bosch (Ian Hunter, Garland Jeffries) on electric guitar, Daniel Pagdon (Mick Taylor, Bobby Whitlock, Todd Wolfe) on bass guitar, and Adrian Harpham, Lowell's drummer (Dr John, Henry Butler, and The Meters experience). These seasoned professionals only rehearsed once together before taking the stage at SALT. Weaving their way through up-tempo numbers and along slow, sultry ballads helped the listener step into Lowell’s shoes, if only for a moment. Serving not only as the vocalist, she is also the composer of both the music and lyrics of her original songs, sharing a gamut of emotions from her life’s experiences. While some who sing-the-blues might forever tread water, Lowell rises above. It is difficult to compartmentalize Lowell's music into any one category. She has spent years backing up musicians of various genres, so that's how she writes. The styles of her songs range from R&B and soul, to rock and jazz. "It's all mixed up — I'm not any one thing." Lowell spent her childhood in Long Branch surrounded by talent. Her father played drums with musicians like Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw. Her mother, a jazz singer, encouraged Lowell to run around the dining room table belting out Ella Fitzgerald tunes. It was the Jersey Shore, rich with artists and musicians, that would eventually skyrocket to fame and fortune. It was a time when, she exclaimed, "There was no stinkin' Snooki." As a young adult, her more formative years were spent in New York City, and she now resides in Jersey City in order to maintain a close proximity to the New York City music scene.