Lisa and the Missing Pieces profile 

• Book Fair

Finding the right fit as a band can be a challenge. Everything from conflicting schedules to creative differences can stand in the way, but it's satisfying when all of the pieces fall into place. Many bands also go through different lineups until a final group is settled upon. That's what happened with Lisa and the Missing Pieces: they came together from across the world to finish the puzzle.

Lead vocalist and guitarist Lisa Menninger started the search for band members back in 2019. She has a background in singing professionally, but had stepped away from music for a number of years. "I was like, if I don't get back to this now, more years will pass," she said. "I've been singing since I was 11, and I'm 57. I'd had a point in time where I needed to take that break to pursue other professional endeavors. And I was really missing it. It was just time to step forward and try again and get back on the horse. Get a bunch of people that I knew were great musicians together and try again, just because I wasn't getting any younger."

She called up drummer Mark Harris, who knew a guitarist, and that's where the band got its start. Their first bass player ended up not being a perfect fit, but Ken Baum made his way into the picture, and they eventually found lead guitarist Nick McMenamin. According to Menninger, this is the best combination of the group.

The next challenge was finding a name that fit. Initially the group was called Lisa and the Cage Unit, after their guitarist had an unfortunate experience cleaning out a ferret cage. But as 2020 rolled around and they had new people in the group, they decided they needed to rebrand. At this point, only Menninger and Harris were the same, so they took a few weeks to brainstorm. They knew they wanted to keep the "Lisa and the" in the name, but they weren't sure what. After weeks of brainstorming, they finally decided on Lisa and the Missing Pieces, and it stuck.

One of the best parts of listening to Lisa and the Missing Pieces is hearing the versatility and flexibility in their playing style. Listeners who look into their catalog will see covers that range from pop and rock to bluegrass and folk. Having musical influences that span from Pink to Bob Dylan allow the group to interpret the music and put their own spin on it, creating sounds that are fun, exciting and vibrant. "I think being able to really have all of that inside of all of us, because even Nick, Nick's 28, and you'd think that guy has been listening to old rock and roll for 50 years," Menninger said. "He has so much knowledge of all of these genres and history, that he brings that as well, even though he's younger than the rest of us. So I think it's really awesome because it allows us to interpret things with that as an underpinning."

Menninger talked about how well everyone in the band works together, and it's evident listening to their music. "It's very collaborative. And it's that way when we bring in new songs that we've written too. It's just extremely collaborative and I think that process makes it so much fun," she said.

The joy and happiness the band feels while working on music together comes through not only in their live performances, but in their recordings as well. "There's just an enormous amount of gratitude and respect among the band members for one another. We don't fight, there's no drama, we laugh, we enjoy each other's company and we feel connected," Menninger explained. "Which sounds kind of hokey, but it really is. I think of the secret of why it works so well. We listen to each other and we like each other and we respect each other and I think we're all very grateful for what each of us brings in. And I think that provides a really amazing foundation to work from."

Speaking of creating great music together, that's what's next for Lisa and the Missing Pieces–a focus on a full album release for listeners to enjoy. "We made that agreement, we've talked about it so that everybody is on the same page," said Menninger. "And it's like, let's open that plane of possibility and see what can happen if we commit ourselves to each other and to the music and to the process. Where can we go with this? So we're seeing where that is."

The band is itching to get into the studio and record some new music. The pandemic inspired and gave them time to come up with fresh ideas, so it'll be exciting to see those come to fruition. "It was also helpful because it was easy to say, 'Okay well we have this time, let's fine tune, let's bring in more material that we want to work on,'" Menninger said. "We really tried to take advantage of the time that we couldn't play with an audience, and then just prepped for the time that we could."

Be on the lookout for new music from Lisa and the Missing Pieces; it's still TBD, but it's sure to be a good time when the record drops. In the meantime, catch the band at Metro Music Hall on Friday, Jan. 27 at ?. Tickets for the 21+ show are ? and can be found at metromusichall.com. [Ed note: Still waiting on some show details]