About Vanessa:
A passionate love of language and deep appreciation of metaphor have been present since Vanessa’s first poems in elementary school. Vanessa spent her early years attending anti-war demonstrations and pro-choice protests with her single mother and her sister, Tamara. Impacted by these and other experiences, Vanessa was including stories and images of struggle and social justice in her writing by the time she was in middle school. Having played everything from classical piano, to saxophone, and clarinet, it was just a matter of time before songwriting would take the place of poetry. In high school Vanessa picked up a guitar for the first time and taught herself to play by learning the Indigo Girl’s first album. It was then she and her sister, Tamara, began playing coffee shops and open mics in the small rural town of Harrisonburg, Va. where they grew up. Mount Holyoke College saw more of Vanessa’s and Tamara’s singing, not just in female a cappella groups on campus, but in performances in the area—including being selected as the college’s single musician to perform the side stage at the Women and Folk Festival in 2002, where Patty Griffin, Toshi Reagan, Jill Sobule and Kris Delmhorst were playing the main stage.
Although college was the stage for her first completed songs, it was also the time that Vanessa was busy learning to be an organic farmer, traveling and volunteering abroad, and working with diverse youth programs. In her own words : “These experiences have deepened my commitment to being a part of creating change in this world—through music, through language—through shared experience and compassion.” Vanessa’s lyrics are poetically soulful, emotionally raw, and full of color. Her songs are intimate, yet reflect a collective voice that demands listening. In one song “I Don’t Exist” she expresses her frustration at the lack of visibility and voice so many people experience in this country due to a narrow understanding of race, sexuality, and class. In the songs “Beauty” she laments the struggle of one woman to overcome the frustrations and entrapments of two-dimensional beauty in mainstream culture.
Shortly after moving to the Portland, Maine area in 2003, Vanessa began recording her first album in an ambitious D.I.Y. model. Two years later, Vanessa’s self-titled 14-song original c.d. was released. The result is a beautifully wrought, thoughtfully rendered portrait that captures both sorrow and hope, tenderness and grit backed by a diverse arrangement of instrumentation. Straddling the genres of folk, bluegrass and a little bit of edgy roots rock, Vanessa Torres’s songs draw you in by being both catchy and moving. Present in the mix is her own powerful melodies and rhythmic guitar rifts, the rich vocal harmonies of her sister Tamara Torres, and the ever-evolving melodic interludes of banjo and accordion. Vanessa lists Ani Difranco, The Indigo Girls, Kris Delmhorst and Patty Griffin as some of her biggest influences.
Vanessa has opened for Kaki King and Erin McKeown, and shared the stage with Natalia Zukerman, Raining Jane, Chris O'brien, Chuck E. Costa, and many other talented musicians. In addition, she and her band Touching Ground have played national and regional folk alliances, and acclaimed venues such as The Bitter End (NYC), Club Passim and Toad (Cambridge), and countless colleges and cafes around the country. With her first album under her belt and an increasing loyal following, Vanessa is paving her way with passionate honesty and an undeniable musical gift. Vanessa is currently working on her second album with producer David Goodrich, which is slated to be released on May 23rd 2008.
Tamara Torres
Tamara Torres
harmony vocals
Tamara can remember hours in her bedroom as a child singing Eidleweiss and Amazing Grace into a tiny Sony kid's tape recorder and then playing it back to herself and trying over and over again to try to "capture the emotion." In high school, she asked her sister to join her for a choral audition where they sang an Indigo Girls song in front of an audience... it wasn't long before they were singing in southern pizza shops and nameless coffee houses, where both their political lyrics and tight vocal harmonies stood out from the other high school talent. At Mount Holyoke, Tamara continued to sing both with Vanessa and on her own, developing her vocal range and love of harmony. Upon graduation, Tamara plotted her move to Portland, Maine amid threats from her sister that she would be there alone... luckily, Vanessa fell in love with the snowy city and both have called it home since. When not singing, Tamara dabbles in other artistic endeavors. She is the Culinary Artist and head chef at the North Star Music Cafe, building and supporting community through her healthy eats and passion for local food politics. She also explores the healing arts as a massage therapist and through her love of yoga and movement therapy. Tamara loves being a part of Touching Ground, not only because of a love of creating music, but because she deeply believes in the lyrics and feels blessed to be a part of making that message manifest.
Ra Criscitiello
Ra Criscitiello
banjo, accordion, supporting harmonies
Ra grew up in Boston and played classical piano since elementary school. She picked up guitar in high school, and developed her old time clawhammer banjo style during her undergraduate years at Cornell University. Ra has played in the folk and old time scene, performing and recording with various artists, including Katie Sawicki. Ra owes her banjo beginnings to after-hours clawhammer sessions with her barber in Ithaca, NY. Ra is cultivating a relatively new love affair with her beautiful vintage accordion. When not playing music, Ra can be found climbing mountains, running triathlons, and doing sedentary law-student-related activities.