By day, Lisa Kane is the executive director of the Como Park/Falcon Heights Living at Home Block Nurse Program; by evenings and weekends she is a country/folk musician gearing up to release her first CD album.
“This (block nurse program) is a dream job—serving seniors,” Kane said, of the primary post she has held for the past three years. “The goal is to be a part of their (seniors) journey to allow them to stay in their homes as long as they are able, with safety and dignity.”
Kane’s block nurse program has five part-time employees and more than 100 community volunteers serving hundreds of local seniors. The program offers an array of free services to seniors including transportation to medical appointments, respite care, companion care, help with chores and nursing outreach visits.
Meanwhile, Kane possesses the same passion for music that she has for serving seniors. She has been a working musician since 1989 when she was a senior at North Branch Senior High School, singing and playing guitar.
“What keeps me going is that I work teaching guitar, serving kids and adults, 100 percent beginners,” Kane said.
Also buoyed by her regular performing gigs at the Underground Café in the Como neighborhood, Kane has focused her songwriting, singing and playing on country and folk rock music. “I have always been drawn to music with a story,” she said. “I need to share the songs so that I have room for more of them.”
To that end, Kane has assembled a CD called “rhymes: sharp pencils.” It’s an 11-song album more than a year in the making. She crafted the album with the help of, among others, producer Tim Lyles and engineer and Randy Gildersleeve. Kane said her CD is scheduled for a “soft release’’ next spring.
Kane said it would be great if the CD leads to bigger projects and more opportunities. But she added, “I’m OK with writing songs in my living room.”
To find out more about Lisa Kane, visit her website at www.lisakane.com.
Hey Scott,
Great article on Lisa Kane, glad to see her getting some recognition for the great work she’s done and great music she has created. I’ve been playing music with her off and on for 20 years and I had to point out one correction. She has three other fantastic solo CD’s, “Old Strings and All”, “Armstrong Avenue” and “The Long Goodbye”, plus a CD released as the band, “The She Shells”.
Thanks for supporting the St. Paul music community and especially for this piece on Lisa Kane.
Sincerely,
Bob Nordquist