Lisa-Marie Fischer & Aya Inoue on The Taz Michaels Show

Words by John Powell. Photo by Jim Lockridge

Lisa-Marie Fischer is too sweet for the radio. Any compliment thrown at her on the The Taz Michaels Show-Wednesday Humpday Blues she preferred to smile and giggle at, whether it was about her unique voice, her sense of self, or her current U.S. tour, now in its northeast portion. She already played five shows in Minneapolis and one in Nashville. For only 19 years old, the German singer/songwriter has an impressive knowledge of the Americana classics. As Taz put it, Lisa-Marie's "A German Taylor Swift," only more edgy. She coyly sings, "No vase of flowers, no 'frickin' Valentine at all," having changed the word from its more potent sister for the sake of the radio show. She's joined by her assistant, the lovable Klaus von Jan, who has been creating something of an exchange program. He recently helped Aya Inoue of the Amida Bourbon Project tour Germany.

Aya admits she's too prolific to play anything on air from her last recordings. Instead she premiered "Fireflies", written about moving into her new house. She shrugs, "Sleep is overrated," as she, Lisa-Marie, and Aya gear up for a few Vermont shows, including the last on August 13th in Middlebury. The three are great at hanging out. For instance, when Taz played a Grace Potter song and Klaus not only sang along, but began to dance, whispering, "I love this song," in a thick German accent, while Aya laughed infectiously and Lisa-Marie simply smiled and shook her head.