Elizabeth And The Catapult Takes on Connection and Loneliness

Elizabeth Ziman is a classically-trained pianist, singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist who leads the long-running indie band Elizabeth And The Catapult. Her new album is sincerely, e – a wry, poignant, affecting response to the pandemic, mostly centered around her home’s piano (which happens to belong to Rob Moose, violinist, arranger, and a member of yMusic.)

For the podcast, Ziman talks about seeking more human connection, and the double-edged sword of being able to interact with fans or her mom more than ever - yet all of that interaction is through screens held in her hands, and leaves a feeling of emptiness. She walks us through the process of digitally cloning herself as a multi-instrumentalist for another tune, and the need to make the record sound “as human as possible” with a feel “of her home”, as well as collaborating from afar with longtime Elizabeth And The Catapult producer Dan Molad.

With a raw, rough-around-the-edges feel to certain songs which may bring to mind Fiona Apple’s recent Fetch the Bolt Cutters, and with a Parisian café intimacy in others (melodica plus clarinet and it’s really not a stretch), Elizabeth Ziman showcases her “effective and affecting songwriting” (John Schaefer) and plays some of her new songs remotely. – Caryn Havlik

Set list: “Together, Alone”; “Pop the Placebo”; “The Birds and the Bees”; “The Muse”

Watch "Together, Alone":

Watch "Pop the Placebo”:

Watch “The Birds and the Bees”: