New Jersey Stage logo
New Jersey Stage Menu


?>

 

#48 Lisa Bouchelle: Paint Your Dreams


By Gary Wien

originally published: 01/28/2011


As a child growing up in Trenton, the only time Lisa Bouchelle’s parents stopped fighting was when Lisa was singing.  Her mother was an alcoholic and her father struggled with three jobs to make ends meet.  All of their problems seemed to subside when Lisa would start to sing.  At four years old, she won a talent contest while singing “America The Beautiful” dressed in an American flag costume.  It was at that moment that she knew she wanted to be a singer.

Growing up never did get much easier for Lisa; her mother ultimately succumbed to alcoholism and her father died from complications during a heart operation.  She eventually ended up moving to Arizona to live with her grandfather where she stayed until finishing high school.

After graduation, Lisa began performing her own songs under the band name October Baby (named after the month she was born). One of her first big breaks actually came from providing lead vocals for Mastermind, a progressive metal band, on their album Angels Of The Apocalypse.  In addition to providing vocals for various albums and performing with her band, Lisa also began a career in modeling that would play a role in her highly successful D.I.Y. strategy.

Paint Your Dreams was Lisa’s third solo release. With this album, she showcases folk and pop songs built around her stunning vocals and tremendous range.  She continues to grow as a songwriter with catchy songs like “Insane” and the absolutely beautiful “The Other Side Of The Rainbow (Dorothy).”

In the past few years, Lisa has toured the country with acts like Blues Traveler and Meatloaf, and has become a fixture in the New Jersey music scene.

Highlights include “Insane,” “A Kiss Is Worth 1,000 Words,” “Along For The Ride,” “Spirit In The Night,” and “The Other Side Of The Rainbow (Dorothy).”


From the book Are You Listening? The Top 100 Albums of 2001-2010 by New Jersey Artists by Gary Wien


Gary Wien has been covering the arts since 2001 and has had work published with Jersey Arts, Upstage Magazine, Elmore Magazine, Princeton Magazine, Backstreets and other publications. He is a three-time winner of the Asbury Music Award for Top Music Journalist and the author of Beyond the Palace (the first book on the history of rock and roll in Asbury Park) and Are You Listening? The Top 100 Albums of 2001-2010 by New Jersey Artists. In addition, he runs New Jersey Stage and the online radio station The Penguin Rocks. His personal website is at lightyscorner.com. He can be contacted at [email protected].



Reach New Jersey's largest arts & entertainment audience, click here for info on how to advertise at NJ Stage




EVENT PREVIEWS

(BLAIRSTOWN, NJ) -- Roy's Hall presents singer-songwriter James McMurtry on Saturday, April 4, 2026 at 8:00pm. He's been called "one of this generation's most unflinchingly potent and powerfully erudite recording artists" by American Songwriter.
State Theatre New Jersey presents Yellow Brick Joel: The Tribute Concert—Elton John & Billy Joel

State Theatre New Jersey presents Yellow Brick Joel: The Tribute Concert—Elton John & Billy Joel

(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- State Theatre New Jersey presents Yellow Brick Joel: The Tribute Concert—Elton John & Billy Joel on Saturday, April 4, 2026 at 8:00pm. David Clark performs as Billy Joel along with Bill Connors as Elton John in a tribute show celebrating the two greatest piano men of our generation.
SOUP CAN Magazine to Celebrate Five Years With a Monumental Canniversary Event

SOUP CAN Magazine to Celebrate Five Years With a Monumental Canniversary Event

(ASBURY PARK, NJ) -- On Saturday, April 4, 2026 at 6:00pm, SOUP CAN Magazine will mark five years of magazine magic byhosting its annual "Canniversary" with a night engineered to feel like a main‑stage, stadium‑level celebration of the community that built it. Wild Air Beerworks will host the event, but the scale of the evening reaches far beyond the venue — this is a full‑force thank‑you to the readers, performers, and neighbors who transformed Soup Can from a DIY idea into one of New Jersey's most vibrant creative movements. In a show of collective power, the Canniversary aims to break their standing record of food donations by gathering over 1,100 pounds in a single night, all to benefit Mercy Center of Asbury Park.
Avenel Performing Arts Center presents singer-songwriter Steve Forbert

Avenel Performing Arts Center presents singer-songwriter Steve Forbert

(AVENEL, NJ) -- Avenel Performing Arts Center presents singer-songwriter Steve Forbert on Saturday, April 4, 2026 at 7:30pm. Limited tickets remain.
Prudential Center presents B2K and Bow Wow

Prudential Center presents B2K and Bow Wow

(NEWARK, NJ) -- The Black Promoters Collective presents B2K and Bow Wow with The Boys 4 Life at The Prudential Center on Sunday, April 5, 2026. The lineup also includes Amerie, Yung Joc, Crime Mob, Franchize Boyz with special guests Pretty Ricky.
MPAC presents Women of Americana: A Celebration of American Music

MPAC presents Women of Americana: A Celebration of American Music

(MORRISTOWN, NJ) -- Coinciding with the United States' upcoming semiquincentennial, Women of Americana: A Celebration of American Music, produced by Eli Wolf, comes to Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC) on Thursday, April 9, 2026 at 7:30pm.
Morris Museum presents Cerus Quartet on April 9th

Morris Museum presents Cerus Quartet on April 9th

(MORRISTOWN, NJ) -- The Morris Museum presents Cerus Quartet on Thursday, April 9, 2026 at 7:00pm. Founded in 2022, the Cerus Quartet is dedicated to showcasing the dynamic and versatile sound of the saxophone quartet.
Newton Theatre presents GRUNGEFEST: Tributes to Pearl Jam & Chris Cornell

Newton Theatre presents GRUNGEFEST: Tributes to Pearl Jam & Chris Cornell

(NEWTON, NJ) -- Fans of grunge music will want to mark their calendars for GRUNGEFEST on Friday, April 10, 2026 at The Newton Theatre.  The Ledbetters will pay tribute to Pearl Jam and Superunknown will perform songs by Chris Cornell. Showtime is 8:00pm.
SOPAC presents Texas Flood - A Tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughan

SOPAC presents Texas Flood - A Tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughan

(SOUTH ORANGE, NJ) -- Texas Flood - A Tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughan comes to the South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC) on Friday, April 10, 2026 at 7:30pm.

 

UPCOMING EVENTS






 

Advertise with NJ Stage for $50-$100 per month, click here for info