Lisa Cerbone's early attempts at playing a musical instrument were furtive efforts. As a teenager, she would wait until the members of her little brother's band left their practice area, then creep in to have a go at the instruments they had left behind. Stymied when she tried to play songs written by others, she proceeded to write her own. She grew into a respected, creative, and abundantly productive singer/songwriter, putting out her eponymous first recording in 1993. Ichiban Records, a label out of Atlanta, scooped her up and subsequently issued two more of Cerbone's recordings, Mercy and Close Your Eyes. She earned two consecutive Washington Area Music Association awards (Wammies) as alternative music's Best Female Vocalist. Her songs have been featured in movies and on television programs, among them Homicide: Life on the Streets.