After 13 years, Lizanne Hennessey and Roland Stolk, a.k.a “This is Lizzard,” will be releasing their debut album, “Won’t Give Up” at a CD release party at the Outlook Inn on Saturday, June 11. According to the duo, the album title says it all: they never gave up on making music together and won’t give up when it comes to sharing it.

Hennessey and Stolk  formed Lizzard in 1998 in the Netherlands. It was actually meant to be a studio R&B project. Stolk (an award-winning multi-instrumentalist, who graduated form the Rotterdam Conservatory with honors) was looking for a singer/lyricist to help him record and release a commercial R&B album. Hennessey, an American-born self-taught singer/lyricist, had been performing in cover bands in the area when their paths crossed. When they met, they figured out very quickly what it is they do best together: making music. It wasn’t long before they fell in love and continued making music together for the next 13 years.

Hennessey and Stolk’s dream of someday moving to Orcas and being a part of the community is what motivated and inspired them to finally finish their long-awaited album. They decided to re-introduce themselves under a new name, ‘This is Lizzard’ and release the album on the island that finally made it happen: Orcas.

This is Lizzard’s album consists of original songs influenced by pop/rock, country, soul, reggae and funk genres. The songs, most of which were written on Orcas, are about following dreams, anticipating adventure, and never giving up.