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| 01. | How long have you been singing? I've been singing all my life but I was 8 when I started liking it. The song I learned was "The Letter." I remember being confused by the lyrics: "My baby wrote me a letter. Well, she wrote me a letter saying she couldn't live without me no more. Listen mister can't you see I got to get back to my baby once more" I wondered what kind of Mother [I assumed the singer was a woman] would leave her baby, what kind of airplane attendant would keep her from getting to her baby and what kind of baby was smart enough to write a letter to her mommy! | |
| 02. | Who got you started in singing? My dad. He was a musician. There were always guitars around the house. I never listened to the radio as a young kid. Music was always live. So, I learned all the classic rock and roll tunes dad-style. We started playing in bars on a weekly basis when I was eleven or twelve. By the time I was in high school my "bar days" were over. It was a great learning experience. But I have a love/hate relationship with the bar-scene today. | |
| 03. | When and where was your first performance? How did it go? Aside from a few dance recitals and then playing Jesus in a first-grade Christmas play [non-musical role] my first singing performance was in my school's annual talent show. I was in fourth grade. I sang "Proud Mary" and a couple of Bob Seger tunes. Wore a mom-made shiny blue outfit [ala Donny Osmond] I looked like a rock star - but felt like a kid. I was so nervous, the only part of my body that moved to the beat was my left knee. I took third place. | |
| 04. | Who is your biggest inspiration music-wise? Oh God. I think about this question a lot. I don't really have one. I feel inspired all over the place. When I started listening to recorded music, I was about twelve. Anything Broadway, especially "Annie" and "Little Shop of Horrors." I couldn't get enough of "Fame" [both the movie and TV show] My early life was influenced by Billy Joel, Olivia Newton-John, Rick Springfield, Queen and Madonna. My adult-life has been influenced by James Taylor, Patsy Cline, Indigo Girls, Ani DiFranco, Harry Connick Jr. Oh so much more! But I do remember it was the Indigo Girls who inspired me to pick up my guitar as an adult and start writing again [I hadn't played in five years] | |
| 05. | What artists are you currently listening to? Jason Mraz, Alana Davis, Eva Cassidy endlessly! | |
| 06. | Do you have a favorite song that you've written? Why is it special to you? My favorites change from moment to moment. But I have a few that I love, all for different reasons. "Hippy Dippy" because it's a light play on transformation - a freak in her power - shedding the outer layers of defense and becoming the truer inner spiritual core. "Who's To Blame" because it's about breaking the cycle of abuse, making the conscious decision to change and taking responsibility for all things in one's life - from victim to victor. "Can You Hear Me" because it's like the child in me finally screaming through all the silence. | |
| 07. | If you could take a stage name, what name would you choose? Little Chakra - It's the name of my tattoo [and the original name of my first (unrecorded) album] | |
| 08. | How would you categorize your music? I have no idea. I was going to ask you the same question! With so many influences, I have never been able to categorize my music. I also don't like to put a label on people. If I say pink, you get a distinct image. If I say blue there's a different image. Labels create separation. Sometimes it's difficult to break through the images. I want to be seen for the whole of who I am. But I know, in this business I need to be categorized. So I say, Indy/folk/rock/pop/alternative. | |
| 09. | What are your future goals for your music? Ooh, two words that freak me out: future goals. Right now I'm determined to get my CD recorded. My musical journey has been organic. When it becomes something other than that, I lose interest. I put it down for a moment. Then I'm reminded that Spirit speaks through me and if I don't write/sing/play music, then I'm not fully living. And if I don't share my music then I'm not fully alive. The future is just now in a different moment. | |
| 10. | How do you see your work changing over the next few years? I'd really like to play with a band. A percussionist, strings, horns. Just a few subtle ambient fillers. I'm also drawn to composing and of course producing. |
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