The Story

Authentic Americana

I grew up singing with my family while we mucked out the dairy barn! Starting in high school, I trained in classical music and sang with concert choirs and professional orchestras. But one night, I was coming home from a bar with farm friends. We had just had beers where a band was playing country, and I suddenly burst into tears. My friends were so confused! As I tried to explain, I realized that - deep down - I wanted to make original songs, and I didn’t know where to start. So, I talked myself out of it and be “practical.”

Time passed. I moved across the country, had the career job going, then two kids. I sang kid songs with my little girls, and I tried to convince myself that music was something other people made, even if I knew I was lying to myself. I felt like my life was behind a veil, and I couldn’t see it. Then one summer evening, I was at Kiva Beach on Lake Tahoe at sunset, near deep blues of the water, in the shadow of Mount Tallac. As the sunlight disappeared, I watched “the evening fall behind the mountain wall” and suddenly a song came to me like a download. I got home, sketched the song out on the piano, then the guitar. I realized I had to make original music. Now at least two dozen songs have downloaded, each one calling out for expression. My songs are like children – they require all the love and care I have. I love sharing these originals - as well as all the covers that I love just as much. With every set, I feel so much appreciation for music and the way it connects us all. Let's make music together!