Women Making Music – Coming Back Better

Women Making Music – Coming Back Better

 The opening paragraph I wrote in November 2017 of  Women Making Music spotlighting saxophonist and singer, Debrissa McKinney is worth repeating: “The first time I met Debrissa McKinney I was in a bad mood. I don’t remember why but what I do remember is that she brought sunny into my gloom, and turned my frown upside down. She asked me questions about myself. She was truly interested in my answers. I know oodles of people who are good at give and take. But something about Debrissa makes me and everyone she meets feel that extra special mojo; one feels lifted in her company.”

Catching up with Ms. McKinney recently over Zoom, we start off laughing of course because anyone who knows her knows that frivolity abounds when she’s around. Our exchange quickly goes to where most of my conversations these days with musician friends go, by talking about the big transition. “I’m not as busy as I was pre-pandemic yet, but there’s a definite feeling like, ‘Oh I need to rehearse this stuff again,” she admits.

During lockdown she confesses that like so many of us, she caught herself moping around. Living downtown like she does, the desolation was palpable. “I’d go for walks in the neighborhood and could feel people peering out their windows wondering who is this extra sad looking lady comin’ up my street. All I needed was a Mr. Microphone for my inner sad-singer to vent and wail my fear and loneliness while I shuffled up and down the streets.”

Thank goodness things are pivoting from live streams to live shows. We delve into philosophy pertaining to the phenomenon of Covid 19 and what we’ve learned. We agree that saying “no” or “not right now” is more common and accepted amongst our peers and bandmates and we are grateful.

McKinney is still part of the 2017 Grammy winning (for best Kid’s Album) troupe, Secret Agent 23 Skidoo and plays sax and sings with Empire Strikes Brass as well as lead and backing vocalist for the most popular Steely Dan tribute band, Dirty Logic. But when we last left her, she was dabbling in a project with Hip/Hop MC and producers Austn Haynes and Johnny Reynolds.

Haynes and Reynolds have maintained a partnership that dates back to their teens. Referring to themselves as “forever friends,” you can hear that it fuels their combined artistry. With love and ambition, their successful, bicoastal Hip Hop outfit called Free Radio was born.

The pandemic and the fact that they are both back living in Asheville, Free Radio duo has morphed into something even more expansive. The addition of vocal melodies and harmonies executed with warm and luscious precision by Debrissa and deep-soul vocalist Datrian Johnson brings “balance and magic” to this purposeful project.

“One of the coolest parts of this collaboration” McKinney says, “stems from Austn’s masterful beat making prowess. He’s always creating new and unique beats; there’s no beat re-do’s; he is always mixing it up.”

For anyone not steeped in Hip Hop, and for longtime Free Radio duo fans, this new angle to the venture will draw you in. They’ve created a new accessible genre they dub “Cosmic Appalachian Hip Hop.” The moods and melodies are grounded in R&B and roots music, connecting them to the potency of nature, sound and rhythm. The result is a mashup with a distinct message.

Riding tandem to this fresh Free Radio cooperative, Debrissa is in company with yet another musical undertaking involving scientist, folk healer, wisdom keeper, Jeff Firewalker Schmidt, Phd and his passionate and profoundly introspective project with Jazz musician and keyboardist John Medeski (of Medeski Martin & Wood) called Saint Disruption.

Firewalker and Medeski came together serendipitously, meeting in the Amazon while both were on a mission of personal healing and growth. Their endeavor is based around their “deep devotion to native wisdom traditions.”

The pandemic allowed for the creation of Saint Disruption’s 7-track record called “Rose in the Oblivion” and features Debrissa, Datrian, Leeda Lyric Jones and Austn Haynes among others.

Following are excerpts from an interview with Jeff and John on Live for Live Music conducted by Andrew O’Brien on April 7th of this year:

“This is a native wisdom,” Firewalker contends. “And native teachings say that it’s in the darkness where we come to know who we truly are. One of my teachers puts it beautifully: can you name one thing on this planet that doesn’t start its life in the darkness?”

The darkness of 2020, he explains, was the impetus for Saint Disruption’s creation.  “I went to my altar and I said, ‘Okay, Spirit. I’ve got this luxury of time. What do you want me to do? And the answer I got back, it was not subtle. It was a smack upside the head. It was like, ‘Take everything that you’ve seen and learned and felt and perceived and put it into poetry and music.

“We acknowledged and recognized that at this time in human history, there’s an opportunity to do something musically that reflects artistically those things that we feel humanity could be well-served to grapple with,” Jeff notes. “John and
I are very dedicated to this idea of ‘Can the music be evocative and deliver messages for people to consider at this time in history?’ “

The answer is yes! The album release concert takes place at The Grey Eagle August 29th at 8pm. Free Radio quartet opens.

There’s no finer example of a local female artist continuing to make good, striving to always come back better than Debrissa McKinney, who will be adding her supreme and mystical vocals to both sets that night. 

facebook.com/Debrissa-113430532032607/

freeradio4all.com/

saintdisruption.com/about

liveforlivemusic.com/features/saint-disruption-jeff-firewalker-schmitt-john-medeski-interview-2021/

thegreyeagle.com/event/saint-disruption-featuring-john-medeski/

Peggy Ratusz is a vocalist, songwriter and vocal coach

reverbnation.com/peggyratusz

Peggy’s August Dates:

Friday, August 6th 
Love Bubble feat Paula Hanke, Hank Bones & Peggy Ratusz Southern Appalachian Brewing, Hendersonville, 7pm

Saturday, August 7th 
Jonathan Pearlman and Peggy Ratusz The 2nd Act Coffee, Beer & Wine Café, Hendersonville, 6pm

Sunday, August 22nd 
Jonathan Pearlman and Peggy Ratusz One World West, Asheville, 4pm

Peggy Ratusz is a vocal coach, song interpreter, and songwriter.
For vocal coaching email her at
[email protected]

Women Making Music – July Music Venues

Women Making Music – July Music Venues

As the music venues in the city and surrounding communities open up a little more each week, so have the opportunities for our beloved female music artists.

Herein is a comprehensive list of gigs and shows from some of my past and future interviewees. I am thrilled to discover that more and more of the women who were regularly performing pre-pandemic, are filling in their once bare calendars with bookings.

Encouraging you to get out and support live local music, especially the individuals and groups who are fronted by and/or include female musicians, is part of my mission. While funding-organizations exist for performers and entertainers, these monies are shared. When a music fan attends a concert, gig or show, the tips and a chunk of ticket sales goes directly into the pockets of the performers.

So here you go, all you music-goers! There are so many options and I am stoked to list so many choices!

Thursday, July 1st: Love Bubble featuring Paula Hanke, Peggy Ratusz & Hank Bones – Debut record release “Love Revolution” The Grey Eagle Music Hall, 8pm. You’re in for a dreamy, nostalgic, heartwarming and whimsical time! reverbnation.com/lovebubblewnc

Friday, July 2nd: Pimps of Pompe featuring Cynthia Mc Dermot on mandolin and vocals One World Brewing West, 6pm. Specializing in jazzed-up renditions of 90s/2000s hip-hop and R&B, with vintage jazz to create a vibe that is equal parts swag and sophistication. mandocynmusic.com/pop

Saturday July 3rd: Alex Krug combo Patio Show at the Grey Eagle, 6pm

Singer and songwriter Alex Krug is a colossal force of power, strength and charm, and their voice emerges as a diamond in the rough. With a sense of discovery, the Asheville-based players strike a stunningly evocative chord about life, being an outsider and the kind of heartache that transforms your soul. alexkrugmusic.com

Saturday July 3rd: Linda Mitchell Ooh LaLa Curiosity Market Pritchard Park, 2:30pm. Smoky, rich Blues and Jazz from our quintessential Music Mauven! lindamitchellblues.com

Sunday July 4th:  The LadsAVL features female rhythm section Kim Butler on electric bass and Stephanie Irvine on drums, Maggie Valley Country Club, 11am

Playing songs we know by heart and compelling originals they hope you will come to know by heart! Rock, folk, roots & blues. TheLadsAVL.com

Wednesday July 7th: Jesse Barry & Friends Patio show the Grey Eagle, 6pm

Wielding a unique blues sound Jesse is often described as an “old soul” and audiences are stunned by the voice that comes out of her petite frame. This Blues, Funk, and Soul group has a huge following, so get your tickets now!
facebook.com/JesseBarryAndTheJam

Friday, July 9th: Kayla Lynn & The Change Grey Eagle debut Patio Show, 6pm A bass player, singer/songwriter, empowerment speaker, has immersed herself in the funk music community in and is a resident artist with LEAF Global Arts, an ambassador for Free2Luv and a founding member
of The One Voice Project. areyoureadyforthechange.com/

Friday, July 9th: Singer/songwriter Izzi Hughes plays The 2nd Act Coffee, Wine & Beer starting at 6pm in Hendersonville. Award winning wunderkind continues her trajectory into the world of music with catchy and thought provoking covers and originals. izzihughes.com

Saturday, July 10th: Lyric Band opening at Silverado’s, Black Mountain 5pm. A WNC favorite who holds Mountain Xpress “best of” awards: funk band, vocalist, lyricist, r&b/soul, and artist who gives back to the community. reverbnation.com/lyricfans

Saturday July 10th: Peggy Ratusz & Daddy LongLegs Band, Mills River Brewing, 7pm outdoor stage. “Everything” has been the answer to the question, “What kind of music do you play?” Asheville is giving the one they called the “ruby throated blues mama” a platform to dip into her many musical styles and influences. reverbnation.com/peggyratusz

Sunday, July 11th:  Alexa Rose Band Isis Music Hall Main Stage, 7pm. Virginia-born singer-songwriter creates her own style of modern folk with bits of Joni Mitchell, Lucinda Williams, and Gilliam Welch. Well-crafted songs explore timeless topics. American roots with modern country and a little rock and roll. alexarosemusic.com

Sunday, July 11th:  Many A Ship featuring Vickie Burick vocals, Grey Eagle Patio Show, 6pm. An indie-folk-rock band deeply rooted in the mountains of Western North Carolina drenched in inspiration from nature, humanity, frailty and nostalgia. facebook.com/manyaship

Monday, July 12th: Aoife Clancy, White Horse Black Mountain, 7pm. The Ladies lead singer from Ireland’s legendary Clancy family. Whether the songs she sings originate in the United Kingdom, Australia or Appalachia, Aoife’s seemingly effortless blend of warm, natural vocals, genre-defying instrumentation, and repertoire of classic and modem material deserves to make this Clancy Daughter a worthy inheritor of an iconic family name and an even broader following.

Thursday, July 15th: Love is A Rose Isis Music Hall’s Patio concert, 7pm. An exciting and critically acclaimed tribute to Linda Ronstadt, Paula Hanke and Peggy Ratusz belt out her hits in perfect harmony, while adding personal stories to celebrate Linda’s 75th birthday! loveisaroselive.com

Sunday, July 18th: The Appalucians featuring Aditi Sethi on bass/vocals and Angie Heimann on guitar, banjo, vocals, Isis Music Hall Main Stage, 7pm. They play music from the mountains featuring spirited songwriting, sublime harmonies, and a layered interplay between dobro, guitars, harmonica and banjo. theappalucians.com

Thursday July 29th: Songwriters in the Round ft Hannah Kaminer, Kathryn O’Shea and Laura Boswell Patio Show at The Grey Eagle, 6pm

Hannah Kaminer is a folk/Americana artist based in Asheville, NC. Kathryn O’Shea  is widely recognized as that Asheville-dwelling vocalist chick with the banjo and all the feelings. Laura Boswell Described as “a vibrant, wholly original, deeply personal young artist” by Grammy Award-winning songwriter Mike Reid.

Friday, July 30th: Ashley Heath and Her Heathens Grey Eagle Patio Show, 6pm

Winning the hearts of Americana lovers’ with a “velvet soul,” driving her career forward and playing music full-time since spring of 2015 facebook.com/ashleyheathandherheathens

Friday, July 30th: Blind Phoenix, White Horse Black Mountain, 8pm.

Indie Rock, American Roots band lead by Rebekkah Hilgraves & Chris Daniels.

blindphoenix.band

There is so much more going on with “Women Making Music” in WNC, so check local listings at Asheville Live Music!  facebook.com/AVLLiveMusic

Peggy Ratusz isa vocal coach, song interpreter, and songwriter.
For vocal coaching email her at
[email protected]

Spotlight on Caromia Humphrey and her beautiful and intimate EP releases: “Green” and “Sunday Land”

Spotlight on Caromia Humphrey and her beautiful and intimate EP releases: “Green” and “Sunday Land”

Nine years ago I was doing my usual surfing on YouTube for local female singers and stumbled upon a video that moved me to my core: Caromia’s rendition of Patsy Cline’s, ‘Crazy.’

At the time I was hosting a singer songwriter in the round, so I reached out to her and booked her within a month. Soon after, I asked her to play for the Female Artist Spotlight nights I was hosting twice per month. I was also fortunate to have shared the stage with her in 2016 for the Downtown After Five All-Star jam!

I’ve been in love with her all this time and it was my honor to speak with her about her two most recent EP releases, “Green” from 2019 and “Sunday Land” from 2020. Here are highlights from our exchange!

Peggy:
You said at the time you released the EP “Green” that it was anticlimactic. How has Green moved in the ethos since its release?

Caromia:
It was a combination of the lockdown, and what felt like a tectonic shift in the mainstream narrative of our country. It felt silly to try to call attention to myself, and ask people to listen to these intimate songs amidst a revolutionary moment. For both of the albums, the purpose and totality of my ambition was in the creative process of writing and recording them.

Peggy:
How are you doing now that both releases are out there?

Caromia:
I’m in a good place! It’s interesting to look back to where I was when I wrote them. I wrote and recorded Green fall/winter of 2019, Sunday Land in spring/summer of 2020.  I’m just realizing this now, but they absolutely reflect the physical seasons they came from. In Green, I was turned inward, navigating a dark time, processing grief, heartbreak, moving through pain, holding the weight, trying to accept I had to let go. When I started writing Sunday Land, I was ready to feel hopeful again…I was falling in love, I was feeling lighter again, reconnecting with joy. It was Spring after a long Winter.     

Peggy:
Musically speaking, what is your intention?

Caromia:
My intention is to create. I start writing, and the meaning comes after the song is written. I write and record in my bedroom “studio”, which is really just a microphone, Apollo Twin interface, some guitars, keyboards and a computer. I never write with the intention of releasing or even sharing the songs. Most of what I write and record never gets heard by anyone, which allows me to move more freely than if I was writing with the audience in mind?

Peggy:
This paradigm shift we’ve experienced is aptly reflected in your song from Sunday Land, “Shifting Shapes”. Was there a shift in your own thinking that prompted you to write it?

Caromia:
Yeah, there were some major shifts happening for me. The song is a meditation on the energetic reincarnation that happens in life; how we think we know what we want, how things “should” be, and get attached to the idea of certain fixed realities, “make believe that we see finish lines”… We often struggle with graceful acceptance of natural changes, and end up mourning them as a death of sorts, when it’s really just an energetic reincarnation.

Peggy:
On “Pedals,” I am thrilled to hear your voice take off, soar and land and play with the horns and vamps. How fun was that section of the song to experiment with?

Caromia:
That’s one of my favorite sections of the album!  It was just playful experimentation that I allowed to develop naturally. Adam Dotson wrote the horn arrangement around the vocals, and I had a huge smile on my face when I listened back to what he came up with.

Peggy:
On “I Was a Sailboat,” there’s a juxtaposition of it in relation to “Pedals.” “Pedals” is sparse lyrically and rich with meditative space with tickles and playful prods of horn riffs and vocalese. On ‘Sailboat,’ there’s a development of feelings and narrative.  I am drawn to the song for what I personally get from it.

Caromia:
I did write it about a specific storyline that was unfolding in my life, but I think it’s better to leave listeners relating it to their own stories. I love that you have your own story with it:)

Peggy:
I picture you in your studio producing the synths and sounds that meander in this one; I’m curious about the depth of exploration to produce it.

Caromia:
I probably spent the most time doing just that on this one. In general, I spend a lot of time experimenting with approaches, sounds, effects, exploring my instruments (vocals included) and softwares.

Peggy:
“To Do But Float” is the epitome of a letting-go song. I love it so much!

Caromia:
Thanks! Years ago, I was especially stressed out and needed an escape from where I was in that moment. I imagined diving into deep, cool, dark water floating weightlessly. The ‘weightless’ imagery has been sprinkled through my songs for years.

Peggy:
“Something Old Something New” reminds me of a 50’s tune brought into the now; which is cool, given the title.  What was going on when you wrote it?

Caromia:
I have no idea! Definitely one of those songs where I just write and eventually the meaning jumps out. It’s about the futility of trying to control everything, recognizing the parallel truths being simultaneously meaningful and inconsequential, of letting go, and allowing for joy.

Peggy:
I love the cover of Sunday Land. Did you design it?

Caromia:
My mom drew it! I think of it as a beachy dream wave, and she came up with this based on that concept. I love it too. 

Peggy:
What’s on your horizon musically and personally?

Caromia:
Lots of shifting shapes; literally and metaphorically. I’m growing a human for the first time, so my focus and energy is going into that right now. Who knows? Maybe my next album will be lullabies!

Whatever this magnificent artist decides to focus on musically, take it from me, it’s worth your investment.
Please visit her lovely website: caromiamusic.com to listen, purchase and attend an upcoming show.

Peggy Ratusz is a vocal coach, song interpreter, and songwriter.
For vocal coaching email her at
[email protected]

Women Making Music Play it Forward

Women Making Music Play it Forward

For some female musicians in our area the past year has been a challenge and for others, a godsend. For many this past year has been a mix of the two. Every phone call I’ve shared and every interview I’ve conducted for the past 8 or 9 months, the pandemic dominates the conversation. How could it not?

Covid-19 fatigue is a real thing. It’s a syndrome I feel and witness in others on a daily basis; even on days I don’t see anyone other than my husband and dog. I feel great relief after venting in my journal, whining each week on family zooms and posting my dismay on social media. Lock down loneliness, unemployment benefit woes, motivational teeter totters is real. Fortunately, my female musician friends lift me in real ways in real-time.

For instance, there’s Kate Kinney Barber, flutist and vocalist for Moody Blues tribute band, The Lost Chord. She and I share Covid political rants. But we pivot our conversation to calmer waters by sharing our positive anticipation of taking the stage once again!

If it weren’t for Aileen Pearlman, aka “Big Al,” I wouldn’t have much of a sense of humor. The weekly open mic nights we used to host together left a huge hole in our creative process. And yet, without her editing, designing and sharing pithy tik-tok type videos and our late night tipsy texts, that hole would be a chasm.

My next door neighbor, singer/songwriter, Mare Carmody and I can go days without seeing each other but it’s our driveway vodka tonic sing-alongs, coffees on the patio and checking in on one another before grocery store runs, that make my days feel less lonely.

Remember Christine OnTheScene? Every local musician’s promotor/supporter and live music godmother? She’s one of my besties and she happens to be among other things, an avid hiker. Without our buddy system Mother Nature sojourns, I would be a vitamin D deficient basket case.

I can’t say enough about the super-girl life saver friend I have in Paula Hanke. Partnering in music and comical crime despite the cancellation of all of our tour dates together, hasn’t dampened Paula’s goddess influenced path. And I reap the lovely benefits each and every day.

To all these women, the women I’ve interviewed, and those women I’ve only met on the internet, I extend a loud and true, thank you!

I got to wondering how are other soon-to-be-working-steadily-again professional musicians doing these days. After a year of shut down, how have mask wearing, hand sanitizing, live streaming, twisting, bending, and pivoting left them?

I reached out to a few of them to ask and received back, a cornucopia of answers.

Ashley Heath
facebook.com/ashleyheathandherheathens

Since the beginning of the pandemic, I’ve adapted by coming up with creative ways to keep my music thriving and my fan base engaged. I started a business called “Singing Grams.” These are singing telegrams where a person picks a song they’d like to dedicate to someone; it could be for a birthday, anniversary or just to set hey. Then I learn the song and call or video call the person and sing it to them! It’s a complete surprise to the person I’m calling and the responses have been awesome! It’s helped me reconnect with people I haven’t talked to in years!

I’ve been writing a ton of songs, gardening, painting, getting outside, and having FaceTime with my friends!

My band, Ashley Heath and Her Heathens will be recording in the fall and I’m looking forward to releasing my third album in 2022. Our full band shows are starting to come back as weather is getting nicer!

Here are my next performance dates April and beyond:

May 29th – Elevated Distillery Carolina Writers Series Highlands, NC, solo performance.

June 10th – Pine Summer Concert Series in Wilkesboro, NC for the town of Wilkesboro featuring Ashley Heath and Her Heathens.

July 23rd and 24th – IT’S FLOYD FEST near Floyd, Virginia! I am this year’s Artist on the Rise recipient and these very special performances will be with my full band – Ashley Heath and Her Heathens!

Linda Mitchell 
lindamitchellblues.com/

The pandemic has been hard for me around music. I lost steady gigs and an important income stream. My motivation has dropped so low in part, because my gigs dried up. I have not been working with my music partner and in general I miss making music with all the people I used to, pre-pandemic.

A silver lining to the loss has been and is the jazz jam OUTDOORS, weather permitting, at One World West Brewing on Sundays. Some weeks I sit-in which brings me a needed sense of normalcy.

I have been coping by cooking a lot too; new cuisines, new recipes. Though I have “Covid Mind Days” where I lay on the couch and can’t remember what day it is, I combat it by walking a mile every day.

I mask up whenever I grocery shop and lately have dined at nearly empty restaurants.

The consequence of not getting sick is my stringent rule of wearing a mask! Yeah masks! Recently I was able to get both Covid shots. I live in hope for the health of my friends and family and very soon, returning to playing LIVE MUSIC again!

Whitney Moore
whitneymoore.com/

I’ve been hunkered down with my family since March of last year. We have high risk family members so we’ve stayed super isolated. The last gig I played was an outdoor event at the salvage station in October – and that was the first time I’d played since March! We’re in talks with the Salvage Station about another outdoor date this summer.

It was surreal to win “Best in Jazz” in a local 2020 poll, because I barely feel like I have a band anymore! We’ve managed to release a few remote recordings and music videos, but that’s about it.

For me, personally it’s been a well-timed hiatus because I gave birth to my second child in June. I’ve been soaking in the extended “babymoon” and extra time with my four year old. I’m grateful to have some voice over work to do from my home studio and our garden has never looked better!

Caromia
caromiamusic.com/

For me, what 2020 lacked in social interaction, live music and entertainment, it made up for in the opportunity for time alone at home to write and record. Almost a year after releasing my last solo effort, I’ll be sending a new one off into the internet ethers, for your listening pleasure. Keep a lookout in the coming months for Sunday Land, a beachy dreamscape collection born out of the early Covid time-warp.

Follow all these lovelies and support live local music as much as you can as the country and our state open up over the coming months! There is a lot of time and money needed to make up for the losses these musicians have had to endure. We play it forward to honor our family of fans!

Peggy Ratusz dates in April:

Saturday April 3rd – Mills River Brewing with Duane Simpson, 2pm-5pm

Friday April 9th – Isis Music Hall in-person ticketed and livestream concert with Love Bubble, 7pm

Friday April 23rd – Isis Music Hall in-person ticketed and livestream concert with Peggy Ratusz & Daddy LongLegs band, 7pm

Peggy Ratusz is a vocal coach, song interpreter, and songwriter.
For vocal coaching email her at
[email protected]

facebook.com/peggy.ratusz

Women Making Music – Spotlight on Mary Kay Williams

Women Making Music – Spotlight on Mary Kay Williams

Mary Kay Williams is one motivated woman! She’s living her life so loud, that for many days after our interview, I was inspired to get some stuff done myself! Born and raised in the part of upstate New York “where they pronounce their ‘r’s’ ” she grew up in a house of technical engineers and science- minded family members in Rochester.  She credits her mom, Maureen, and her side of the family for passing down the creative gene.

One of the longest interviews I’ve ever conducted, we discovered we have a few things in common. She warned me up front that she is fancifully erratic; preferring to jump around and joyfully succumb to her A.D.D. We both love to talk about ourselves, and boy did we do just that!

From our respective zoom call rooms, the first thing I noticed was her headwear; A darling black chapeau with gold buttons.  Turns out, she made it using material that was originally meant for another item she decided to scrap and reconstruct. Not one to waste fabric, this college educated fashion illustrator repurposed herself a modern take on the kicky bucket hat! I knew I was in for an amusing sit-down!

A large chunk of her Mary Kay Arts business was formed to promote her artistry as a retail caricaturist. She manages a successful career within the festival, amusement park and cruise ship circuit.  With a bubbly exuberant vivacious personality, it’s no wonder her lines are notoriously the longest.

But, all this happened in what she refers to as “the before times.” Like most of us, she’s shifted and pivoted and realigned strategies to find her virtual sweet spot, taking on custom orders and the like, making her way around the financial constraints the pandemic has caused.

Fortunately, her brain provides a ceaseless supply of ideas and keeps her bucket list continuously full. There’s a steady pen-stroke of items crossed out and accomplished on that list besides! Her zealous re-imagining, re-inventing and repurposing all things art, manifests through awareness and alignments with like-minded collaborators and colleagues. She has spearheaded consortiums with other artists and formed lasting partnerships.

“Here’s my list, in order of how much I love doing them: Singing! Lindy Hop Dancing! Art of all kinds! Writing! Acting! I’m the sort of person who is able to see patterns; I bubble around things. I’ve created a lifestyle and a path that is multifaceted to honor all my interests and talents. As it turns out, I attract and look for people who have attention deficit! I’ve met transplant surgeons who are piano virtuosos for instance. Multi-talented people are everywhere!”

Now that she’s matured into her late fifties, she feels this pull to harness and focus her “goddess powers” toward inspiring and guiding others. Creative people, people who don’t think they’re creative, are the people she aspires to attract and bring together for a creative workshop weekend event. She’s proven time and time again during her self-made cosmopolitan existence, that she can do whatever she sets her mind to!

As we swing around to the subject of music, I learn that she played Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz in 5th grade. She slayed the part and she slayed THE song! I discovered that the stops and starts with music were for her, deliberate and necessary.  Still, she can’t believe there ever was a time in her adult life that she didn’t sing.

In her 30’s she began to pursue music in earnest. Her Uncle Billy is a Blues singer and after they performed together at a family reunion, he encouraged her to start going to Blues and Jazz jams around Rochester.  The domino effect that committing to these weekly sit-ins realized was a female music group she and her late sister, Terry, formed called “Twisted Covers.” She also met a guitarist and singer whom she would perform with as a duo for two- plus years. She found great pleasure and was darn good at arranging harmonies and what a thrill it was to perform them at coffee houses and small café’s.

The Barley’s Jazz Jam is where Mary Kay and I first met in early 2020. Her reputation for having all the right vocal chops preceded her, and boy did she not disappoint! With a full house on a chilly night, the warmth from her lighthearted and goofy demeanor brought us together in laughter and sway. As she seduced us with her pitch perfect ballad, the lushness of her voice made me and everyone present respond in kind with lauding applause and whistles. I took out my phone and set a reminder to contact her for an interview.

“For at least a decade now, my absolute number one love has been music.” So now, as the pandemic gives her new time (because she doesn’t lack energy, believe me!) she is making music the centerpiece. This feature, I dare say, is just what the Minstrel Doctor ordered! 

Whether it’s singing or speaking or acting in front of an audience, Mary Kay is fearless and brilliant. “The feeling of singing, in and of itself, makes me yearn to do more of it.”

Though there’s not much out there in TV or computer land to evidence her creamy, ample and expressive song renderings, take it from me; she’ll be producing, arranging and recording at least an LP, just in time to release in the after times!

“I have a mission in life to blaze a trail and do everything! I can’t imagine that I was given this much talent if my purpose is not to use all that I was given.”

www.marykayarts.com

Peggy Ratusz is a vocalist, vocal coach, writer and booking manager

www.reverbnation.com/peggyratusz

www.loveisaroselive.com

Women Making Music– Spotlight on Nicole lund

Women Making Music– Spotlight on Nicole lund

By Peggy Ratusz

My song-sister, Ellen Trnka was the person who helped me get started and who made my move to the area easier as I worked to make a name for myself around here some 17 years ago. Because of Ellen’s openness, I now pay it forward in her honor. Fielding calls from newly transplanted artists makes me happy and has become part of my reputation.

One such transplant who emailed me on my birthday in 2016 was Nicole lúnd. She’d just moved here from New York City & was researching Asheville’s blues music happenings. That email led to our working together on a holiday variety show & my helping her with a couple of bookings.

With an education in Music Industry Studies from Appalachian State, singer songwriter lÚnd (artist’s moniker), holds down a full time job while still managing to create and produce her own music. And now, she is about to release her highly anticipated and remarkable debut record “Right This Time.”

A logistics person in her day job, she handles distribution of anesthesia machines and ventilators for a medical device company. The demands of that position did not deter her from recording the album during this pandemic. Paramount in her decision to forge ahead was the fact that scheduling the players was easier, especially since they are all notable instrumentalists and singers, who normally would have had regular, robust touring schedules.

To discover where this energy and know-how began, I ask her about her background and childhood growing up in Charlotte, NC. “My father was an architect and artist and my mom worked from home keeping his books and tending to our needs.” With an older sister and younger brother, lúnd says she’s “proud to represent as ‘middle child’.”

“I sang along with Aretha Franklin, Etta James and Bonnie Raitt when I was young. I consider them my voice teachers.”

So at 9 years, she decided to audition for the Charlotte Children’s Choir and got in. From grades 6-12, she attended a magnet school for the arts where she majored in voice and photography.

With her father’s encouragement and support, she interned for and headed up the street team for Derek Truck’s band when she was a teen.

At 17 she moved to Boone, NC to attend Appalachian State majoring in the aforementioned Music Industry Studies. She spent 2 years in Atlanta “observing the music scene” and the next 10 dabbling in a variety of music-related activities in The Big Apple.

“I struggled with stage fright for a very long time. I still don’t feel 100% comfortable on stage. For one of my first college performances, I held my eyes closed throughout the performance. So it’s been a slow process for me.”

Getting into that college jazz ensemble made dealing with her fears a little easier; primarily because the director “saw something in me and gave me a chance. I just had to work to achieve my goals and he gave me the opportunity to do that work.”

The ripple effect these leadership roles created, manifested partner and mentorships with notable players and songwriters; namely guitarist Paul Olson from the band Scrapomatic. Scrapomatic’s lead singer is Tedeschi-Trucks Band’s lead backing vocalist, Mike Mattison. Along with Mark Rivers, also a TTB backing vocalist, both appear on several tracks on Nicole’s upcoming release.

She met and became friends with Atlanta based and acclaimed drummer Yonrico Scott, (Royal Southern Brotherhood, Earl Klugh, Derek Trucks Band) who mentored her until his sad and untimely death just over a year ago.

I took notes while listening to the tracks she emailed me ahead of our interview, and I wrote down the words: “mood album.” It was cool that she referred to them in the interview without my prompting, as a collection of ‘moods.’ Her lyrics are sparse and yet full of meaning. The melodies, style and rhythm come together effectively to tell a story between the lines. Listeners will identify; they’ll fill in the spaces with their own reflections.

The easy rolling rock-feel title track, “Right This Time” evokes Tedeschi but its lÚnd’s honey drenched phrasing that makes it her own. “Here I am babe, here for the taking. Don’t let me down; be the man I need now; arms wide open. But please, don’t let me be wrong ‘bout you… I wanna be right this time.”

The straight 8’s feel of, “Don’t You Leave Me” has a thumping Amy Winehouse throwback sound as the backing vocals take it an octave higher on the hook. Nicole’s vocal trills are a thrill. It’s a beckoning-ultimatum-song. It’s a “hey get back here, we’re not done yet” vibe that empowers as it pleads. 

“Not Comin Home” is a haunting finger-picking dirge that confirms the end of a relationship that even after a long period, had not developed enough to make her want to stay or even explain. “I’m not comin’ home. No use lookin’ I’m out of sight, too far for you to fly. When the day breaks I’ll be gone. And you never thought I’d be the one to move on.”

I was honored to hear these tracks before the mixing and mastering process. If they sound this good now, we’re all in for a gratifying listening experience when they all drop later this year.

Each track is treated with a unique and refined melody; well-placed harmonies, and certainly musicianship of the highest quality.

With clarity and reflection, and toward the end of our interview, lÚnd articulates: “I’ve been such an active observer that it’s taken me a while to come into my own.”

Right This Time is produced by Tyler “Falcon” Greenwell (Susan Tedeschi, Colonel Bruce Hampton, The Wood Brothers); Engineered by Jim Georgeson and Dowell Gandy from Echo Mountain Studio. The extraordinary players include local teacher and sessions guitarist, Brandon Townsend; guitarist Dave Yoke (Susan Tedeschi, Dr. John, Scrapomatic); on bass is Brandon Boone (Tedeschi-Trucks Band); and New Orleans-based drummer, Isaac Eady. Along with Mike Mattison and Mark Rivers from Tedeschi Trucks band, Gabe Dixon rounds out her backing vocalists.

I enthusiastically recommend you to follow lÚnd on Instagram: instagram.com/lund.music/

And to visit her newly minted website: lund-music.com

Peggy Ratusz is a vocal coach, song interpreter, and songwriter. For vocal coaching email her at [email protected]

reverbnation.com/peggyratusz

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