Where did you grow up?
I grew up here in the United States, in a small town in central Illinois.
How old were you when you first discovered music?
My dad is a quite the music enthusiast, so I grew up listening to all sorts of records and genres; from classical to rock and roll, folk, mariachi, and a lot of other Mexican music. Since I was young, I have always loved music.
Any other musical members in your family?
My parents like to sing for fun. My mom plays some piano and my dad played guitar as a teen. My aunt plays several instruments and she and I have always shared an interest for learning new instruments, but no one in my family has done anything professionally with music.
"For me, procrastination and wasting time just isn’t an option."
How old were you when you first learned how to play, and what was your first instrument?
I played piano by ear when I was four or five years old. Just little songs based on chords I figured out. I took lessons in first grade for about six months but was admittedly a terrible student. I would remember the songs by ear because the teacher would play them the week before I was assigned to learn them. So, I wouldn’t apply myself to learning how to read music as much as I should have. I then learned to play the flute in grade school and junior high in school, and was self-taught on guitar as a teenager and that later became my main instrument for writing.
What made you decide to become a songwriter?
The first thing I ever said I wanted to be was a writer. I loved writing short stories and poetry. That came first before I ever thought about playing music in any capacity beyond a hobby. I started teaching myself guitar when I was 12. I loved the chord progressions in the song, “Aubrey,” by Bread (one of my dad’s records). I listened over and over until I could figure out how to play it. Thinking back, my parents are really patient people. So that’s the first song I ever learned on guitar. A few days later, I listened to a lot of Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell albums. They inspired me so much, and that’s when it hit me that I wanted to combine music and lyrics and write songs.
"I’ve had to learn how to nicely say ‘no’ to things that would overwhelm me."
How many years did it take you to write what you would call a “decent song”?
When I was 13 I wrote a song that I played for my church. That song got the attention of a friend that produced music. He asked if we could do a demo of it, so that’s probably the first decent song I wrote.
What type of music did you start out doing at first? What was your first genre?
I wrote several songs that we could sing at church, so they had a religious theme to them. I also loved to write songs that created a mood or told a story, so I’d say acoustic-based indie singer-songwriter as well.
How did you develop your craft from there?
Being from a small town, and not having the resources for classes or workshops, the only thing I knew to do was to learn from people that knew more than I did! I spent a lot of time at a guitar repair shop called, “The Guitar Junkyard,” in a nearby town. The owner there knew a lot about music and is also a talented bluegrass musician. So I would go and listen to him share stories about different musicians and his experiences. He would always send me home with a list of new music to listen to. The types of artists that inspired a lot of really famous musicians that weren’t as well known but incredible in their own right. When customers came in sometimes I would learn new things on guitar from them. I learned how to invert chords on piano after hanging out in a Guitar Center store and heard an older gentleman play a cover of, “I Love You Porgy” (the Bill Evan’s version) on a grand piano. I had never heard such a beautiful rendition of that song. He kindly took the time to teach me how someone like Bill Evans would interpret a song. The producer that did that first demo for me became a great friend and mentor and taught me more about songwriting structure. So I guess I learned a lot of little things from a lot of different people by making new friends and asking lots of questions!
Have you learned to play other instruments over time?
Yes. I think guitar will always be my main instrument for writing and performing, but I love the challenge of trying new instruments. I’ve played things like banjo, piano, mandolin, harmonica, cajon, and flute for parts of songs I’ve recorded. My next goals are to learn some basics on violin and also to learn more about virtual instruments.
Have you expanded into other genres?
What I record myself has pretty much stayed acoustic instrument-based. I have just recently started experimenting with Ableton Live (I’m most familiar with Pro Tools and Logic Pro X), and using my Push to create my own beats and sounds for some collaborations I’ve done with fellow TAXI members. As a vocalist, I’ve done some background harmonies for Country demos, Hip-Hop songs, Children’s songs and in the past year, a good number of Orchestral hybrid trailer songs.
How long ago did you join TAXI?
This January will be the beginning of my 4th year with TAXI.
What motivated you to join?
My mentor friend, Alby, told me about TAXI and said he thought it would be a great way for me to learn and connect with people. He was correct!
"I became weirdly appreciative of ‘returns’ from TAXI because they made me better!"
I know you’ve got a husband and young daughter. How do you find the time to write and record with what must be a very busy schedule?
For me, procrastination and wasting time just isn’t an option. I read the book, Do the Work, by Steven Pressfield, shortly after joining TAXI and hearing it mentioned on an episode of Taxi TV. From that time forward I knew that if I wanted to make money with music, I didn’t have time to waste. That’s not to say I don’t make time to rest and spend quality time with family – that’s an absolute necessity as well, but I’ve had to learn to cut things that don’t matter in the long run or things that add unnecessary stress, (which can kill the creative process).
I’ve had to learn how to nicely say “no” to things that would overwhelm me. If my daughter is awake and I’m in the studio, she’s always welcome to come in at any point. She can play my guitar (if she’s careful) and she often sits with me while I watch an episode of TAXI TV or listen to a mix. I want her and my husband to know they are always welcome to be part of the music side of my life. But most often I work when she has gone to bed. I sacrifice sleep sometimes but I’ve been getting better at accomplishing more in short spurts of time, so even sleep has increased in the past few months. It’s easier now that my daughter is old enough to be in school a few times a week as well. My husband works incredibly hard to help whenever he can give me extra studio time. It’s definitely easier when you can work as a team. I know that isn’t easy or all that common, so I really don’t take that for granted.
How did you feel the first time one of your submissions was “rejected”?
Half of me felt like the screener just didn’t get it (haha!) and half of me wondered if I had what it takes.
Does the sting become lessened with each subsequent “rejection”?
Absolutely. Because it happens so often! Haha! For my first two years as a member, I updated a Word document where I would list the TAXI screener number, and under the number I would copy and paste the song title and the reason it was returned. Then I would go through and highlight every critique that involved lyrics in green. Every time it involved production I’d highlight in red, and so forth. I then started noticing patterns that were consistent, no matter who the screener was.
And what did that document lead to?
So, one year, I tackled the production issues (thanks to my fellow members on the TAXI forums and collaborators that would answer questions). Another year I studied lyrics and consulted with people as well. Screeners consistently liked my melodies, but a common critique was that I needed to build my choruses so they sounded bigger. So, I became more aware of that when I wrote.
That Word document shifted my perspective and with every rejection that included feedback, I became weirdly appreciative of “returns” from TAXI because they made me better! It’s an easy way to gain quick, concise feedback (within the context of a particular listing) for five dollars. That’s an awesome opportunity really. Rejection is never fun, but if I want to enjoy the music industry, I’ve got to maintain a positive attitude, and take it as a challenge. I’ve got to humbly pick myself up and keep trying.
Don’t miss Part 2 in the next TAXI Transmitter!