1. How old were you when you knew your life was going to be art? I was 17 and I was watching the band “Supertramp” perform at the Spectrum in Philadelphia. It was so thrilling, I knew I had to a part of THAT somehow.

 

2. When did you start for real? When I began learning to read music and play the piano at age 7. Haven’t stopped since.

 

3. Were you single minded in this pursuit or did you train/educate for a "real" job? Before I thought about becoming a performer, I thought I might become a producer, and went to college and trade school with an eye towards getting into the music business behind the scenes. I also studied music education while attending college, because it fascinates me!

 

4. School - Did it help, hinder, or immaterial? Worth every penny, every minute, just in experience alone. I can’t separate the musician I am today from the experiences I had in academia.

 

5. Who supported your decisions? My parents were very supportive of my love of music, although they weren’t thrilled with my decision to make it my vocation. I’ve been very fortunate also to have had a few individuals in my corner who really did what they could to help me and encourage me in my ambitions. Without some of them, I doubt I could have achieved as much.

 

6. Do you have family? And where are they? Just a brother and a sister left now, they are both still on the East Coast.

 

7. What gigs stand out to you, looking back? Some of the best times I’ve had in my career came during a time when I was playing with a group called “The Scarletts”, an L.A. based R’n B band that had the BEST chemistry of any band I’ve ever played in. We had a few EPIC gigs that I will never forget!

 

8. Who did you like performing with? One of my favorite partners in musical crime these days is Austin based drummer Mark Hays. He and I have really begun to establish a solid but flexible rhythm section together, and I’m hoping to work a lot more with him in the future on other gigs.

 

9. What do you see as your best work? I’m at my best when the pressure is on, there’s no rehearsal, and you have LISTEN to everyone and everything that is going on around you. I love digging deep into that moment.

 

10. Has your outlook on fame changed since you've achieved it? I did?

 

11. Has notoriety changed you? Naw, I still cuss openly in public and make occasionally rash statements, and I always did talk too loud.

 

12. Do you feel satisfied with yourself? I think I have struck a good balance between being satisfied with what I have been able to achieve so far and appreciative of my success, but also always feeling the urge to get better, do more, achieve something new, to learn something new and apply it.

 

13. How do you want to be remembered? As someone who did her best to make other people feel good, musically and otherwise!

 

14. What are you currently working on? I’m playing in several Austin-based bands, most notably with vocalist Jacqui Walker, also with the lovely Kathy Murray and her band the Kilowatts, and occasionally with Guy Forsyth. I teach an average of 20 student each week. I also have a website where I share and sell my teaching materials, which keeps me quite busy!

 

15. Is it as easy as it looks? It is once you’ve spent countless hours practicing, screwing up, fixing it, and screwing it up again. Nobody likes to suck in public!

 

16. Is it fun? Playing music is beyond fun. It’s exhilarating, it’s challenging, it’s rewarding, it’s a peak experience! Working in the music business, however, can be a real heartbreaker, if you let it.

 

18. What would you say to wannabee performers? If your goal is to become a professional musician, I say go for it, full on, if you feel like you HAVE to rather than just WANT to. But musical performance should be an experience afforded to anyone who wishes to risk it! The music experience should be available to anyone and everyone.

 

19. Do you have pets, what kind? I love my Labradoodle Harley, and my Goldendoodle named Shelby. They are the finest creatures I know!

 

20. What's more important - Talent or hard work? I think hard work trumps talent when it comes to getting to the bandstand. I witness this every day in my teaching practice. Talent without effort and dedication won’t get you anywhere, but hard work without talent can get you a lot of places.

 

21 Xtra. What is your take on MP3 downloads? Technology giveth, and technology taketh away!