I am influenced by everything. I could sit on a park bench and just take everything in and that would influence me. I am influenced by the things that I have been through in my life, no matter if they were good or bad, other people's triumphs and misfortunes but mostly I would say that love influences most of my music. Heartbreak and tears have made their way into my songs as well as the repair and laughter and love that have followed.
As far as people or bands who have influenced me, I would have to say that The Beatles to me are the end all be all of musicians! I also find empowerment and inspiration from several female musicians such as: Missy Higgins, Sara Bareilles, A Fine Frenzy, KT Tunstall, Sarah McLachlan, Holly Brook, Pam Tillis, Reba McEntire, Anna Nalick, Gretchen Wilson, Adele and several others. The men in my musical list of influences would include: John Mayer, Jason Mraz, Sondre Lerche, Gavin DeGraw, Snow Patrol, Weezer, Iron & Wine, Simon & Garfunkle, Elton John, Dashboard Confessional, Ben Folds, Aqualung, Damien Rice and others.
Sounds Like
My music can best be described as a mix of different genres all melted into one tasty treat for your listening pleasure. I guess if I were to be more specific as far as the genres it would go something like this: alternative/folk/country/rock with a dash of reggae.
One night about 5 years ago, I picked up my guitar and sat down with a pen and paper and wrote my first song. I remember it like it was yesterday because it wasn't about me or anything I was going through at the time. It was about one of my best friends and her boyfriend and I named it "By The End Of The Day". It wasn't the best thing that I have ever put down on paper but I remember being very proud of it. It seemed like from that point forward I just couldn't stop writing. I found that writing for me was an outlet for my frustrations and my happiness. If I wanted to escape to a different place, I would sit down with a pen and paper and just create an escape. As I got older and my life changed, I kept writing because what makes better material than change? As I've grown, I feel like my writing has also grown with me. I have learned that I don't only have to write about the bad stuff, but I can also write about the good stuff too! Recently, I have had the opportunity to share my songs with different groups of people and I have had people come up to me telling me that they relate to my song about the bad break-up or the song about my boyfriend loving me for exactly who I am or the song about my version of Romeo not being as great as everyone makes him out to be. It's a truly amazing feeling when I share my music and get a response like that because the whole reason why I started writing in the first place was with the hopes that one day I would be able to share it with anyone who would listen so that they can know that they're not the only person out there who feels a certain way! I mean when you get down to it, no one is ever alone and every heartbreak or laugh is a song in the making.
