Lucinda Williams, Mark Eitzel, Mission of Burma, Richard AND Linda Thompson, Aimee Mann, Patty Griffin, Emmylou Harris, Ripley Caine, etc...
Etc: Beth Orton, Bob Mould, Dave Alvin, Jon Dee Graham, Jonatha Brooke, Love, Mary Gauthier, Minutemen, Nick Drake, PJ Harvey, Victoria Williams, Joni Mitchell, BachBeethovenBartok, Sonic Youth, The Velvet Underground, The Stooges, DC Punk, Sleater-Kinney, Steve Earle, X, Ryan Adams, earlier Shawn Colvin, Jane Siberry, Edie Carey, Daniel Lanois, Catie Curtis, Bruce Cockburn, Bonnie Raitt, Paul Thorn, Baaba Maal, Ali Farka Toure, Boubacar Traore, Thomas Mapfumo, John Lee Hooker, Howlin' Wolf, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Savina Yannatou, Varttina....and my very first influences: Karen Carpenter and Johnny Cash.
I am the former singer and songwriter for the DC punk band Thorns from way back. I was a member of the political action collective Positive Force DC. I came out in graduate school in Ohio. Now living in Chicago, I am back writing songs, performing around town, and hosting the monthly Chicago Outmusic Queer Open Mic. My songs explore the choppy emotional terrain of death, bad relationships, obsession, and being an artist who doesn't fit in. I aim to make a space where emotions can flow and connections be understood. One has to strip away the layers of everyday life to get at what is important. In modern consumer society, culture, meaning, history, and emotional depth are erased in favor of instant distractions. This leaves us empty and disconnected with ourselves. Companies then rush in to fill the void with shiney new products. I tend to identify with people who feel like they don't fit in or belong in this world. I don't understand what the big deal is if someone is of another race, religeon, culture, gender, or sexual orientation. If they are interesting and nice I will be their friend. I have both masculine and feminine parts to my personality. I tend to be introverted yet I love to open up completely on stage and show all my emotions. What is important to me is the deep emotional connections that people can make with each other and with their history and culture. By connecting this way we can all feel valued and alive.
HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!!!
Here's a listen to the ultimate 3/17 song.
Get in the spirit and add the song to your MySpace page and share "St. Patrick's Day" with all your friends !! (go to my myspace page and add the song from the player).
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