my story
The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning - okay, first I make coffee - and then I journal for an hour. I genuinely believe it is the one thing keeping me a somewhat balanced, reasonable human. I've been writing every morning since middle school, and somewhere between high school and college, that journaling morphed into songwriting. My buddy taught me some basic guitar chords (and Fast Car, of course), and a whole new depth of living seemed to open up within me.
In 2015 I got up at my first open mic with a broken leg and a lot of fear, and just before graduation I played my very first show with a classic rock cover band! We'd spent the last two years rehearsing in a basement (where they graciously taught me how to sing with a group and behind a mic), so that stage felt overwhelmingly huge.
After moving to Asheville in 2017 I continued to write while working as a Wilderness Therapy Backpacking Guide. It became clear to me then that music - writing songs - is how I breathe deeply now. But I'd never imagined actually being a musician... until my first solo gig - which actually came as a surprising accident. We were celebrating a friend's birthday in Bryson City, and I was shepherded up to play a song on a set break. That was the first time I'd ever shared an original song publicly - ha, I kept my eyes closed the entire time. Afterwards, the owner came up glowing and asked if I'd come play a full set sometime. I said yes! Then immediately went out and bought an amp, PA, and microphone.
Spring 2019 was my first solo show, and after that there was no looking back. I started truly pursuing a livelihood in music in 2021, and in 2022 I quit my day job! Today I get the honor of creating music with some of the most pleasant, caring, hilarious, astonishingly talented musicians and friends I've ever known - The Dirty French Broads.