SONGSMITH.htm
SongSmith
Music has always been a significant component in my life. My
tastes are eclectic, and about the only thing that limits what's on
the sound system at any given moment is my mood. Although I
am particularly partial to traditional Celtic,
I started learning to play guitar in 1967, and moved to a
12-string acoustic in 1974, thanks to a tornado and a bit of luck
in a local pawnshop. A few years ago, I acquired a 12-string Yamaha
that now serves as my primary "ax".
Those aforementioned Celtic influences, and a background as a 60s
"folkie", are much in evidence in my singing and songwriting, the
latter activity being something I've been doing for thirty years or
so. In 1994 I discovered Filk, and things took a turn for the
weird.
When most people think of Filk, which I define as "science fiction
and fantasy-based folk music", they think of genre-inspired words put
to existing and/or popular tunes. Early on, I fell under some good
influences, notably Cynthia McQuillin, Leslie Fish, Joe Bethancourt
and Michael Longcor, so when I began to write filk, it was to tunes
of my own crafting.
One thing led to another, including being asked fairly often, "Do
you have a tape?", and I found myself involved in some of the best
fun I've ever had. The answer to that question became "Not yet, but
we're working on it", while I spent several months of odd hours in the
living-room studio and multi-talented hands of my longtime friend
Bob West, Jr. Bob engineered the tape, which we called The
Ladies of Trade Town, did the mixing, played exquisite lead guitar
and kick-butt bass on several tracks, and wrote two of the songs -
"Don't Look Too Close In The Mirror" and "Lullaby From A Horror Writer".
My husband George also joined the fun, playing bass on several of the
tracks.
Available as a CD!
Teller of Tales
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