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Volume 3, X October, 2008 Thursday, October 2, 2008 by Sandi Shaner Sandi's photo provided by Sandi Shaner Summer's photos provided by Summer Mencher Songwriting Competition photo by Steve Covault Leave a Comment Welcome to Musician's Corner! This is where you will be able to view some interviews with Local San Diego Musicians and Industry Partners. We bring attention to the most talented Songwriters, Producers and Performers that San Diego has to offer. After reading each article, you can submit comments and feedback. October 2008's Featured Artist: Summer Mencher Tell us about how you began your journey in music. Start with the first instrument you played, the first gig, and what your musical interests were? I am told that I could sing before I could talk. I would wake up early in the morning belting out made up tunes from my crib, and have not stopped since. Coming from a family of musicians, I heard everything from my dad practicing classical piano for hours to my parents playing guitar and singing me original lullaby's for me to fall asleep to. My mom tells me when I was throwing a temper tantrum at 2, she would blast Heart's "Crazy On You" and it worked like medicine. It is still one of my favorites. My very first concert was when I was 4 years old, when my mom and dad took me to go see Edie Brickell. I was in love with the song "What I Am" and still cover it in shows to this day. It was around that same time that I began learning to play the piano. I would make up instrumental piano pieces and play them at recitals with 20 parents in the audience, rushing through the movements with sweaty palms and a sky high pulse. The first song I wrote with vocals was called "Lonely in the Dark," and is a dramatic make-believe story about losing your partner to another woman. I was 9 years old. I started to play guitar at 14, and it is probably the most significant Christmas present I have ever received. As soon as a vocal inspirational teacher showed me how to put my love for songwriting in the hands of this six stringed wonder, I was out performing on the streets of Portland, OR, making better money than my job as an ice cream scooper paid, (and just as delicious!) Where did you go to school? High School? College? What was your major? I went to Franklin High School, my first year after moving to Portland, OR from Colorado. It was a big turning point in my life, when I developed my love for helping others, and started a branch of AKTNOW, (Active, Kind Teens Nurturing Our World.) AKTNOW was a group that focused on random acts of kindness, building community and reaching out to those in need. This type of work was the only endeavor that nourished my soul as much as music and it helped shape my career today, where I am able to fuse the two. Attending the Berklee College of Music in Boston was a huge growth experience for me. It was humbling, going from being a big fish to a tadpole overnight. It was also overwhelmingly stimulating. I learned more about music in the first semester than I had my entire life up to that point. Being surrounded with individuals of like-minded inspiration was intoxicating. It was a beautiful challenge that I both embraced and ran from. The competitive element that presented itself bothered me, as I felt it went against everything that music stands for. To me, music is about bringing people together, collaboration and inclusion. The search for a musical relationship is what dropped me at the doorstep of Music Therapy. Majoring in Vocal Performance and Music Therapy allowed me to stay true to my beliefs in the transformative power of sound, while continuing to develop my skills as a performer. When did you realize that you had the talent it took to be a successful songwriter? What did you do about it? Honestly, I have naturally written music my whole life. Coming from a very supportive upbringing helped give me the confidence I needed to follow such an unconventional path, and I am incredible grateful for the opportunities that subsequently emerged. I don't remember a time when I thought "Oh, maybe this IS something I could really go for." I write because that is part of who I am and I need my creative time like I need sleep. Tell us about "Stranger to Stronger," which won third place in the songwriting competition. How did you construct the Melody? What do the lyrics mean to you? Share some of the lyrics. Over the past year or so I have become increasingly more interested in hip hop and rap music, experimenting with throwing elements of it in my own originals. I try and be a fearless writer, exercising my freedom to try pretty much anything without judgment. I am an advocate for making music for the pure elation of it, not the analysis of whether or not it is a top 40 hit. I am very drawn to working with teens and felt that identifying with the popular music today would help me relate to them. During my Music Therapy internship at MusicWorx of California in San Diego, I did a project on finding substantial hip hop and rap that offered a positive message or a complex meaning. This research was the spark that made me want to make a theme song for the whole project. I was looking up Kanye West's song "Stronger" and accidently wrote "Stranger." I was struck by how close these two words were, (just one letter difference) yet how different their meanings were. A great concept for a song, I wanted to drive the point home that even the little impact we feel we have can be elemental to someone else. That's how the chorus came "Just one letter from stranger to stronger, I'll be here for you much longer, matter of fact it's a matter of honor, not a global impact but it's what I can offer." I actually wrote the whole song as a rap at first, then added chords and shifted some of the parts to melody. This was nice because it added more rhythmic value to my singing, which I sometimes overlook. The whole process was remarkably quick and painless, (as the best songs usually are.) I simply woke up one morning with the writing bug, cancelled my appointments (because the writing bug must not be ignored,) and "Stranger to Stronger" was born before noon. Little is known about the work you do with children. Please explain what you do and how it has impacted your life? I started doing volunteer work with children in high school through AKTNOW. Over the course of my Music Therapy training, I have used music with children with special needs, youth at risk, kids with terminal illnesses, and families with low socio-economic status. Music is amazing in its ability to facilitate learning in a fun way, promote healthy social interaction and effective communication, distract from pain, and help to express emotion. I am currently working with mother/child bonding, psychiatric care for kids, and chemical dependency rehabilitation groups with teens. I feel so honored to get to do this sacred work. In May, 2007, nine Music Therapy students at Berklee were selected to do outreach work at two orphanages in Nairobi, Kenya through Musicians for World Harmony. This two week experience only solidified and validated my resolve that I am on my perfect path, joining music and healing. We worked at Nyumbani, a children's home for kids that are HIV +, and Shangalia, a performing arts orphanages in the heart of some of the most impoverished slums in Kenya. One of my loudest callings is to return to these homes and be able to organize an ongoing music program for the children. Do you have a CD Released? What is it called and where can we buy it? My first CD came out in 2003 (when I graduated high school.) It is called Bench People, and is all acoustic, all original. Anyone interested in purchasing this should contact me through my myspace. In 2007, my full band demo, "Waves" was released and is on sale at myspace.com/summermencher, as well as ourstage.com/summermencher. I am currently recording with Sven-Erik Seaholm, and will be releasing "Break the Mold" EP, January 2009, which will include "Stranger to Stronger." Have you done any charity projects that you would like to talk about? Aside from what I have already mentioned, I am playing at the 2008 Rainbow Festival in Phoenix, AZ on October 4th as a top 10 finalist in the Evolve Songwriting Competition. The event raises money for AIDS , and is one of many charitable events that I will be involved in through this organization. I've seen you play both guitar and piano. Which instrument comes more naturally? Which one do you write song on most frequently? I started playing piano first, mostly classical, and I feel it is more of an emotional instrument. For me, playing piano is more like having a private philosophical conversation, all the keys, colors, combinations and choices offering perspectives I may not have seen otherwise. I feel, though, from a performance point of view, guitar is my principal instrument. It allows for dance, movement, and that accessibility that most of us crave. Because of the way it lends itself as a support, it has become my vehicle of choice for songwriting. However, I have been craving the rich sound of the ivories so that may be changing soon. What are your plans for the rest of 2008 and 2009? As a relatively new San Diegan, (although I feel I have lived here my whole life,) I am just now starting to put a full band together. This will aid in defining the direction my music is taking, add a fullness and groove that I can't create on my own, and maintain my favorite part about making music: the connection. I am also in the process of recording an EP and some brand new acoustic tracks that I am very excited about. They will be released early next year. Also, I am having a blast learning about the San Diego music scene, meeting other impassioned artists and finding secret gems of venues to pour my sound inside. Where can we see you play? In San Diego, I am playing at It's a Grind on October 10th at 7pm, The Wits End October 18th at 8pm, and if anyone happens to be going to the World Untied Music Festival in San Marcos, TX, I am on stage there November 16th at 2pm. A complete listing of my gigs is on my myspace. If anyone is interested in being added to the e-mail list they can just send me a message : ) What is your website and Myspace? Myspace.com/summermencher Ourstage.com/summermencher Sandi Shaner