“Her lyrics challenge listeners the way that Michael Moore challenges viewers.” Ann Forcier, The Recorder, Greenfield, MA

She saw Led Zeppelin on their first US tour and loves Joan Baez, but don’t expect some wide-eyed hippie in tie-dye cooing about love and daisies. Sure, if you went to the first Woodstock and you want peace-loving music, you’ve come to the right place, but your kids will also love her refreshingly direct folk-rock with a touch of blues, vintage R&B and yep, even techno, with anthems that’ll make you dance around your living room or call your congress person, some at the same time.

Like so many others, she took piano as a kid and taught herself the guitar as a young adult, but she made a detour to become a pharmacist. Not just one of those white-coated clerks at a chain store, but at her own store. At the young age of 55, she climbed up on stage, sans the lab coat, and sang for an audience that was so enthusiastic that soon after she sold the pharmacy and made music a focus. Linq does nothing halfway, diving into the music world with a single in 2003 and then her first album in 2004. Another full-length album, Fast Moving Dream, came out in 2006.

Life Goes On, released in April 2009, was produced by June Millington (Cris Williamson) and features a stellar array of musicians including June on guitar, Jean Millington on bass, Jami Sieber (Ferron) on electric cello, and others, with songs about diversity, the state of the world and why you should drive slowly on Route 32.

“Diversity Dance” is a celebration of all that we are. With a thundering retro-disco bass and funky guitar, you’ll want to shake your booty to You can dance if you’re straight / You can dance if you’re gay /Transsexual too / And bisexuality is cool / It doubles the dating pool

There’s a little bit of Pink Floyd in “Where Will the Wild Ones Go,” a song that wonders what happens when the bulldozers mow down our green planet. And if you didn’t get that message, in “SOS” it appears again in a lament about the state of our world, all done to a techno beat with a moody electric cello and electronic sounds straight out of a horror flick, driving home the litany of political lies, fixed elections, the hole in the ozone layer and more.

You’ll feel hopeful again with “Will You Care,” a peaceful call and response anthem. Cellist Jami Sieber plays a lovely Middle Eastern type melody on this one, emphasizing the need for the whole world community to be involved. “Life Goes On” features water-tight harmonies about how change is an everyday part of who we are. You could also “Change the Picture” because no one is born a racist or a bully, we learn those things from others, and we can unlearn them too. The light hearted “Route 32 Blues” sounds like it belongs on an old AM radio, with its rootsy rock feel.

“Nothing Left To Give” has a cool groove and organ reminiscent of old R&B, perfectly matching the regret about a relationship she has to let go. The folky “Ode to the Butterworth Boys” is a nostalgic look at a loving community of gay men, with words written by Gerald Marcanio. Ending the disc is reprise of “Life Goes On” (“Life Goes On Part 2”) that’s part dance mix and part meditation, with lush harmonies and intricate percussion.

Linq’s Newest CD! RX and the SIDE EFFECTS, released on August 25, 2009, was produced by June Millington (Cris Williamson) and features a stellar array of musicians including June on guitar, Jean Millington on bass, Jami Sieber (Ferron) on electric cello, Julie Wolf (Ani DiFranco) on keyboards, and others, with songs about our failed health care system that only an insider could tell. “I left the profession in 2004 because I could no longer be a pawn in the games being played within the health care industries,” Linq confesses. “These songs were derived through personal experiences as both a health care professional and a small business owner.” The tales are intense, lyrically rollicking from tongue-in-cheek comedies to tear-jerking tragedies as clever melodies drive the messages home. Rx and the Side Effects kicks off with “Prescription Chaos” an upbeat 60’s rock tune complete with doo wop vocals: It’s the American Way / We can all feel better, take some drugs today. “Side Effects” has a more modern feel, with stabs of electric guitar from June Millington. There’s a more contemplative feel in “Money Today,” about a guy who earns money even after he dies. The minor key and beautiful cello work from Jami Sieber helps reveal the sobering tale. The award-winning “Tired” tells the story of a woman who can’t make her meager income stretch far enough to buy the drugs she needs to get well. Linq pulls no punches on “What Happened to the Care”: Profits over people, money over care / The fox is in the hen house with a nest egg sitting there The next time you call a company and get an automated system, listen to “No Person on the Line” a few times and vent with Linq. “Gun in Hand” is the biting true story of a pharmacist being held up but refusing to give the drugs the gunman demands. The disc wraps up with “Small Business Blues,” one you know is a true story. It’s a jamming blues-rock number punctuated with distorted blues licks and driving drums.

Linq performs around New England and at selected gigs outside the region including showcases at the 2009 Indiegrrl Conference and at BB King’s Blues Club in Nashville. Her first video, “George Orwell Where are You?” has remained near the top of the list of Neil Young’s Living With War Today Top Protest Videos since it debuted in 2007. She’s been the featured artist on several sites including Indiegrrl, Gay Guitarists Worldwide, GoGirls and more. Awards include an Honorable Mention for “Tired” from the International Narrative Song Competition, in the top 50 in the American Idol Underground (“Victim of the War”), Fast Moving Dream was in the top 40 on the Outvoice charts for an entire year, and “Change the Picture” was a nominee in the 2009 Just Plain Music Awards. RX and the SIDE EFFECTS landed in the Roots Music Report “Top 50 Folk” during the first week released. Linq is also one of the five nominees for OUTMusician of the Year (music + activism) in the 2009 OUTMusic Awards.

Linq believes that music is the most effective tool we have to bring people together, to celebrate each other and to break down barriers. And if it takes a former pharmacist to do that, all the better. It’s a medicine we can all use.