Page 89 - ION Indie Magazine MayJune 2020 Issue

CL: If you didn’t become a musician, what would you be doing right now?

MS: I always wanted to play in the NBA, but I was never that good. So, instead, I have worked
in the finance industry the majority of my adult life. I am sure I would still be there.

CL: If you could have your fans remember one thing about about you, what would it be?

MS: That I told the truth, even the unflattering kind…and I never gave up and always pursued
progress over perfection.

CL: What do you enjoy most about being a musician? What you hate most (if anything)?

MS: What I enjoy is writing and performing and escaping. Since I was very young, music was
an escape for me. What I hate is all the individuals out there preying on young and naive
musicians. In the indie scene, it seems everywhere I turn, someone is telling me how amazing
I am and if I just give them 10K they will make me famous. I have seen others fall victim to these
people and it's definitely a dark area of the industry. I also don't like ‘pay to play,’ but not nearly
as much as I hate the scam artists.

CL: Have you been on tour? What places did you go on tour? What was that like?

MS: Yes! We just got back from our ‘South for the Winter Tour.’ We performed all over the south
including, Dallas and New Orleans. We had a great time and a few awesome shows, met some
great people, and had some incredible experiences. We are in the middle of booking our next
tour.

CL: What do your kids think about your music? Do your kids want to sing or play an
instrument?

MS: I have 3 children and I try to incorporate music into our lives as much as I can. I have even
brought them to local shows of mine and sang with them on stage. My oldest daughter has a
beautiful, natural singing voice and also plays the uke, piano, and just recently received a bass.
My 2 younger children love to sit and play the piano with me or strum the guitar while I hold it. I
look forward to watching them discover their own hobbies and chase after their own dreams.

CL: What is your music about?

MS: At the core, my music is about me or those close to me. I rarely write from a different point
of view than on my own. My single ‘The Alternative’ tells a story of a young lady who grows up
in an abusive home and chooses to stay rather than leave because she knows that if she left,
her younger brother would then get the bulk of the abuse. Its these sorts of these things I have
experience with. And it is precisely these sorts of things that made me feel shame and guilt my
whole life. I want to tell people that they are not alone. I want them to know that you can walk
through trauma and reach the other side. I want to show people that they do not have to give
up. My music is about connecting with others through cold, hard, ugly truth.