Uncommon Ground ^ Rachel Roberts

Rachel Roberts
My music reeks of passion and is flavored with beautiful originality. Clever lyrics adn entrancing melodies soothe your ears with sweetness. Alone I sing with my guitar, pure and sensual, raw and intimate. As a singer-songwriter, I fuse folk, rock, and jazz for a smooth sexy yet edgy style.
It's hard not to be a musician when you grow up with two opera singers as parents. They introduced me to Mozart, Beethoven, Gershwin, Rogers and Hammerstein, and Gilbert and Sullivan. I became emotionally attached to music through these marvelous composers. And of course, my mother's enthusiasm gave me a want and need to portray beauty in a song. She taught me how to play basic piano and pick out melodies by ear. This is when I realized I had the ability to make my own musical lines.
OBSESSION BEGAN.
I loved tones and sounds, so I chose the trombone in middle school because of my infatuation with the colors between the notes. Sliding up, sliding down- JAZZ crept into me.
In high school I was in every musical and play, with such roles as "Annie" in "Annie", "Anne" in "Anne of Green Gables", and "Elizabeth" in "Pride and Prejudice." My craving of the stage was insatiable; the costumes, the lights, the energy, the crowd. I enjoy working under pressure.
It wasn't until I was almost 16 that my passion arrived. My health started to decline and on Valentine's Day 1999, I got a pacemaker for my heart. God brought me to a valley, and with him I climbed a mountain. Thus began my ethics on work and my unbreakable strength. All glory to God for he has given me the ability to live and sing at this moment!!
I started playing the guitar soon after I was in the hospital and have not put it down since. The guitar was a sexy insturment, an appropriate match with me. It mostly accompanies my voice, and being self-taught I learned how to explore chords and progressions to color my melodies. My guitar style is jazzy. Influences at this stage were Joni Mitchell, Tori Amos, Jeff Buckley, and Cake.
I went to college for music, but I did not want to fit into their classical mold. So I became an English major and fell in love with words; a languid subtle way to entrance the communicative mind. A fascination of touching people with language transpired.
I didn't start playing out until two years ago. My friends encouraged me to go to open mic nights and finally I went to one. But this one was not what I was expecting. It was a "Rap is Poetry" night. And I was a little white girl with a guitar and a folk song. Intimidated and scared I stayed and sang- and to my surprise everyone loved it.
Since then I have dedicated myself to my original music. For the past 1-1/2 years I have played a weekly gig on Mondays at a blues bar called The Northside in Akron, OH.
I have played 30-35 venues in Ohio, have been on Fox 8 News (as a special guest), on a tv show called Random Acts of Music (www.randomactsofmusic.tv), opened for national act Maia Sharp, played for several benefits and private parties (including political campaigns), and have had several articles in local magazines and newspapers.
My original music will contaminate you with positive energy and passion. At 23, I already know that I will be writing and playing and travelling for the rest of my life, so I hope I get to meet you along the way.

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