Nancy Brennan Strange
singer/musician
Why do you play music?
It's just the most fun thing you can do. There's a joy from doing it. The most alive I ever feel is when I'm playing music. It's like a spiritual thing. It always just pulls me out of whatever [else I'm doing]. It feels like something I'm supposed to be doing.
What are your favorite musical memories?
Lucille's in the '90s. I played there a lot, from 1990 until about five years ago. That was a really great place. There was always a great energy between the audience and the performers. I could always count on having a great time when I played there. And the Laurel Theatre, too.
Philip Knight
singer/songwriter/guitarist
Why do you play music?
(in order of importance) 1. Because it makes me happy and it feels good. 2. Because it is a way to creatively express and resolve the conflicts and stresses, the joys and sorrows, of everyday life. 3. Because it is a way to connect to The Source: it unifies people's spirit and transcends words and ideologies. 4. Because it generates enormous positive energy, and has the power to transform me (people) in a positive way. 5. Because it's a way to impress women. 6. Because I can.
Stacy Miller
cellist with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, professional musician and teacher for 20 years
Why do you play music?
Originally, I wasn't going to be a professional musician, because I knew it was a difficult way to make a living. I loved playing cello ever since I was a kid. I grew up in a small town in Kansas, and we just happened to have this musician in our town who had escaped from the Ukraine during the war. And he was just a great inspiration.... He started a community orchestra and a youth orchestra there. We had an opportunity that I otherwise wouldn't have had. [And] I was just drawn to the instrument because I loved the sound of it.
What are some of your most memorable musical experiences?
In college, I had a chance to go overseas with the World Youth Orchestra.... It just seemed incredible to play music with people from all over the world. And nobody could speak the same language— except for music.... I came back from the trip and I changed all my pre-med courses to music courses.... That's what inspired me to try to do it for a living.
Playing Mahler's Sixth [symphony] last season was probably the highlight for me as far as playing with the Symphony. I felt like we really did a good job on that. That's just a huge piece and a huge orchestration. And I was sitting right in the middle of it.
Sarah Lewis
singer/songwriter, Jag Star
Why do you play music?
It's hard to answer that without getting all deep and cheesy, but music has always has been such a huge part of me naturally. My friends used to get mad at me when I'd go over to their house to play, and I'd immediately run over to their piano and start writing a song. (I never really sang, just wrote the music.) It never occurred to me that that was unusual for a 10-year-old. I was weird, but I just loved it! I'm not very musically "educated," technically speaking, but it's just in my blood and I constantly wake up to new melodies in my head.
What is your favorite musical memory?
It's really ironic you ask that, because I can say for the whole band that this LAST WEEK'S show is probably our most memorable musical moment. We played in Paducah, Ky., of all places, for a radio-sponsored concert with two major artists out right now. We were the "unsigned opening act," but are getting regular spins on their pop station. It was the loudest, biggest crowd we've played for, and the energy was through the roof. We're used to playing smoky bars for 21-plus people, but this was an all-ages show for people who'd been hearing "Mouth" on the radio before ever seeing us, so the energy we got from them even when just arriving to the town was something we've never experienced before. It just made the performance of the songs that much more fun.
My other "musical moment" was recording my favorite song on our CD called "Home." The song starts with a sample of my cousin singing one of his songs. He passed away last year, and I went through his music because I wanted his voice and music to be heard on our CD. I found a recording of him singing "The only place I feel at home is on a microphone," which is from a song he'd written. It fit perfectly with my song, "Home," and so I took it to our producer and told him I wanted it to be a recurring sample throughout the song. I cried when I heard the whole thing finished!
Emily Pennington
UT student, leasing consultant, rescuer of stray animals, member of Just in Time
Why do you perform?
Because I think I would explode if I didn't.
Angela Bartlett
guitarist for Dixie Dirt
What does it feel like to perform?
I'm not really sure... I kind of go off into la-la land. I'm cohesive for a while and then something happens to me. It's like the best sex I've had and you put it on ecstasy and it's 100 times better than that. And the next thing I know the set is over and I'm saying hello to people. I've done every drug known and it's better than all of them. When I was little I used to put on shows for my stuffed animals.... I'd get in trouble for jumping on the bed, of course."
David Brill
Communications Director for UT's Energy, Environment and Resources Center and author of Desire and Ice (to be released in November by National Geographic)
Why do you play music?
Because playing music is a lot cheaper than therapy, and in my opinion, it's equally as effective. I pick up my guitar just about every evening, and the first chord officially signals the end of the work day. Often, I intend to play for five or 10 minutes and wind up getting lost in the music. I emerge an hour or two later, soothed and wondering where the time went.
Favorite music memory:
A couple of years ago, in February, I cooked a pot of beans, fired up the woodstove, and invited three friends and fellow pluckers out to my cabin in Morgan County. The foursome included two hacks (Doug and me) and two polished and blessedly patient musicians (Phil and Tim). Picture a 600-square-foot cabin, four monster amps, two microphones, and four musicians drawn from decidedly different idioms and operating at widely varying skill levels. The amperage was enormous; I'm certain TVA had to activate another turbine just to feed us power, and my normally sedate golden retriever began pacing, gnawing at his fur, and slobbering.
Leslie Terry
local political activist, member of the Knoxville Choral Society, owner of and instructor in Music Pathways, a pre-school music program
Why do you play music?
Why do I do this? With the "career" thing, I feel very lucky—I've always been able to make most and often all of my living from music, be it teaching or performing. Is one more gratifying than the other? A lot of what happens either in the studio, the classroom, or on the stage, that makes you go back for more, is based on the ideal of going for "a reaction." That can be the light bulb over the head of a student that suddenly understands your point, or the emotional involvement of an audience. Both are so important, both are based upon reactions and in a very unique way, both events become bonding experiences.
Wendy Smith
freelance writer, member at various times of Jupiter Muse, Finnegan's aWake, Sigean
Do you have a particularly significant memory associated with performing (or learning to play)?
My favorite learning memory is when my cousin showed me a "D" on the guitar and I was just amazed. I stole my brother's guitar and Mel Bay book and locked myself in my room for several days. And probably my most significant performing memory is the first time Finnegan's aWake played at the Laurel Theatre. We were afraid no one would come, and we sold out. I have never been so scared in my life as when I walked from the back of theater to the stage, but the audience was so supportive, the energy was wonderful and we had a great time. I'll never forget it and I learned a lot that night. I learned that an eager and supportive audience is one of the most wonderful things a performer and band can have and I learned that stage fright makes my legs shake violently.
Cindy Hassil
account executive for Moxley Carmichael, member of Just in Time
Why do you perform?
Before Wendel told me I should be performing, I only sang for my cat, who just really dug it. She runs into the room, purring at the top of her lungs, and then rolls over on her back with her feet in the air in pure bliss. Very strange.
Wendel Werner
local musician
Why do you play?
Actually, I'm not sure I have any control over why I perform anymore. Earlier in my life, there was an agenda. It got me from one level to another. These days, it's not about career, money, or alleged fame. Now, playing music is just a part of ME.... It's like breathing. If I stop playing, then I might as well die.
August 1, 2002 * Vol. 12, No. 31
© 2002 Metro Pulse
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Why Do You Play?