Elle Magazine Musicians

I had a two and a half hour wait at the beauty salon yesterday (my daughter was waiting for her favorite stylist) and had a chance to read the July edition of Elle Magazine and scribble down three musical names to Google when I got home, two pianists/singers and one vocal group.

McKenzie Eddy taught herself how to play piano at age 17 and went on to write and perform original music.  But that’s not all –

Two years ago, after graduating from the University of South Caro­lina, the Hilton Head Island native was touring the East Coast with her funk-rock band Stealing From Bandits and waitressing between gigs, when she heard that hip-hop mogul Damon Dash was looking for an assistant. Today, she runs Bluroc (working with artists such as the Black Keys, the London Souls, and Curren$y), oversees Dash’s new DD172 multiplatform think tank in NYC’s Tribeca (which, with its mash-up of artists, video directors, and on-site engineers, has already drawn comparisons to Andy Warhol’s Factory), is associate­-producing a documentary about Detroit punk band Death with Mos Def, and, oh yeah, regularly sings on her friends’ and Bluroc’s albums. (read more)

Melody Gardot (above) suffered a traumatic brain injury when she was 19. Her doctor, after having tried pain killers, creams, pads, therapy, finally suggested she go home and play her piano. She started with her guitar, added her voice (she hadn’t sung before the accident) and is now truly a testament to the healing power of music.

… the Melody Gardot case represents success on an entirely different scale. Music therapy didn’t just allow this young woman to enjoy a relatively normal life after a traumatic injury—it brought out such a gift that she has actually become famous. She has sold more than half a million albums in jazz-friendly Europe. Before coming to Spain, she played three sold-out nights at Paris’ famed Olympia theater, the favorite venue of Edith Piaf (to whom she’s often compared) and host also to the Rolling Stones and Madonna. In America, her 2009 major-label debut, My One and Only Thrill, has hovered atop jazz charts since its release. She performed on Letterman and has found an unlikely fan in NFL quarterback Brett Favre, who reportedly liked to play the album in the Vikings’ locker room last year. (read more)

The L.A. Ladies Choir is a group of women coming together to sing.  They are women with careers in music, fashion, art, and literature. They wear vintage Laura Ashley and Gunne Sax.  They interact with their audience.   Their mission?

The one rule of the choir is to sing joyfully. I don’t care if it’s off-key. (read more)

So my daughter got a Twiggy haircut and I got a dose of musical inspiration!