WHO?
Lauren Moses (Col '07) is a musician who resides in Washington, D.C., and is working on her second recording project.
Music has always been an integral part of my family. Instead of gathering around a TV at holiday functions, we circled up in the living room, our respective instruments in tow, and jammed. My mother’s family has called Amherst, Va., home for centuries, and it is here that I first picked up a fiddle and began following my 75-year-old mentor’s lead, learning to play old-time fiddle solely by ear. During the summers growing up, my grandfather would take us to Galax, Va., to the oldest and largest fiddler’s convention where we would play all day and all night; we literally stayed up until 4 a.m., because that’s when the music really got going.
It was no surprise to my friends and family when I co-founded my band, 6 Day Bender, while at U.Va. We played in and around Charlottesville, including Starr Hill and Miller’s, venues where Dave Matthews got his start. One night I remember in particular, we were playing at Michael’s Bistro on the corner. The dance floor was packed, and the whole place began to shake; I remember thinking, “Wow, I hope the floor doesn’t cave in.”
6 Day Bender plays at Michael’s Bistro.
We had some great times, but the idea of pursuing a professional music career never really occurred to me until graduation was lurking around the corner and I decided: Why not try something I love? After continuing with 6 Day Bender for a stint, I split ways and packed my bags for Nashville to begin a solo career.
Arriving in Nashville, I really had no idea what to expect. I lived in an extended stay hotel for a few weeks until I found a place to live. I began working with Jeff Stevens, a hit songwriter also from my native West Virginia. After a brief time, however, we realized our styles were different, and we amicably parted. I learned that music relationships are very much like romantic relationships—if the chemistry is not there, you know quickly, and you move out of the way so that you can both find a match-up that sparks.
Moses on stage at the Ryman Auditorium with Bob Schieffer and Brad Paisley.
Looking back a year and a half later, it has been a wild ride. I teamed with renowned producers Bill Cuomo and Beeb Birtles, who have worked with Barbara Streisand, Faith Hill, Smoky Robinson and Little River Band, and recorded my self-titled debut CD. I met and performed with Bob Schieffer of CBS Face the Nation at the Ryman Auditorium, home of the original Grand Ole Opry, as well as at the White House News and Photographers Annual Dinner in Washington. I met George Jones, Brad Paisley and Trisha Yearwood! I also formed my own band and began playing the songs I wrote live for the first time. Despite the glamorous lifestyle famous country stars lead, most musicians are lucky to scrape out a living. There is an ugly side to the business and it is a very difficult lifestyle. Long nights, empty bars and record labels controlling your career are all realities that outsiders do not see. Ultimately, I decided that it was important for me to create music on my own terms in an organic, heartfelt way.
Moses with her fiddle.
Throughout all these unforgettable opportunities, the most important thing I have learned is to stay true to who you are and never forget where you came from. Cliché? Perhaps. Simple, no doubt. But that is just fine with me. I would not trade my experiences in Nashville for anything, but I know that my music and I belong in Virginia. My things are piled high in the back of my car and I am headed back to form a band and continue to play my Appalachian roots music with musicians who play because they love traditional music, and in my humble opinion, blow the Nashville musicians out of the water.
Comments
I wish you the best. Remember: If you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.
I look forward to finding your CD(s).
This is a wonderful story. Sounds like you have learned alot of very valuable information at a young age.
Glad to know that you are a Wahoo!
Give me goose bumps to read this… don’t think I can stop smiling all day now. Wahoowa
PS - I thought the floor would break in too!
Lauren,
Keep the tradition alive! You would love meeting a very talented young woman from Lewiston, Maine (Erica Brown). She is a very talented French Canadian fiddler player with a formal background. She tours primarily in the North Eastern Corridor of New England. I have enjoyed listening to her CD’s.
She can be found at: http://www.ericabrownonline.com
Best Regards, Don Horton
Havre de Grace, MD
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