Vicki Blankenship: Dancing With The Blueflame

I like to think that life is sometimes like the toy surprise in a big box of Cracker Jacks. It’s always a surprise as to what you are going to get, some are good and some happen to be bad. You just never know what to expect.

My latest box of musical Cracker Jacks contained a surprise in the bottom by the name of Vicki Blankenship. I met Vicki for the first time at The Binding Time Café in Martinsville, VA during a performance by Indiegrrl artist Broda. I wasn’t familiar with Vicki, but I was told that she was a musician who performed at the Café from time to time. I got to her perform a short time later at an Indiegrrl festival in Spencer, VA that she put together. For those who do not know, Vicki took over the reigns of Indiegrrl from creator Holly O’Reilly in October of 2005.

Vicki invited me to The Binding Time Café on August 14 for the release party of her newest CD entitled “Blue Flame Trance”. She did perform a few of the songs solo that night and gave us a small taste of what was included on the CD. She had a strong turnout to support her that night.

I took home Vicki’s CD and it did lay around for a few days before I got the chance to pop it open and give it a good listen. Vicki is a very talented musician, without a doubt. You immediately get that when you see her perform live. The part that I didn’t realize was how good of a lyricist that she is.

The title track to her CD is an ode to that good old tradition through these parts of Virginia known as bootleg. One test of the equality of bootleg occurs when it is lit. Now, the really good stuff burns a blue flame. Henceforth, the title of the song. It’s a great toe tapper of a song that really gets cranked into overdrive as Vicki screams out “Yeehaw” midway through.

If you are a native of this area and if the song “Southwest Virginia” doesn’t do something for you, then you need to pack your bags and move. There are so many references to landmarks such as Mabry Mill, the Blue Ridge Mountains and even Martinsville is mentioned.

The biggest surprise for me is how emotionally charged a number of these songs are. My two standout cuts would be “Moonbeam” and “Coming My Way”, both equally as moving as the other. Vicki manages to put more emotion and feeling into these two songs than most artists put into an entire CD. “Moonbeam” is a reflective song about looking back on a love and the regrets that you may have. Now, not every track is all about happy love. “Love Went Six Feet Under” is a great song about love just doesn’t work out.

Another outstanding and emotional track would be “I’ve Waited For You” which has touring buddy Sonya Heller on background vocals. It tells an emotional journey of love coming and going, but never giving up on that love without putting up a fight to keep it.

Vicki has a bunch of extremely talented musicians backing her on her CD. She also played acoustic and electric guitar on all songs, wrote all the tracks and produced the CD. This woman can do it all!!

I think it’s very hard to pigeonhole Vicki’s music to just one label. She mixes country, folk, bluegrass and other elements into a blend that is like musical sugar to your ears. You can purchase her CDs at www.spottedkivaproductions.com . You can also learn more about her at www.myspace.com/vickiblankenship.

Are you in the mood for some toe tapping music that actually tells a good story? Unlike a great deal of today’s standards, these songs actually tell the listener a story. I guarantee you that if you take the time to check out Vicki, then you too will find out that the prize in the bottom of these Cracker Jacks is one of life’s greatest surprises.

Eva Kathryn, Not Your Typical Artist

Most girls when they are young play with Barbie dolls are have tea parties. That sounds pretty typical of most young ladies, wouldn't you say. How many start writing their own musical compositions before turning 10 years old? Well, you usually don't unless you're 20 year old Eva Kathryn. You see, Eva was obsessed with music scores at a very early age. She would go to Saturday matinees and then come back some and sit at the piano and and try to recreate the amazing music that she had just heard mere hours before. She could, after a little persistence, play by ear what she had just experienced in the theatre. Not bad for such a young person.

Her obsession slowly began to get noticed. She actually had a connection with another musician who had seen some pretty big hits during his career with his group Kansas. You remember them from the 70s with such hits as "Dust In The Wind" and "Carry On Our Wayward Son"? Seems that both Eva and Kerry Livgren go to the same church in Kansas...no pun intended there. "I approached Kerry one day and told him that I wanted him to record the most amazing songs ever and I told him that they were mine. I told him that I wanted to record in his studio and he said that we would see. My mom actually told me to keep bugging him until he said yes. Kerry and I have been friends for a while and he has been like a mentor to me both musically and spiritually. He even referred me to my acting manager, Bill Evans, about 3 years ago," said Eva.

How does such a young person approach songwriting when they should be watching cartoons? "I usually write when I am pissed off. When you're numb, the emotions that come out are pretty intense. I just tinker around with a melody and the words just start to come out. I just love Celine Dion and her arrangements. My mom actually bought me a karaoke CD of hers when I was real little and I loved to put on concerts to it. Today my tastes are little more diverse. I love progressive rock with groups like Underoath and Dream Theater. I would love to work with David Foster someday. He is such an amazing person."

Eva's music will draw comparisons to many of today's women in music, but after listening closely you see that this young talent is very diverse and how so much to offer. She is reminiscent of Alicia Keyes on her song "Somebody" yet her song "It Was You" has almost an operatic or show tune feel similar to Phantom Of The Opera. Where does she see herself 5 years down the road? "I want to be doing what I am doing for the right reasons. It's not about the money. I have always wanted to be a songwriter for Disney movies. I would also love to compose scores with some of the greats. You have to stay humble and remember why you are doing this. Too many people tend to lose focus on that in their careers."

Of course, my last question was the one where you are stranded on a desert island with only one CD, what would you want to have with you? "Wow, tough one to call. It would have to be that makes me feel alive. Probably anything by a band called Emery. They have great songwriting and the music gets you pumped up and screaming."

Eva told me that her CD should hopefully be ready sometime in 2009. She currently has a 5 song demo that is available. She is an amazing talent and a truly gifted songwriter and vocalist. Check her out on MySpace or her website. With her hard work and persistency, hopefully she will not get lost in the shuffle in the turbulent music industry that is upon us.