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Saturday, February 26, 2011

The Ultimate Career Transition ... From Software Development to Songwriting: Teresa Storch

Blonde-haired, blue eyed Teresa Storch warmed up Salt Lake City's Magpie House Concert stage for Stephanie Corby by describing a phone conversation with her mother. “I have had that exact conversation with my mom about a hundred times!” I told her during the break. Moms, it seems, care about financial security, health care benefits, and 401Ks for their daughters. And rightly so, but getting lost in the quagmire of the 9-to-5 (or more likely 7-to-6) world can lead to a life of passionlessly working ones's brains out to live for the 2-4 weeks of vacation, a few holidays, and weekends.

Teresa jettisoned her ballet slippers and software developer tools when she lost her job, she picked up a guitar, and began to chase her musical dreams. Her journey began in subways and “around town” in her then-hometown of Boston, but since 2003, she's been tantalizing audiences around the country with her spunky brand of acoustic folk music. With CDs – “Live for Now," “Muscle Memory," and "Stream of Concrete" – under her belt, Teresa has proven a quick study on the folk music scene.
At Magpie, Teresa was joined by Drew Frink, her Utah-based musical collaborator. Now based in Denver, Teresa opened the set with “It's Time to Go,” about making the decision to leave Boston. I remember when I left Boston after living there five years: I cried as I kissed the “ground” in my second story apartment.

Teresa's deep, ponderous themes, comforting cadences that modulated then fell, were spell-binding. With her lyrics, she captures common human emotions and “bottles” them with her music. Pigeon-holing Teresa would be impossible: she's all over the folk map, stirring soul and funk into her auditory stew.
“The Eyes of June” captured the emotion of meeting her niece for the first time.

And then she brought you
Held you out to me, I felt so awkward
How could I hold something so small, yet
My heart pounding in my chest
A sudden instinct to protect
You opened up your eyes
I was mesmerized

There’s a new world in the eyes of June
There’s a new world in the eyes of June
There’s a new world in the eyes of June
Everything’s new…in the eyes of June

The tone turned to scintillating slow dance music with “Don't Let Me Down,” from her “Stream of Concrete” CD. When we hear songs like that, we should dance. Just sayin'.
Teresa and Drew wound down their set but not the intensity of the evening with “Holiday" … so cute, so fun, so true! The audience sang “da da da da da” (sort of makes it appear we babbled, but we sounded inspired, really). 

Life came seem unfair 
Yet it's too short to care 
About the shit that keeps us up at night
And I wonder if we really ever help each other
I think we might

And I think I might just like to hear Teresa again ... soon.

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