Where were you born? Where do you currently live and where have you lived in the past?
I was born in Mission Viejo, CA and I currently live with my sister and my nephew in South Oceanside. My father was in the Marine Corps, so we lived in North Florida and Northern Virginia also. I went to 
college in Hartford, Connecticut and finished my studies in New York City. From there I moved to Los Angeles for awhile and then, finally, settled here in San Diego County. I plan on staying here as long as possible!
What is your musical background? Where were you trained?
I have been singing for as long as I can remember. In high school I was in choir, madrigal, show choir, and the school musical. I first went to college at The Hartt School of Music (University of Hartford) studying vocal performance and music business. 
Then I transferred to Manhattan School of Music in NYC where I dropped the Business major and graduated with a Bachelor of Music in Classical Vocal Performance. I have always loved and listenned to jazz, so upon graduation, I moved to Los Angeles and studied jazz voice privately.
What early memories do you have of being exposed to music at a young age? Does a passion for music run in your family?
My parent used to play records at our house all of the time – a wide variety of styles too. Mostly they played folk music, but I was exposed to jazz, country and classical from them as well. My first favorite jazz album was Ella Fitzgerald’s “Clap Hands, Here Comes Charlie”. My mother used to sing and play the flute and guitar a lot and she performed music at our church with a group called “The Sing-A-Lings”. My father played some piano and some banjo as well. My Grammy (Dad’s mom) often played old country records and radio at her house, Patsy Cline is the person I remember her liking most, and my Dad was a fan of Marty Robbins, Willie Nelson, and Nat “King” Cole.
You are classically trained in opera, you sing jazz, How did you get involved with country music?
Actually, it was on a bit of a whim! Nathan James recommended a new voice student for me and so we had our first lesson. The new student was Kevin Williams and he told me about a little get together he had 
going on with Troy Sandow in which they would have dinner at his house and then play country songs for fun. He invited me to come over and sing some tunes and “Hello Trouble” was born! The band all seemed like a natural fit for us and I realized that I LOVE singing old-style country music more than anything!
How would you describe the music of Hello Trouble? Who are the band’s influences?
The technical term for our style is “vintage country”, which basically means we play music with a 1940s-1960’s influence. Some of our major influences are Buck Owens, Hank Williams, Maddox Brothers and Rose, Patsy Cline, Connie Smith, and many other notables from that generation.
Who are your Hello Trouble band mates?
Troy Sandow is an outstanding bass player. He really brings professionalism and dedication to the band, as well as some mighty fine impersonations of movie characters. Kevin Williams is our fantastic rhythm guitar player and vocalist. He makes all of our great gear and came up with the idea for me to play drums on my uke! Jeff Ross is a rock star on lead guitar. He is epic, and he has some amazing 
stories of his times with other musicians.
You cover songs and write originals, how do you get your ideas for the originals? Which ones are your favorites?
Most times I just sit around on my old, yellow couch and strum chords on my ukulele until a melody comes along. I’ll get a picture in my head or have an idea about a person I’d like to tell a story about. Some songs are literal and are about certain people (“You’re The Only One” is one of my favorites in this category). Others start with an idea that I create a story from (my latest song “No Better Place” is one that I really like).
You sing and play Ukulele, what other instruments do you enjoy playing? Which ones do you want to learn in the future?
I play a little bit of piano and guitar and would really love to improve my skills on those instruments. I have a U-Bass (an ukulele that sounds like an upright bass), so I’m working on that, as well. I’ve tried my hand at washboard, but that’s on the back burner for the time being…
You are educated in Alexander Technique, what is that? Do you give lessons? How can people get involved?
I am an AmSAT certified teacher of the Alexander Technique. It’s a 3 year, 1600 hour program. I love to give lessons! The Alexander Technique is a way of learning how you can get rid of harmful tension in your body. Teachers use gentle hands on to help students become aware of their bad habits of movement and thought. The Alexander Technique is a method which helps a person discover a new balance in the body by releasing unnecessary tension. It can be applied to sitting, lying down, standing, walking, lifting, and other daily activities…
Do you give singing lessons?
Yes, I do! I teach all levels and styles. I incorporate the Alexander Technique into my singing lessons because it is essential to have good use of the self when singing.
What is Hello Trouble’s future plans?
You know what? We play because we love the music and we love each others’ company. We just do our thing the best we know how and with a lot of heart. We are all professionals and hope that one day we can be a successful touring and recording band. We work hard and we have a great time doing it!
Where can Hello Trouble fans see you guys play?
We play every other Tuesday at The Royal Dive in Oceanside. We are working on a number of other places to play as well, so keep your eyes out for some Trouble!
See Hello Trouble at Hensley’s on Sat. Jan. 29th @ 8;30pm!
Click HERE for info on Alexander Technique lessons!
photos by bryan snyder
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