Spotlight on MaryJustice Lucas

MaryJustice Lucas is one of the Tennessee Valley's most promising young performing songwriters. Winning her first songwriting competition at age 13, she is a multi-award winning singer and songwriter, having won competitions locally, regionally and internationally. At age 19, she is already considered a seasoned entertainer who performs frequently in Tennessee and Alabama. She performs solo and with other songwriters in songwriters showcases, concerts, festivals, benefits, and has been invited to open for other performers. MaryJustice is a member of BMI, NSAI and currently enjoys a music scholarship at Calhoun Community College where she is a member of the Instrumental Ensemble.

Interview with MaryJustice by Andrea Lee, Photography

Wishmaker Promotions

MaryJustice performing Saturday, July 5th, at the legendary SWAMPERS in the Shoals Marriott, Florence, Alabama. Showtime is 8 - 11pm.

Come early and meet MaryJustice.

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"So Much More" !!!

Spotlight on Zoe Welch

Interview by Andrea Belk

The Shoals Area has been one of the best places to find extremely talented musicians. Some of the musicians that call this place home are artists like John Paul White, Gary Nichols, and Dylan Hodges; but the Shoals is also the heart of aspiring artists. One that stands out of the sea of lost guitar picks and broken strings is Zoe Welch. In an old-timey and tiny coffee shop, Zoe agreed to tell me about how she found her voice at a young age to how she bloomed into a talented artist. It was a pleasure to meet back with an old friend to catch up on how things were and to really get to know more about her.

A: What made you decide that you wanted to pursue music as a career? 

Z: I’ve always liked singing. Like I was always the kind of person that sang in the bedroom or the shower, but I think what really started it was when I was at Florence (High School). I was in musical theater and I had to do a performance at the end and it just seemed really natural to me so I started playing more and then I started writing my own songs and it has developed into what it is now.

A: Where do you normally get your inspiration from?

Z: Life inspires me and the relationships I’ve had. Those have always been kind of rocky.

A: I was listening to some of your songs on YouTube earlier and I have to say I love your original songs Breathe and First Date.

Z: Thank you! First Date was just a really fun song about pretty much exactly what the song says and me and this guy I started dating ended up living in Nashville and it was great for a little while, but then you know, things happened. And the song Breathe is about trying to work out your differences with somebody and knowing that it’s going to be okay, because you are in love with this person and love normally over comes all obstacles.

A: Do you have a favorite band?

Z: It’s really difficult for me to pick a favorite…man I really don’t know…I grew up listening to different artists like Sarah McLaughlin and people like Madonna and  I am inspired by them more so Sarah McLachlan because she really does inspire me.

A: Who is your music idol?

Z: I really don’t have a music idol, I mean, I know what I like (haha) and I kind of take away from the music that I listen to.

A: Now, with that being said what is the main genre that you listen to?

Z: I listen to all types of music, but I really like pop and indie so those are probably my favorite.

A: Do you have a certain look that you want to go for in your shows?

Z: I do like to dress up when I do shows. I wouldn’t say that I try to have a “look”, but I do usually end up wearing heels and then regretting it (haha) but anytime I am usually out I am wearing heels and I really do end up regretting it.

A: Haha! I’m pretty sure we all regret wearing heels anytime we wear them!

Z: Exactly!

A: Did you ever want to go to college for a music degree?

Z: I’m actually in college right now, but I’m not going for music; I am going for esthetics and that’s basically skin care. I want to end up doing medical esthetics so that I can work with or as a dermatologist. I’d also like to come back to Florence and do that.

A: Would you recommend college for aspiring artists?

Z: I guess it just depends on what you want to do. I actually ended up dropping out of school at UNA, but like I said it’s your own preference.

A: Have you ever doubted your talent? If so what did you do to overcome it?

Z: Yeah, in fact it is something that I still doubt because it’s one of those industries that don’t have a lot of stability and that scares me. And the way that I overcome it is that it is something that I love to do, even if I end up only doing it locally, which is what I’ll end up doing anyway. But I know that I’m going to have to make a choice between music and esthetics.

A: Do you have any advice for artists in pursuit of a music career?

Z: The main this is just don’t give up, and like I said the industry is tough, but if it is something that you really want to do with your life, I feel like you really need to manifest that and keep going.

A: What is the number one thing that you'd love to do)?

Z: I think one thing that I would love to do is to sing at the Ryman Auditorium. Mainly just because it’s the Grand Ol’ Opry stage and people like Patsy Cline were there. It’s just every time I go there I picture myself being there at least once in my lifetime.

A: Who would you love to work with?

Z: I would really like to work with somebody who is kind of in the same genre as I am. Like I would be willing to work with anybody who wanted to work with me (haha).

A: Is touring something you would like to do?

Z: As of right now? No, it’s not something that I can see myself doing because there are certain things that I do want in life that I probably would not have touring. At some point I do want to get married and have a family. I just don’t see myself doing that as far as music goes.

A: Do you really like it here in Florence?

Z: Yeah, and that’s another thing, like this is my home and I really don’t want to live anywhere else.

A: What is the best gig you have ever played?

Z: Probably when I played Handy Night at the Marriott. There were just so many people and I just thought it was a great show.

A: What do you hope to achieve in the future?

Z: Like I said earlier I am going to have to make a decision on whether I want to pursue music or do esthetics. As of right now I am going to have to do esthetics. I will still do music here locally though! I just can’t see myself trying to do it outside the area, but esthetics is just something that I can see myself doing for a very long time.

     This small town girl wants to stay small town and find her happiness in the Shoals, a wonderful place for sharing her music and following her dreams. 

The Blue Crate

                                                                     The Blue Crate

                                                              

A Small Tale of Small Ideas

When I was very small, my Mama bought me a set of plastic farm animals, the kind that come in a little plastic bag from the store peg that used to say 99 cents. Mine had a truck inside that hauled a hollow blue block in the design of a wooden crate. I made many imaginary deliveries to and from the farm. That world I was in stayed pretty small, until Mama made one suggestion. She asked me if I would like to really haul things inside the crate! I watched her use her best kitchen knife to cut a flap in the blue block. Anything the right size could then be fit inside. In the magic of that moment, I learned that what we imagine can become real with the right thinking. That imaginary world grew to include the thinking that anything that could be fit together could be made to work. I've carried the little blue crate with me in my mind, throughout life. What's in your little blue crate?

About Wishmaker Music

Someone asked: Are you a promoter or a booking agent?

I am a songwriter who upon following the advice of Craig Wiseman, formed a company to promote all the artists who sing demos for me. I had toyed with the idea a long time. Craig told me to go for it. This promotes the artists as well as my songs. Since I'm not the best performing singer this works well for me to get my songs "out there". I have a very tightly knit group of people. We are finding a way to beat the industry's game. We help each other out never charging for services. Many of my friends are yet to be featured on my music page, ReverbNation, or wishmakermusicblog.com. Soon to come will be a YouTube, and lot's of internet radio is in the works. I do local bookings only for my "clients" who have come as far as Nashville to perform in the legendary Muscle Shoals area. I am following my daddy's example of doing business on a handshake and your good reputation. That's the America I grew up in. I'd like to see the nostalgia of doing business that way made a reality again.

Talented Young Alabama Artists

Matt Morrow

Alabama native Matt Morrow has a strange way of stealing the attention of a room with a whisper rather than a shout and making darkness seem more beautiful than the light. The award winning singer-songwriter has hypnotized audiences across the country, and is currently playing shows to promote his new album Burlap and Gold, a Southern Gothic collection of stories told from the perspectives of the hardscrabble everymen and everywomen of his small Southern town. Alone on stage, his acoustic guitar or banjo are the only foil needed for the dark poetry of his lyrics that sting with heartbreak, addiction, despair, hope, and hard-earned wisdom. But it's truly his remarkable voice that seems to bring an audience to a breathless silence--dipping low and smoky one minute and sailing into a spine-tingling falsetto at others, but usually somewhere in between, and always hauntingly beautiful.
Sample Matt's Music

Songwriting Seminars

Wishmaker Music is offering FREE seating in it's intermediate songwriting group, for serious performing writers, or those who plan to show their songwriting skill on stage. Peer critiquing under the guidance of Susan Belk, who has written songs for four decades and worked with Nashville Star contestants. Occasionally there will be a surprise guest songwriter. We will focus on melody, lyric, and stage presence. Sessions are scheduled for the 2nd and 4th weeks of the month in Sheffield Alabam Dates to be determined by participant availability. Space is limited. 

Message me on facebook, or wishmakermusic@gmail.com for reservations.

Hello, my name is Susan Belk. I am a songwriter. I thought I would start this new blog telling you about myself, right up front! I hope you'll check by often to see what I'm up to.

Until I was three I only had nursery rhyme recordings to listen to. Then daddy brought me an arm load of real 45 records he had rescued from a furniture store fire.

 I had many of the hits from 1958 to 1962 and I jammed. I taught myself guitar at age nine and fell in love with folk music in 1968. My first live concert was Fan Fair in Nashville in 1972. I saw George & Tammy, Conway & Loretta, Porter (without Dolly), Charlie Pride, Charlie Rich, and I think the Mandrell Sisters. A year later I saw John Denver in Murphreesboro, TN. I loved the fact that he toured with a string symphony. The symphony experience, and classical works, took melody in a new direction for me.

I started writing songs at age 14. I never wanted to get on stage to perform them but always wanted to hear someone else perform my songs. I since learned that having an audience sing your lyrics along with you is the best feeling of all. I sang background vocals for demos in Muscle Shoals in my early 20’s and was told I sounded like Crystal Gayle or Linda Ronstadt. I married at 27 and became a closet songwriter, always taking care of husband and children first. I ended up raising my girls alone. They are up and on their way. I have returned to the music swelling within me, anxious to be heard.

After my mom died in 2002, I found a box containing one song she had written; a gospel tune called The Great Shining Light. She had played spoons all her life. They were her only instrument, because she couldn't afford one. Till that day I never knew she had written a song! I could feel her urging me to keep writing. Who knows, maybe she is my muse. I hope she found her Great Shining Light.

In 2007, two of my co-writers (Angela Hacker and her brother Zac) tried out for Nashville Star and made it all the way. Angela got into the competition with a song we wrote together, Brand New Pair of Boots, and got moved into the top 10 finalists with another song we wrote, When You Come Around. I was published by Rick Hall Music. I started writing at FAME studios.

I became known as a spare parts roadie. I saved many a gig by always having what was needed such as picks, strings, all the expected stuff. But how about a USB light for a soundboard? Had it. Orange duct tape for cords on the floor? Ditto. Pop screens? Of course! The local artist's always called me in an emergency. I kept a full PA system, mics, stands, cords, everything in the trunk of my car already locked and loaded, ready to go. At some point, Zac Hacker dubbed me "Mary Poppins" because he said he kept waiting for a rubber tree to come out of my purse! I sat at Angela's table one morning with a sewing kit I had brought over to repair the hem in a skirt. She had caught a boot heel in the hem, and it was what she had planned to wear that day to her photo shoot for No'Ala magazine. I worked on the skirt while she was in the shower because time was short. Angela and the skirt were both beautiful and arrived on time. I found it very rewarding every time I played the Fairy Godmother.

I thought about what it took to make wishes come true. I was not a wish grantor, or even a wish creator; no this stuff took hard WORK. I was a wish maker. I was an anticipator of needs, and a true master of the craft. As my song says, "I know what you want before you ask" (from When You Come Around) and so Wishmaker Music was born. Was there ever a charge for any of my services? No, just love me for who I am!